GECs
Ravi Menon shifted from Star One as Star Vijay head; weekend spruce-up on anvil
MUMBAI: Star India has deputed Star One programming head Ravi Menon as Vijay TV general manager. Harsh Rohatgi, who had been heading the channel as deputy general manager, was promoted as general manager Star Network in July 2005.
“Star One programming is more or less steadied up now and it has been brought under the Star India programming wing now. Vijay TV being the South Indian hub of Star India, we are looking to pump up our initiatives. The channel has grown as one of the revenue centres and now the effort is to improve the position,” Menon, who took charge on 1 February, tells indiantelevision.com.
Menon is hitting the ground running as it were bringing in two Star properties into the weekends: Koffee with Karan and The Great Indian Laughter Champions. The Tamil version of The Great Indian Laughter Champions will launch on 10 March, while Koffee with Karan will go on air later in the month.
“Star has been launching its successful Hindi formats on Vijay in the weekends and the strategy continues. Koffee with Karan and The Great Indian Laughter Champions follow this stream. We will be also launching a musical property soon to spruce up the weekends,” says Menon.
Along with Star Plus, Vijay was also forced to reshuffle its weekend programming following Kaun Banega Crorepati 2’s abrupt exit. With KBC2 bidding adieu to Vijay on 25 February, the slot will be filled with some of the channel’s successful properties.
“We will be telecasting some of our crowd-pullers — including Best of Lollu Sabha — in the KBC2 time slot on Saturdays,” states Menon.
Menon adds that the channel’s weekday prime time band has been shaping up well. “Vijay is comfortably placed with its weekday prime time. K Balachander’s soap Idhu Oru Kadhal Kadhai is one of our driver shows in this segment,” he says.
Speaking about the plans for this fiscal, Menon says the emphasis will be on reality formats. “Apart from reality, we are seriously looking at the kids’ space also. Then we have plans for the afternoon band. Since we follow a July to July fiscal, we will be putting our act together in July,” says Menon.
GECs
Samsung TV Plus launches Kings of Comedy channel
New free FAST channel brings iconic Hindi comedy shows to millions of Samsung Smart TV owners.
MUMBAI: Samsung TV Plus has just turned up the laughter volume and it’s completely free. The leading free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) service in India has launched Kings of Comedy, a premium comedy channel featuring some of the country’s most beloved primetime shows. Available exclusively on Samsung TV Plus, the channel delivers back-to-back hits including Comedy Nights with Kapil, Khatra Khatra Khatra, and Comedy Nights Bachao, with no login or subscription required.
The launch marks a milestone for free streaming in India, offering audiences a dedicated comedy destination directly from their Samsung TV home screen. It arrives as Samsung TV Plus India celebrates its 5th anniversary, during which the service has grown its monthly active users by 42 per cent and more than doubled its total viewing hours. The platform now offers over 180 free channels across 14 languages.
Samsung TV Plus India general manager and head of business development Kunal Mehta said, “Comedy is the heartbeat of Hindi entertainment, and Kings of Comedy brings together the shows Indians already love, completely free on their Samsung TV. Our focus remains the same take the content people know and make it effortless to access.”
Globally, Samsung TV Plus has surpassed 100 million monthly active users across more than 4,500 channels, solidifying its position as one of the world’s leading free streaming services.
Kings of Comedy is now available on all compatible Samsung Smart TVs. For viewers seeking non-stop laughter without any cost, this new channel delivers a royal treat proving that sometimes the best entertainment really does come with no strings (or subscriptions) attached.
