Movie Channels
Sony Pictures revises Q3 results; posts profit of $51 million
MUMBAI: Sony Pictures has posted a profit of $51 million in the quarter ended 31 December, 2014, which is the same period that was affected by the email hacking attack. This more than the $20 million profit figure that the company had anticipated in February this year. The profit was down 75 per cent from the year-ago period in yen.
Sony Pictures’ revenue stood at $1.71 billion for the fiscal third quarter, up from the company’s estimate of $1.63 billion. When compared to the same quarter in 2013, the company’s revenue was down 20 per cent on a dollar basis, but only 7.7 percent in yen. The significant decrease in revenue on a US dollar basis was primarily due to a decrease in sales for motion pictures and TV productions. The decrease in motion pictures sales was due to significantly lower home entertainment and theatrical revenues.
The decrease in TV production sales was attributed to the same quarter of the previous fiscal year benefitting from higher home entertainment and subscription video on demand (SVoD) revenues from the US television series Breaking Bad.
It may be recalled that Sony had delayed its third quarter earnings owing to the hacking of its servers last year.
Additionally, the mother company – Sony Corp’s official Q3 operating profit stood at $1.5 billion, which was up 2.2 per cent from the estimate it reported last month.
Movie Channels
Zee5 launches five free FAST channels on Samsung TV Plus India
New genre-led channels bring comedy, drama, horror, classics and South films to Smart TVs.
MUMBAI: Zee5 just turned Samsung Smart TVs into a free entertainment buffet because when premium content costs nothing, even the remote control starts smiling. Zee5 has launched five curated free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) channels on Samsung TV Plus India, making high-quality, genre-specific entertainment available subscription-free to millions of Samsung Smart TV owners across the country.
The five channels now live are:
Zee Comedy Nation – Popular comedy shows and movies
Zee Dil Se – Compelling drama series
ZEE Horror Nights – Horror and supernatural content
ZEE Cine Classic – Timeless Indian films
ZEE South Flix – High-energy South Indian films dubbed in Hindi
All content is drawn from Zee5’s extensive library and programmed in a lean-back, always-on format ideal for large-screen viewing. This launch strengthens Zee5’s Connected TV strategy at a time when 64 per cent of its premium content watch time already comes from connected devices.
Zee5 chief business officer Siju Prabhakaran said, “At Zee5, we believe accessibility and scale will define the next phase of digital entertainment growth in India. Our presence on Samsung TV Plus strengthens our Connected TV strategy, enabling viewers to discover curated, genre-led content in a seamless, free, and premium environment.”
Samsung TV Plus India head of partnerships Kunal Mehta added, “Local partnerships are at the heart of how we grow Samsung TV Plus in India. Zee Entertainment is one of India’s most iconic media brands, and bringing their channels to our service means millions more Samsung Smart TV owners can enjoy premium local content, subscription-free.”
The channels are available directly through the pre-installed Samsung TV Plus app with no login or subscription required. This marks another milestone in Zee5’s CTV expansion and builds on its growing international presence, with Zee channels already available on Samsung TV Plus across Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand.
In a streaming world where paywalls often block the fun, Zee5 and Samsung have quietly opened the gates, proving that sometimes the best things in life (and on your TV) really are free especially when they come with a side of comedy, drama, horror, classics and South Indian blockbuster energy.
