Movie Channels
Sony Pix spends between Rs 7 to 9 crore for Fast & Furious franchise
MUMBAI: Gear up and get ready for a thrilling ride this month. Standing true to its ‘Stay Amazed’ tagline, Sony Pix will quench the viewers thirst for some high speed action on 19 June with the premiere of action film Furious 7 (FF7) at 1 pm with a repeat at 9 pm.
Starring Vin Diesel, the late Paul Walker, Dwayne Johnson, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Chris Bridges, Jordana Brewster, Kurt Russell, and Jason Statham, the movie collected approximately Rs 141 crore in India and has grossed over $1.5 billion worldwide, making it the third highest-grossing film of 2015.
Directed by James Wan and written by Chris Morgan, the movie is a touching tribute to the Paul Walker. Amidst all the noise and the action lies the ferocity of friendship as the entire family re-unites. FF7 features gravity-defying stunts giving rise to a number of exciting and well-choreographed fight sequences with some stunning car chases. It’s a bittersweet feeling for the fans on seeing Paul Walker on screen again.
The channel has movie deals in place with NBCUniversal International Distribution under which it will now have access to movie titles from Universal Pictures. With this new deal in place, the three mega box office blockbusters of 2015 namely Jurassic World, Furious 7 and Minions will have television premieres on Sony Pix.
Pushing it further, the channel is extensively marketing the premiere of the movie. Marketing professionals are of the opinion that the channel has already spent between Rs 14 to 15 lakhs promoting FF7.
Industry experts have estimated that the deal between the channel and NBCU is between Rs. 7 to 9 crore for the entire Fast & Furious franchise. An industry expert opines, “The deal between Sony Pix and Universal for the entire Fast and Furious franchise cannot be for more than Rs 100 million (Rs 10 crore).” The channel has exclusive one year TV rights for FF7.
With a pervasive marketing strategy across print, TV and digital, the movie will also be promoted outside the network. It has routed a 360 degree approach which includes a strong outdoor campaign. Apart from this, social media is also buzzing with fans reminiscing about Paul Walker and gearing up for the premier of Furious 7.
Speaking about this, Sony Pictures Networks India EVP and business head – English cluster Saurabh Yagnik says, “For a blockbuster of this magnitude, we’ve adopted a 360 degree marketing approach which includes a television and print plan, innovative outdoor and an engaging social media campaign. Apart from Furious 7, we have movies like Jurassic World and Minions up next, both having crossed the $1 billion mark worldwide. This is truly a very amazing year for Sony PIX.”
Targeted at the young affluent mass comprising predominantly of males residing in towns, FF7 is presented by Motorola G4 Plus and is driven by Ford. Sony Pix managed to lasso99acres.com, Idea 4G, Myntra and Gillette as the associate sponsors. The channel has also partnered with Bollywood actor Ali Faizal who played an integral part in the Hollywood blockbuster and had quite a lot of memorable stories to share.
The movie is the highest grossing film in the Fast and Furious franchise and is Universal Pictures’ highest grossing film of all time in India. It is the second highest grossing Hollywood movie in India after The Jungle Book’s 2016 edition.
On the content front, the channel has also acquired exclusive rights to the biggest franchises like Hunger Games, Star Wars, Rocky, James Bond, Spider-man, Twilight and Ironman to name a few.
On 19 June Furious 7 will compete with other movies like the Robert Downey Jr and Chris Hemsworth starrer Avengers: Age of Ultron at 1:30 pm and Baby’s Day Out at 9 pm on Star Movies while on the other hand, Movies Now will broadcast another hit from the same franchise, Fast and Furious 6 at 1 pm and 9 pm. HBO will broadcast Final Destination 3 at12:52 pm and Jupiter Ascending at 9 pm. Hotel Transylvania will air at 1 pm while Samuel L. Jackson and Onni Tommila starrer Big Game will be broadcasted at 9 pm on Zee Studio.
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.
