GECs
South Indian music channel Southern Spice launched in Mumbai
Southern Spice is headquartered in Chennai and beams a mix of Tamil (40 per cent), Telugu (30 per cent), Kannada (10 per cent), Malayalam (10 per cent) and English (10 per cent) – in a random mix. Anil Shetty of ARMD Media (the firm managing all aspects of the channel – including programming and promotion) explains the reasoning thus: “Music channels are not about about appointment television. It’s all about frequency of viewing.”
‘As to why the channel is packaged in English, Shetty says that is the only way to bridge all four languages.
On the programming front there are nine daily shows currently running ans two weeklies. This number will eventually go up to seven, according to Shetty.
Among the shows on air are Phone-Tastic, Say To Play, Reach Out (all three interactive), FIR, I-Me-Myself, Time-Out, Hot Hotter Hottest, South Full, Reach Out, Loaded and Fast Forward.
Southern Spice is promoted by Fortune Media Private Limited, a company floated by the Martin Lottery Agencies Ltd, one of the largest bulk distributors of lotteries in the country. Santiago Martin is chairman and managing director of the company. Martin Lottery is associated with the state lotteries of Bhutan, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Punjab, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra.
The lottery link is very evident in the channel’s decision to to have a daily live relay of the Bhutan lottery from 3 – 4 pm.
With an initial capital expenditure of Rs 50 million, and running costs of just under Rs 10 million a month, the money sunk into the project so far is roughly Rs 90 million.
When queried as to when they expected to break even, Shetty says the channel is looking at a 30-month gestation period.
On the distribution front, Shetty says 95 per cent of the cable & satellite universe in the southern states have been covered, 80 per cent of Mumbai, 75 per cent of Delhi and 100 per cent of Calcutta. So far 3,000 set top boxes have been distributed across the country, he adds.
Simply Spice is beaming off NSS -703 as a free-to-air service. The channel is being uplinked from Singapore.
Technical Specifications:
Satellite : NSS – 703 57° E
Downlink Frequency : 3888 MHz
FEC : 3/4
Downlink Polarisation : Horizontal
Symbol rate : 09766 Kg Symbol/sec
Free-To-Air
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.
