Movie Channels
Star gives a sneak preview of its Oscar plans
MUMBAI: Star Movies seems to have stolen a march over chief rival HBO in its bid to generate some Oscar buzz. Though the awards are a while away (25 March to be exact), the promo campaign has already begun.
The move has added import considering that HBO is planning a big Oscar blitz of its own. Of course Star Movies has the rights to the “Big One” – exclusive live relay of the awards ceremony.
In a move clearly aimed at attracting advertising, as well as generating media awareness for the event the channel has started sending boxes to media and advertising outlets which convey the impression that a replica of the statuette is contained within. The taglines being “Only one movie channel has it live!” and “Will your brand be there?”
The 74th Annual Academy Awards will be shown live on 25 March at 6:30 am with a repeat at 9:30 pm. Whoopi Goldberg, an Oscar winner herself for ‘Ghost’, will be the MC. The nominations will be shown live on 12 February at 7 pm with a repeat on 16 Feb at 5:30 pm. For India, the focal point of interest will be whether ‘Lagaan’ gets a look-in the Foreign Language category.
In the build-up to awards night, from 1-24 March the channel will showcase films that have won or have been nominated for the awards in previous years. These include Philadelphia which gave Tom Hanks his first Oscar, Thelma & Louise with Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon, American Beauty which won the best picture Oscar a couple of years ago and the Tom Cuise starrer Jerry Maguire.
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.
