Movie Channels
Star India bets on unreleased movies
MUMBAI: Star India is leaving no stone unturned to ensure Star Gold reigns in the movie premiere category. The broadcaster has not only acquired TV and digital rights for two blockbusters of 2017 – Golmaal Again and Judwaa 2 but also upcoming unreleased movies like Dutt, Baaghi 2, Raid and Aiyaary.
According to a source close to the development, all the six movies have been acquired for a period of 7-11 years. They will also be available for streaming on Hotstar.
Movie acquisition costs keep going a notch up every year, especially if the movie does well at the box office. The movie acquisition cost of Aiyaary is around Rs 21 crore, Golmaal Again is around Rs 60 crore and Judwaa 2 is between Rs 25-30 crore, the source revealed.
Star India general manager and EVP Hindi movie business Hemal Jhaveri said, “The acquisition of the biggest films of the year is a testament to Star Gold’s dominant position and to the strength of the Star Network. Apart from entertaining the audiences, mega movie premieres also prove to be a successful platform from an advertiser’s standpoint. We are delighted to be at the centre of this win-win situation.”
The broadcaster stands to earn big bucks during mega movie premieres since advertisers don’t hesitate to cough up premium rates, which will not be the case for a normal movie. It gives a bigger brand image for the advertiser as well as viewers.
Premieres also tend to grab more eyeballs. The channel expects movies like Judwaa 2 and Golmaal Again to rake in the investment and viewership. But Bareilly ki Barfi and Shubh Mangal Savdhan and the likes may not do the same, said the source.
Jhaveri believes that the channel has always received a phenomenal response for its big-ticket premieres. With the current lineup, the channel is optimistic about outdoing its previous records and setting new standards for television premieres in the country.
In the last two years, Star Gold delivered the highest rated premieres, Bajrangi Bhaijaan and Prem Ratan Dhan Payo (PRPD), whose satellite rights commanded a price tag of Rs 50 crore. Both their ratings are still unbeaten. Along with these, the channel has disrupted the market with landmark premieres such as Pink and The State vs Jolly LL.B 2. In 2017 itself, the channel delivered six of the top 10 premieres shown on Hindi movie channels.
Despite the onset of digital platforms, TV viewership hasn’t been affected but has even increased since rural areas, that were only acquainted with Doordarshan earlier, can now scan through tons of private channels.
Rohit Shetty’s Golmaal Again and Varun Dhawan’s Judwaa 2 will premiere on Star Gold in the coming two months. Among the unreleased movies are Rajkumar Hirani’s Dutt starring Ranbir Kapoor, Neeraj Pandey’s Aiyaary featuring Sidharth Malhotra, Baaghi 2 with Tiger Shroff in the lead and Ajay Devgn’s Raid.
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.
