Movie Channels
Star Mandarin Movies claims making waves in Taiwan
HONG KONG: Rupert Murdoch’s Star Group claims that its Star Mandarin Movies has outperformed all Chinese and Hollywood movie channels in Taiwan in the first half of the year. Quoting Nielsen figures, the group claims that the channel seized 46 out of the top 50 rated Chinese movies. The Eye and Inner Senses were the first and second most watched movies respectively.
It has attributed the success to a strong library of blockbusters as is also the case in India. In addition, the performance over the Chinese New Year holidays helped bolster Star Mandarin Movies’ leading position. Nearly three million Taiwanese viewers watched the thrillers The Eye and Inner Senses.
An official release informs that the Ekin Cheng comedy My Wife Is 18 even beat all the Taiwanese terrestrial channels. In total, the average audience of the channel increased by 16 per cent compared to the same period last year.
Star Taiwan GM Ivan Yuan made the following remarks about the achievements ” Beating commercial-free movie channels in ratings is a remarkable achievement for Star Mandarin Movies,It all stems from our perfect mix of programming and promotional strategies and our exclusive control of strong movie content.”
Star Mandarin Movies features Chinese blockbusters from leading Hong Kong movie studios including China Star Entertainment, Media Asia, Teamwork Motion Pictures, Universe. The channel has acquired pay television rights to over 80 per cent of the movies to be released from Hong Kong in the coming years.
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.
