English Entertainment
Star World celebrates ‘Dance Fever’; unveils a world of luxury
MUMBAI: English general entertainment channel Star World is looking to capitalise on the success of American Idol through another music based show.
The difference is that instead of singing, the contestants on Dance Fever show off their skills on the dance floor.
The show will air every Tuesday from 9 May at 8 pm. The mission of this dance competition is to find out America’s best dancers. The ultimate Dance Fever contestant or team champion will strut away with a $100,000 grand prize.
Auditions for Dance Fever were held in New York, L.A., Chicago, Miami, and Atlanta. Of these auditioners, only 48 individuals or teams will make it past the initial audition process and head to Las Vegas for their chance at dancing stardom. The Top 48 can consist of individual dancers, or teams of two to four dancers. Once the elimination rounds begin in Las Vegas, the contestants will meet host Eric Niles.
The contestants will also face, for the first time, the Dance Fever judges: actress and singer Carmen Electra (Baywatch, Starsky & Hutch); Grammy-winning artist MC Hammer; and director/choreographer Jamie King, who has worked with Madonna, Britney Spears and Ricky Martin.
The channel will also boost its lifestyle offerings by exposing viewers to a world of luxury. Luxury Unveiled airs every Sunday from 28 May at 7:30 pm. This is a reality – documentary series that goes behind the scenes to find out how these brands swept the world, how they got there, how they keep the magic alive and why men and women from very different countries, cultures and lifestyles spend thousands buying into them.
Each episode will concentrate on one luxury brand. The cameras will follow as the brands prepare for the latest show; as the designers, the marketers and the manufacturers create the house’s new look. Over the hour, viewers will watch the creation, production and unveiling of a haute couture collection or a new line of accessories or a new scent and all the pain and expectation along the way. At the same time, using historical footage and interviews, the show explains how the brand got here and how many of these firms transformed themselves from provincial family-run shops into huge multi-nationals.
More reality on air with Beauty and The Geek. The show kicks off on 31 May and airs every Wednesday at 8 pm. It teams up a group of beautiful girls with a bunch of genius guys in the hopes that one group’s strengths will help overcome the other group’s weaknesses. The “Beauties” are a group of stunningly attractive young women who use their looks to manipulate every situation. What they lack in intelligence they more than make up for in beauty.
Each “Geek” is one of the country’s next brain surgeons, rocket scientists and philosophers, who will create cures and technology that will change the world. But despite their massive intellects, these guys don’t possess the confidence or social skills to even talk to a girl or ask her out on a date. Partnered into Beauty/Geek teams, each will train the other to develop his or her brains or charisma. In a series of hilarious contests, the incredibly hot women go head to head in a battle of smarts, while the troop of genius guys compete to prove who can be the coolest, hippest and sexiest.
English Entertainment
ZEE5 UK partners Narrative Entertainment to add UK channels
Six FAST channels added as platform sharpens hybrid play in Britain
LONDON: ZEE5 UK struck a first-of-its-kind deal with Narrative Entertainment, bringing mainstream UK television channels onto an Indian streaming platform as it pushes to deepen its footprint in a crowded, mature market.
The partnership adds six of Narrative’s FAST channels to the service, including Great! Movies, Great! Romance, Great! Mystery and kids brands POP, Tiny Pop and POP UP, widening ZEE5 UK’s appeal across genres and age groups.
The move reflects a clear shift in strategy. ZEE5 UK is betting on a hybrid model that blends on-demand content with curated, always-on channels to drive discovery and increase time spent on the platform.
“This partnership represents a meaningful evolution in how we serve audiences in mature markets like the UK, where viewers are defined by habits, convenience and choice rather than geography or language alone,” said Parul Goel, territory head, Europe, Zee Entertainment. “By bringing trusted mainstream UK channels together with our premium originals, movies and kids’ content, we are building a more consumer-centric platform that simplifies viewing while increasing depth and relevance.”
Fateha Begum, commercial director, Narrative Entertainment, said the tie-up would fuel growth for both sides. “Our portfolio of quality programming, with such wide and enduring appeal, is a perfect complement to ZEE5 UK. This is a strong partnership that will support growth for both parties, and we share Zee Entertainment’s vision of an increasingly partnership-led future for the industry.”
ZEE5’s global library spans over 4,000 films and more than 500 originals, with over 130 new titles added annually. The addition of Narrative’s channels strengthens its kids offering and introduces genre-led linear experiences alongside its on-demand catalogue.
The deal also gives Narrative access to ZEE5 UK’s fast-growing user base, extending reach without diluting brand identity, while reinforcing ZEE5 UK’s network of more than 40 live channels.
As streaming wars intensify, ZEE5 UK is widening its playbook, blending content, convenience and partnerships in a bid to win screen time in one of the world’s toughest markets.
