English Entertainment
Star World Premiere HD to celebrate first birthday with 24 new series
MUMBAI: Catering to a super premium audience, Star World Premier HD from the Star India kitty, which was launched last year, is all set to celebrate its first birthday.
Star India English portfolio business head Kevin Vaz is proud with the way the channel has managed to help build a major premium subscriber base. “Despite being a pure a la carte HD-only offering, we are confident that additional premium consumers will begin subscribing to the channel,” he says while adding that on the occasion, the subscription-based channel will showcase 24 of the most popular international television series in genres like comedy and drama.
When quizzed, which have been the best performing markets in the last one year, Vaz informs that since it is a paid for premium channel, currently priced at Rs 60, it is mostly consumed by audiences in the metros. And hence, it is these markets where the channel has been performing well.
The channel is targeted towards those seeking exclusivity, novelty and superior viewing experience. Even though it is ad free at the moment, Vaz say that its content and popularity has drawn interest from categories like e-commerce, FMCG, automobile companies.
By airing most of the shows in India, 12 hours after their US telecast, the channel has enabled viewers to gets access to latest shows and has curbed issues like piracy and illegal downloads to an extent.
The new launches include: From Tuesday 23 September; New Girl season four at 8 pm, The Blacklist season 2 at 10 pm, Sleepy Hollow season two at 11 pm. Person of Interest season four will start from Wednesday 24 September at 11 pm. Downtown Abbey season five will begin from 25 September at 10 pm. Modern Family season six, Sons of Anarchy season seven, and The Goldbergs season two will start from Thursday 25 September at 8:30 pm, 11 pm and 8 pm respectively. The other shows include Bones season 10 from September 26 at 10 pm followed by Agents of Shield season two at 10 pm. On September 29 The Simpsons season 26 will start at 8 30 pm. How To get Away with Murder will start from September 29 at 10 pm. Revenge season four starts 30 September at 9 pm.
The October lineup includes Blackish at 8 pm, Once Upon A Time season four at 9 pm and Castle season seven at 10 pm on 1 October. On October 3, Manhattan Love Story will begin at 8 30 pm. Last Man Standing season four and Homeland season four will start from 6 October at 8pm and 9 pm respectively. Criminal Minds season 10 will start from 9 October at 9 pm. American Horror Story season four will air at 11 pm from 10 Oct. The Walking Dead season five will start on 13 at 11 pm. 2 Broke Girls season four will start from 29 at 8:30 pm and Two and A Half Men season 12 at 31October at 8 pm.
Meanwhile, White Collar season six will be aired from November 2014 to January 2015 at 10 pm, The Americans season three will start from January to May 2015 at 10 pm while Parenthood season six will start from December at 11 pm. The other shows are Agent Carter, Empire and Backstorm. The channel will continue having its out-put deals with five major studios; Fox, Disney, Universal, Sony Pictures and Marvel.
The channel, in celebration mood, will present its viewers by airing special weekend marathons of shows like Homeland, Two and a Half Men and The Blacklist giving them a chance to catch up on previous seasons before all new and latest seasons commence from 23 September 2014.
Apart from this, it has planned free previews for DTH subscribers of Airtel, Tata Sky and Videocon d2h to offer viewers a feel of the HD proposition. From 20 to 29 September Tata Sky viewers will be provided with the free sampling of the channel. The same will be offered to Airtel subscribers from 29 September to 5 October and Videocon d2h subscribers from 5 to 29 October 2014.
As part of its marketing initiatives, the first episode of Homeland season four will be premiered on Twitter as a curtain raiser. Promotions will run across the Star network channels and advertisements will be placed in editions of the Times of India on 23 September.
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.
