English Entertainment
Star World to kick off legal drama ‘Boston Legal’ on 21 June
MUMBAI: English general entertainment channel Star World will air the courtroom drama Boston Legal every Wednesday at 8 pm from 21 June. Episodes will repeat every Thursday at 11 am and on Sunday at 4 pm.
The show confronts social and moral issues, while its characters continually stretch the boundaries of the law.The show has won two Emmies and two People’s Choice Award nominee. Boston Legal is about the professional and personal stories of a group of brilliant but often emotionally challenged attorneys.
Alan Shore and Denny Crane lead a brigade of high-priced civil litigators in an upscale Boston law firm. Shore, an unscrupulous and wily ambulance chaser and womaniser played by James Spader finds an uneasy alliance with Crane, a pompous, snooty and occasionally batty elder lawyer played by William Shatner.
Despite their ethical and emotional deficiencies, Shore and Crane usually find themselves fighting on the right side, as they take up cases that no one else is willing to touch.
The first season kicks off with oddball situations including: Shore, on a dare, taking the case of an African-American actress denied the role of Annie; Crane caught having an affair with the firm’s biggest client; Shore representing an ex-lover who had attempted to murder him; Shore defending a millionaire CEO caught shoplifting, and a Sanata fired for being a transvestite. Adding even more mayhem to the madcap cases, the sexual chemistry at the firm begins to boil over, and both Shore and Crane find themselves compromised with the various female lawyers.
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.
