Movie Channels
Times Network launches English movie channel MN+
MUMBAI: The recently rebranded Times Network is all set to strengthen its English movie bouquet. The network, in a bid to attract the niche English movie fans has announced the launch of a new English movie channel, MN+. The channel will be available from 1 July 2015.
Times Network senior vice president and head English entertainment Cluster Vivek Srivastava said, “We are delighted to launch MN+ today. The channel has been hand-crafted for not just the informed, intelligent and discerning movie lovers, but indeed for the cineastes as well. MN+ is an all new English channel experience that will showcase must-watch movies in HD – movies that are universally celebrated and debated. It will offer an experience that will make every moment valuable for the viewer, and thereby give them the Gold Class Experience of Hollywood.”
The new channel will sell slots at a premier rate, having limited advertisements. “We will try to restrict it to six minutes so that our viewers have a classic movie watching experience,” added Srivastava.
The MN+ library comprises over 1500 movies across genres that are universally celebrated and are discussed extensively in social gatherings of people who have an opinion. The channel will not only showcase great titles, but will also package them in interesting on-air properties like Center Stage, Great Adaptations, Opening Night and Hollywood Select, among others. All the special packaging will observe higher ad rate compared to regular programming.
Sharing more information on the core target of the channel, Srivastava said, “MN+ is for those premium audiences that have the temperament to be choosy about what life has to offer and have evolved to value only the best. Our target audience member is a focused individual who, by virtue of his intelligence and sensitivity, has time and ability to appreciate only the best that life has to offer. A person who seeks to fill moments of his leisure time with the greatest value.”
“The MN+ extension of the Movies Now English movies offering comes at a time when viewers across our markets have responded extremely positively to the Movies Now brand. The rapidly growing reach and ratings of Movies Now over the past year bears testimony to this,” Srivastava asserted.
Famous Innovation orchestrated the creatives while the Network’s internal team has done the packaging.
Speaking about advertiser endorsement, he said, “Not just viewer delight, we are also pleased and humbled by the strong and enthusiastic response from advertisers and marketers. Over the past year almost all the major brands have been present on Movies Now and we are increasing that count every day.”
Srivastava is confident that MN+ will add immensely to viewer and advertiser numbers and delight. “India is on a high aspirational curve and TV audiences across markets are familiar with the best of international world-class entertainment. The implementation of DAS in phase III and IV markets will push the envelope for world class content even further, and I am confident our English cluster entertainment offerings will be in the forefront of the growth curve.”
The Network will mark the launch with aggressive marketing across all mediums. Considering the rapid emergence of digital, 25 per cent of the marketing budget will be spent on digital media platforms.
Movie Channels
Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat Premieres 14 Feb on Zee
Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat world TV premiere 14 Feb at 8pm passion meets politics.
MUMBAI: Cupid’s arrow just got a plot twist and it’s heading straight for your TV screen. This Valentine’s Day, Zee Cinema is turning up the heat with the world television premiere of Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat, a raw, rule-breaking romantic drama that proves love doesn’t always come wrapped in roses.
Set to air on Saturday, 14 February at 8pm, the film stars Harshvardhan Rane and Sonam Bajwa, directed by Milap Zaveri. It dives headfirst into obsession, heartbreak, and the kind of unconditional love that leaves scorch marks. Rane plays Vikramaditya, a powerful politician whose all-consuming passion for actress Adaa spirals into chaos when his feelings go unreturned unleashing a storm of emotion, misunderstanding, and life-altering consequences.
The timing couldn’t be sharper. Audiences are clearly craving intense love stories over sugar-coated ones, and this film taps straight into that vein. Harshvardhan Rane already has a loyal fanbase from his cult hit Sanam Teri Kasam, which cemented his status as the go-to guy for heart-wrenching romance especially among younger viewers who keep the film on repeat.
Milap Zaveri captured the film’s beating heart, “This film is about love that doesn’t follow rules. With Valentine’s Day being a time when audiences gravitate towards romantic narratives, the television premiere of Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat on Zee Cinema felt like the perfect fit. The continued love for intense romances shows there is a strong emotional appetite for such stories.”
Rane himself called it a story rooted in messy, honest emotion, “Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat explores love in its most intense and vulnerable form where emotions are messy and deeply human. It’s a story that doesn’t shy away from passion or pain on Valentine’s Day making it even more special as it reflects the many shades of love people experience.”
Sonam Bajwa added her take, “Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat is not a conventional love story, it’s raw, intense and emotional. Valentine’s Day is usually associated with happy romance but this film explores love in its most vulnerable form.”
So if your Valentine’s plans include more than chocolates and clichés, tune in to Zee Cinema at 8pm on 14 February. Because sometimes the most unforgettable love stories aren’t the ones that end neatly, they’re the ones that leave you questioning just how far passion can push before everything changes.
