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
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.
