Movie Channels
UTV Stars’ new show promises to bring the box-office home
MUMBAI: UTV Star, a channel from the UTV bouquet, was launched with the promise of being the intimate insider of Bollywood. And keeping to it, the channel has started a new show – Box Office Live.
The show will catch the pulse of the nation on every new release and promises to be the ‘sensex’ of Indian Cinema by providing its viewers with first-hand information about that day’s release. In addition to viewer’s opinions, the show will also feature a t?te-?-t?te with producers, distributors and studio executives to discuss how the movie is faring at the single and multi-screens across cities.
Speaking on the show, Disney UTV, UTV Stars media networks director, content & editor Manish Dubey says, “Box Office Live! a yet another significant and path-breaking step fulfilling the long standing commitment of UTV Stars to get Bollywood closer to its audience. As the official channel of Bollywood, it’s our responsibility to give the audiences the real and the big picture of Indian Cinema and this show does exactly that in a format that has not yet been seen on Indian Television.”
The show premiering with Chennai Express’ release will be bringing all the box office updates in a three-minute segment hitting every top of the hour throughout the film opening day. It will be talking to the audiences from theatres across the country and provide minute by minute reactions on the day of release enabling the viewer to give his or her personal “Hit” or “Miss” verdict.
The show is hosted by Sunanda Wong, a Bollywood and lifestyle journalist, who has over five years of experience up her sleeves.
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.
