English Entertainment
Vh1 to live telecast Grammy Awards 2016
MUMBAI: Vh1 will live telecast the 58th Annual Grammy Awards in India from the Staples Centre in Los Angeles, California on 16 February at 7.30 am.
The channel will air a repeat at 9 pm on the same evening.
The 58th edition of the Grammys will witness rapper LL Cool J host the evening for the fifth consecutive time. This year’s awards will be graced with performances by artistes such as 11 time Grammy nominee Kendrick Lamar, seven time nominee The Weekend and 10 time Grammy award winner Adele, to name a few.
“After an overwhelming response to the airing of Golden Globe Awards, we take pride in carrying forward the awards fever ever further with simulcast of the Grammys on Vh1. Keeping the promise of showcasing only the best of English entertainment, we are excited to showcase the grand edition of the biggest music night in the world for our viewers once again,” said Viacom18 EVP and head of English and youth entertainment Ferzad Palia.
This year, Lifetime Achievement Award recipient David Bowie will be honoured with a tribute by six-time Grammy winner and current nominee Lady Gaga. The tribute will mark Lady Gaga’s fourth appearance on the Grammy Awards telecast. She has been nominated for the category Best Song Written for Visual Media for Till It happens to You with Diane Warren.
This year, Kendrick Lamar leads nominations with 11, followed by Taylor Swift and The Weekend. Additionally, music producer Max Martin received six nominations and engineer Tom Coyne, rapper Drake, and engineers Serban Ghenea and John Hanes each earned five nominations.
The channel has leveraged the Grammys through various associations and tie-ups. Vh1 has associated with 15 hangouts across 10 cities in India, including Hard Rock Café to screen the awards in 15 outlets across eight cities. Jean Claude Biguine has been roped in to create the Grammy red carpet look. Vh1 will also be conducting college activation where a Grammy branded car will be travel to college campuses across Mumbai, Delhi and Pune.
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.
