Movie Channels
Viacom18 to launch Hindi movie channel with big ticket movies
MUMBAI: Expanding its current portfolio of channels, Viacom18 is now poised to launch a Hindi movie channel called Rishtey Cineplex.
The latest entrant in the Hindi movies channels’ genre will face stuff competition from established players like Sony Max, Zee Cinema, Star Gold, Movies OK and &Pictures.
However, Rishtey Cineplex – the first Hindi movie channel from the house of Viacom18 – has armed itself with big ticket movies like the recently released Bajirao Mastani, Airlift and Pyaar Ka Punchnama 2 as well as the yet to release Force2, Kapoor and Sons and Ae Dil Hai Mushkil amongst others.
The channel’s launch further paves the way for new film acquisitions to offer quality film-based entertainment and big television premieres to viewers.
Viacom18 Group CEO Sudhanshu Vats said, “With the launch of Rishtey Cineplex, we are entering the large Hindi movie genre thereby filing a pivotal whitespace and offering a holistic Hindi entertainment ecosystem from our stable. At Viacom18 we are committed to continuously strengthening our portfolio across genres, languages and age groups. Rishtey Cineplex is a key milestone in that journey.”
“The movie channel will bolster the networks reach across India and help us dial-up our engagement levels with our viewers. Rishtey Cineplex will also enable us to offer 360-degree value to our advertisers creating more opportunities for on-air promotions enabling optimisation of ad inventory across the network,” he added.
Colors & Rishtey CEO Raj Nayak said, “We have scripted a great success story for brand Colors with it being extended into regional languages and English entertainment. Each of these channels has helped us cater to an intrinsic viewer demand. We are now all set to give impetus to brand Rishtey with the launch of our exclusive Hindi movies channel Rishtey Cineplex that will help us fortify our Hindi entertainment portfolio. With the best in films and entertainment lined up, we are confident that we will be able to strengthen audience affinity with Rishtey Cineplex.”
Rishtey Cineplex marks the extension of Viacom18’s portfolio, which has under its umbrella Hindi general entertainment channels like Colors, Colors HD and Rishtey, a bouquet of regional entertainment channels – Colors Marathi, Colors Gujarati, Colors Bangla, Colors Kannada, and Colors Oriya and an English entertainment channel – Colors Infinity.
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.
