Movie Channels
Warner triumphs at the box office
MUMBAI: 2005 may have been slightly disappointing for Hollywood financially with the film box office down five per cent but Warner has plenty to smile about.
Warner Bros. Pictures has announced that it placed first both in the US and abroad in terms of box office takings. It made over $1 billion in the US and had its best year ever. Three films — Batman Begins, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire — grossed more than $200 million in the US.
Abroad Warner nearly touched $2 billion which meant that it crossed the billion dollar mark for the fifth year in a row, and making Warner Bros. Pictures International the number one for four of the last five years. Overseas releases resulted in six pictures earning more than $100 million at the box office- Ocean’s 12, Constantine, Batman Begins, Charlie and The Chocolate Factory, The Island and Harry Potter and the Goblet Of Fire.
Waber Bros. president domestic distribution Dan Fellman says, “This was a challenging year, with a very crowded marketplace, but we feel that we were able to give audiences something special to bring them into theaters over and over again. This is our fifth consecutive year grossing more than a billion dollars, which is an industry record and an acknowledgement of the terrific work of everyone at Warner Bros. Pictures, as well as our partners in exhibition.”
This is not to say that Warner did not have films that failed. While North Country generated excellent reviews and should fetch Charlize Theron a Best Actress Oscar nomination the film failed to cross the $20 million mark at the box office. This year Warner is counting on Superman Returns to bring in the moolah. It will also release M. Night Shyamalan’s Lady in the Water and Martin Scorcese’s The Deaprted..
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.
