Movie Channels
Zee Cinema celebrates Bollywood divas, Ramesh Sippy
MUMBAI: Seems like Zee Cinema has a gamut of programmes lined up for the benefit of its viewers.
It has launched two festivals — The Sholay Express and Screen Goddesses-100 Years of Indian Cinema from this month.
Sholay Express is a seven-week festival showcasing director Ramesh Sippy’s best works which will end with the blockbuster Sholay. This festival kicked off on 16 August and will continue till 27 September, at 9 pm every Saturday.
Movies featured in Sholay Express include Seeta Aur Geeta, Shaan, Shakti, Andaz, Akelya, Sagar and Sholay.
On 5 August, Zee Cinema launched the six-month festival, Screen Goddesses, which is a tribute to the leading ladies of Bollywood, across three generations. The channel has zeroed on 26 divas from Nutan to Kareena Kapoor to feature in the festival.
An official release informing the launch of Screen Goddesses stated that the channel is telecasting selected films featuring the actresses in roles that they are still remembered for, on Tuesdays at 9 pm. The festival will end in January 2004.
The release quoted Zee Cinema’s business head Yogesh Radhakrishnan as saying, “As a leading movie channel we are trying to provide our viewers a chance to revisit the magic of Indian cinema. Last year, the channel had showcased a festival called Superstar-100 years of the Indian Cinema as a tribute to legendary actors — from Raj Kapoor to Shah Rukh Khan. The concept was well appreciated by our audience. This is our second such offering.”
Movies already featured include Nutan’s Saudagar on 5 August and Waheeda Rehman’s Dil Diya Dard Liya on 12 August.
On 19 and 26 August, viewers will see Saira Banu in Bairaag and Sharmila Tagore in Masuam respectively.
In the coming months the festival will screen movies of Asha Parekh, Rekha, Jaya Bachchan, Hema Malini, Dimple Kapadia, Sridevi, Jaya Prada, Madhuri Dixit, Juhi Chawla, Kajol, Priety Zinta and Karisma Kapoor.
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.
