GECs
Zee cries foul over game show ‘HouZee’
MUMBAI: Zee TVs mobile interactive game show HouZee debuted on 7 Agust (Sunday) in a controversial manner with the channel alleging that vested interest tried “sabotaging” the programme by hitting the all-important communication lines.
“Just ahead of the show around mid-day today, we got a call from Tata Indicom (a telecom service prover that has leased ISDN lines for the Zee show) informing us that the cable connecting the Mumbai studio to the telecom company’s facility in Lower Parel area had been physically chopped off,” Zee Telefilms vice-president Ashish Kaul said.
A police complaint has been filed in Mumbai by the telecom company that owns the communication cable.
Thankfully, Zee had a backup ready at its facility on the outskirts of Delhi and the show continued being on air with viewer participation.
The HouZee format has viewers participating in the game show via SMS through mobile phones sitting in their homes. The show is hosted by Jaaved Jafferi.
Pointing out that it was a “clear case of sabotage” by competition (that was not specified), Kaul said that from 8 am to 2 pm on Sunday people were unable to send SMS through any of the telecom partners’ services to Zee’s universal access code of 7575.
“Whenever people tried to send an SMS, all the cellular services showed a technical error continuously for about six hours,” Kaul added.
The telecom partners for HouZee are Spice Telecom, AirTel, Reliance and Hutch. The show is also simultaneously telecast on Play TV, another Zee group venture that went on air early this year.
Zee, however, has not named anybody specifically in its complaint, but is still assessing the damage that the hacked cable has caused to the game show today.
Interestingly, Star Plus had alleged that its signals from Asisat 3 had got blacked out for some time last month on a day when Zee TV’s much-hyped thriller Time Bomb had debuted.
Telecast every Sunday at noon on Zee TV and Play TV, HouZee is a show where viewers too can play live a numbers game along with the host by sending SMS.
Viewers participate and play for the various prize levels like Jaldi 5, Jaldi7, Any line, Any two lines and the Full House where big money could be won.
The show is a skill based game wherein the viewer has to answer a general knowledge question before and after winning a prize level. Jaaferi engages the audiences and announces the numbers. Winners are also invited to appear in future shows.
GECs
Samsung TV Plus launches Kings of Comedy channel
New free FAST channel brings iconic Hindi comedy shows to millions of Samsung Smart TV owners.
MUMBAI: Samsung TV Plus has just turned up the laughter volume and it’s completely free. The leading free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) service in India has launched Kings of Comedy, a premium comedy channel featuring some of the country’s most beloved primetime shows. Available exclusively on Samsung TV Plus, the channel delivers back-to-back hits including Comedy Nights with Kapil, Khatra Khatra Khatra, and Comedy Nights Bachao, with no login or subscription required.
The launch marks a milestone for free streaming in India, offering audiences a dedicated comedy destination directly from their Samsung TV home screen. It arrives as Samsung TV Plus India celebrates its 5th anniversary, during which the service has grown its monthly active users by 42 per cent and more than doubled its total viewing hours. The platform now offers over 180 free channels across 14 languages.
Samsung TV Plus India general manager and head of business development Kunal Mehta said, “Comedy is the heartbeat of Hindi entertainment, and Kings of Comedy brings together the shows Indians already love, completely free on their Samsung TV. Our focus remains the same take the content people know and make it effortless to access.”
Globally, Samsung TV Plus has surpassed 100 million monthly active users across more than 4,500 channels, solidifying its position as one of the world’s leading free streaming services.
Kings of Comedy is now available on all compatible Samsung Smart TVs. For viewers seeking non-stop laughter without any cost, this new channel delivers a royal treat proving that sometimes the best entertainment really does come with no strings (or subscriptions) attached.
