Movie Channels
Zee to release ‘Bhaggmati’ on 26 August
MUMBAI: Zee Telefilms Ltd (ZTL) will release India’s first live animation feature film Bhaggmati – The queen of fortunes on 26 August.
The movie will be released with approximately 100 prints, Zee Telefilms vice president Ashish Kaul told indiantelevision.com.
Zee has tied up with distributors for the all India release. While Tilak Enterprises will distribute Bhaggmati in Mumbai, the Delhi territory has been bought by B.S Pictures. Burma Films is the distributor for the Eastern region and the Nizam territory has gone to Dilshad Films. Kaul, however, did not disclose the commercial terms of these deals.
Bhaggmati will have a later release in the overseas markets as Zee is yet to finalise on its distribution partner.
“At present, we are in talks with various players. We are very close to a deal and the film will have its international release probably one week after the India release,” Kaul said.
ZTL has plans to release Bhaggmati in five countries: US, UK, Germany, France and Russia.
Kaul, who is also looking after the marketing and promotional aspects of Bhaggmati, says the film will be promoted across the Zee Network apart from using platforms such as print, outdoor and radio.
“We will be promoting Bhaggmati extensively across all the media platforms. The outdoor campaigns have already begun.
We will have two contests to create an excitement about the film in the market. One contest will deal with the animation feature of the film while the other will cover the historical aspects,” Kaul says, adding that Bhaggmati will premiere in Mumbai’s Fame Adlabs, located in the Western suburb Andheri.
ZTL however has no immediate plans to release the movie on television. Kaul said the movie would be brought to television only in 2006.
ZTL released the music of Bhaggmati on Universal Music globally in July. According to market estimates, the movie is made on a budget of Rs 35 million.
Bhaggmati, a project initiated by ZTL three years back, stars Tabu and Milind Soman in the title roles. The 2 hour and 40 minute film is written and directed by the National Award winner Ashok Kaul.
The animation part, entirely done by the Zee Institute of Creative Arts (ZICA), occupies half the duration of the film.
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.
