GECs
ZEEL to offer financial relief to 5000+ daily wage earners
MUMBAI: Media & Entertainment Powerhouse ZEE Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (ZEEL), as part of intensifying its fight against Covid-19, has committed to offer financial relief to over 5000 daily wage earners, working directly or indirectly for the company in its overall production ecosystem. Gauging the unprecedented impact caused to all daily wage earners due to the lockdown, as a responsible player in the media & entertainment sector, ZEEL has taken this step
ensuring that the families of daily wage earners do not get impacted during this challenging phase.
In order to further support prime ministers’ Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund (PM CARES Fund), ZEEL will leverage the strength of its media network across the nation and world at large, encouraging over 1.3 billion people to contribute. Over and above this step, ZEEL has also provided an opportunity to all of its 3500 employees to offer voluntary contributions towards PM CARES Fund through an intranet portal. The company will match the corpus collected from the employee contribution and the collective amount will be donated to PM CARES Fund.
ZEEL managing director and chief executive officer Punit Goenka said, “We stand committed to financially support all the daily wage earners working
in our production ecosystem. We firmly believe in the extraordinary power of coming together and fighting against a situation. In these challenging times, it is extremely critical for India Inc to come together and support the national level initiative undertaken by prime minister Narendra Modi."
He further said, "Apart from the financial support, we will also contribute in creating nationwide awareness about the noble initiative. Leveraging our strong reach across the nation and world at large, we are urging our esteemed viewers to join this movement. This is a time where the entire nation needs to come together as one family.”
The collective strength of all consumer touchpoints of the company, including its television channels, digital platforms and social media platforms will be leveraged to urge people across the globe to join this movement. As a company which has always been obsessed about its consumers, in order to keep them informed and sensitized about the safety and precautionary measures, ZEE had implemented a first-of-its-kind initiative, titled #BreakTheCoronaOutbreak.
Under this initiative, content across 40+ channels was paused for a 30-second break throughout the day, encouraging viewers to wash their hands. In line with the decision undertaken by Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF), television channel Zee Anmol was also made available free of cost to all viewers across all DTH platforms and cable TV networks for a period of two months.
On the company’s digital side, ZEE5 ensured that the internet bandwidth across the country was optimised by replacing high definition (HD) content to standard definition (SD) content. ZEE5 also ensured that the viewers remained calm and composed during the lockdown phase with its #BeCalmBeEntertained initiative. As a responsible media and entertainment player, ZEE has taken all the steps needed in intensifying its fight against Covid-19, with a key focus on supporting the daily wage earners and in keeping its viewers well informed and entertained.
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.
