Movie Channels
Sony Max brings back comedy fillers
MUMBAI: Here’s some good news for Sony Max viewers. Short format comedy fillers namely ‘Bittu Bak Bak’ and ‘Max Fully Deewana’ are back by popular demand on the channel from August interspersed through the day. India’s premier Hindi Movies channel, Sony Max which believes in going beyond movies to entertain its viewers has brought back the comic relief fillers intending to leave viewers in splits. Formulated as spoofs on iconic scenes from Bollywood, the fillers will see known faces namely Krushna Abhishek and Bharti Singh share screen space with new additions comprising of comedians Vikalp Mehta and Sugandha Mishra guaranteed to double the comedy quotient.
This year audiences will be in for a treat with 60 rib tickling filmy gags which will see a few changes. For instance, ‘Bittu Bak Bak’ the quintessential classroom setup will now have comedian Krushna Abhishek don the role of a lady teacher – Rosy Ma’am. Mischievous and incorrigible student ‘Bittu’ played by Bharti Singh develops a crush on the new teacher. ‘Max Fully Deewana’, on the other hand, encapsulates the essence of the channel- ‘Deewana Bana De’ by showcasing hilarious spoofs on some of the most iconic scenes of Bollywood. The filmy gags will feature comedians Krushna Abhishek, Bharti Singh, Vikalp Mehta and Sugandha Mishra play out memorable scenes from Bollywood in a comic manner.
Commenting on the new series of ‘Bittu Bak Bak’ is different from last year, comedian Krushna Abhishek says, “The new series of ‘Bittu Bak Bak’ features a new character – a lady teacher. Earlier Bittu was taught by a male teacher with whom he shared a ‘tom and jerry’ kind of a relationship. However, Bittu has developed a crush on the female teacher and shares a better rapport with her. Similarly with ‘Fully Deewana’, we have done a lot of new spoofs on recent movies like ‘Kick’ and ‘Tanu Weds Manu Returns’.”
Talking about entertaining people through the two- minute comedy fillers, comedian Bharti Singh says, “We do not want viewers to go anywhere between movies and thus, this concept of the comedy fillers helps keep them glued to their TV sets. It just makes their television watching experience a lot more entertaining.”
Commenting on the challenges of filming for these comedy fillers, she added, “This is very different from the usual comedy that I do where I have more time but over here I have to explain everything in 2 minutes. It includes a lot of impromptu performance. It’s very challenging for me because we are stand-up comedians and at times even one hour is not enough for us. However, having said that performing on these two minute fillers is a lot of fun.”
Stressing on the importance of comedy fillers in between movies, Neeraj Vyas, Sr. EVP Business Head, MAX and MAX2, stated, “For a channel which provides its viewers with a wide assortment of movies, Sony MAX has always aimed at going beyond movies to entertain its viewers and give them that little extra to keep them coming back to the channel. Comedy fillers are a novel concept and outright funny which also acts as a stress buster for the viewers.”
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.
