Movie Channels
Sony MAX gives its viewers a reason to laugh
MUMBAI: Ever thought of watching a Bollywood style comic filler or a short movie spoof between movie breaks instead of a regular soap or a toothpaste advertisement? India’s premier Hindi Movies channel, Sony MAX makes your wishes come true. With its tagline of ‘Deewana Bana De’, the channel takes an initiative to provide its viewers with entertainment beyond movies. Focusing on generating excitement around films, MAX presents two short format comedy fillers namely ‘Bittu Bak Bak’ and ‘Fully Deewana’ to its viewers. The fillers are formulated to leave viewers in splits with interesting Bollywood facts presented in a comic manner. The channel has roped in famous comedians Krushna Abhishek, Bharti Singh and Paresh Ganatra for the making of these fillers.
In a classroom setup, ‘Bittu Bak Bak’ showcases the plight of a desperate teacher (Krushna Abhishek) who pulls out all stops to ensure his student Bittu (Bharti Singh) makes an improvement in class and succeeds in life. However, Bittu who seems to be bitten by the Bollywood bug, infuriates his teacher with hilarious responses that have a Bollywood connect. The filler is guaranteed to keep viewers thoroughly entertained with interesting Bollywood trivia. ‘Max Fully Deewana,’on the other hand, showcases hilarious comedy gags of some of the most iconic Bollywood scenes thus capturing the essence of the channel – ‘Deewana Bana De’. The gags will be performed by comedians Krushna Abhishek, Bharti Singh and Paresh Ganatra and will capture memorable Bollywood scenes in a comic fashion.
On his association with the channel comedian Krushna Abhishek, says, “I have a long standing relationship with Sony and genuinely speaking, I feel it is my extended family. There is a certain comfort level that I feel whilst working for the channel. We have played many popular and downright hilarious characters from Bollywood that we could think of. I thoroughly enjoyed showcasing my filmi deewana side and am hoping the viewers will enjoy it too.”
Talking about entertaining people in between movie screenings on the channel is comedian Bharati Singh, who says, “I have heard people complaining about ads on TV, especially during movies. But now, the audience will get to see comedy snippets in which Krushna Abhishek, Paresh Ganatra and I will ensure that they don’t have a reason to surf channels even during a commercial break.”
Emphasizing the importance of making the movie watching experience more entertaining is Vice-President & Head, Programming- Sony Max, Udayan Pradeep Shukla, who says, “For a library channel like us, it becomes a little difficult. On a general entertainment channel, the audience is conditioned to come back, but on a movie channel that’s not the case. So it was thus imperative for us to think of an idea that was unique and holds the viewers’ attention. The films are outright funny and will give the audience an opportunity to laugh in between the films.”
Sony MAX’s comedy fillers – ‘Bittu Bak Bak’ & ‘Fully Deewana’ are guaranteed to leave you rolling on the floor laughing
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.
