Category: English Entertainment

Star World & Star World HD to premiere the fourth and final season of ‘Revenge’

MUMBAI: Star World is all geared up to premiere the fourth and final season of the immensely popular drama series Revenge on 1 December 2015 at 11 pm.

Season 3 had ended with Victoria discovering the truth about Emily and she planned revenge against her for Pascal’s death. Daniel was framed for the death of a young girl by Margaux’s brother, who wished to take over Daniel’s position. Charlotte recognized that Jack was involved in her kidnapping and got the authorities to arrest him. Conrad was denied bail and returned to jail, but was released due to the benevolence of a mysterious benefactor. However, on his apparent road to freedom, his escape ride turned out to be none other than David Clarke, who promptly confronted a stunned Conrad and killed him. Aiden was killed when he was unwittingly lured into a trap set by Victoria. Angered, Emily retaliated by knocking out Victoria and having her committed to a mental health facility, fully completing her revenge.

Season 4 focuses on the revelation that David Clarke is alive. The continued feud between Emily and Victoria played by Emily VanCamp and Madeleine Stowe respectively gets sharper here. Victoria would finally get to know Emily’s true identity and would seek her own revenge. As David returns to the Hamptons, the two women would fight to position him against the other.

November 24, 2015
Top 5 TV spy shows that tasted success

MUMBAI: The recent James Bond starrer Spectre (2015) is taking trolls over the people across the nation with its brilliant cinematography and holds your breath tracking the shots. A Bond film’s rules might be predictable, but once its mechanisms start whirring, you can’t help but fall in place.

The Sam Mendes directed movie was shot on a 35mm film which marks a change of texture from Skyfall’s gleaming digital stake. The film had paid previews held on 19 November 2015 and collected Rs. 2 cr in India. Spectre collected around Rs. 6.5 cr on Friday taking its collections to Rs 8.5 cr at India Box Office.

English entertainment channels have always broadcasted shows and series on thrillers with a spy, to keep the viewers entertained. If you have already seen Spectre and are browsing on every available portal puzzled over what you should stream on tonight, we’ve got you covered.

After perusing the available options on the English entertainment channels, we recommend a few under-the-radar titles to satisfy your hunger for stories of a spy that enjoyed a good number of viewership in the global entertainment industry.

1. Chuck

Chuck is an American spy drama series created by Josh Schwartz and Chris Fedak. The series ran for a period of 5 seasons with 91 episodes. The series portrays the life of a computer geek named Chuck inadvertently downloading critical government secrets into his brain. One day Chuck gets a message from a friend working for CIA. The message embeds the only remaining copy of a software program containing the United States’ greatest spy secrets into Chuck’s brain. CIA and NSA assign two agents to protect him and exploit such knowledge, turning his life upside down.

2. Burn Notice

Burn Notice is an American television series created by Matt Nix. It talks about a spy recently disavowed by the U.S. government and how he uses his special ops training to help others in trouble. His only means of surviving is by doing impossible jobs for the desperate people in Miami, where his mother lives. The series took a permanent place in the heart of the onlookers with 111 episodes for a span of 7 seasons.

3. Alias

The series is created by J. J. Abrams and successfully ran for 5 seasons with about 150 episodes. The plot revolves around a young athletic college graduate who is recruited as a secret agent for the CIA. After a few years the protagonist learns that her boyfriend is a part of a rogue international agency called the Alliance of 12, out to rule the world. She becomes a double agent working with the real CIA to bring down SD-6 with the assistance of her handler and her estranged father who is also a double agent. The series talks about her journey all the while keeping her cloak-and-dagger lifestyle a secret from her friends.

4. Covert Affairs

Covert Affairs ran for 5 seasons with 75 episodes. The series hailed for a period of four years. The plot talks about a young CIA trainee sent into the field to work for the DPD (Domestic Protection Division). The field agent is assisted by a blind tech operative in her new life in the CIA. The lead’s new cover is that of a glamorous and well-connected importer or exporter with expensive tastes and dealings that may not always be legal.

5. 24

The 24 series had touched great heights of success in the entertainment industry for its entire tenure of 9 seasons. The Joel Surnow and Robert Cochran created series covers 24 hours in the life of Bauer, using the real time method of narration. In this concept drama, each season takes place within one 24 hour period. Day 1: Jack Bauer is the head of field ops for an elite team of CTU agents who uncover an assassination plot targeting Presidential nominee David Palmer. Meanwhile, Jack’s strained marriage to his wife, Teri, is pushed to the brink by the sudden disappearance of their troubled teenage daughter.

November 23, 2015
FX to premiere season 1 of ‘The Missing’

MUMBAI: FX is all set to premiere Season 1 of the suspense drama anthology series, The Missing. The James Nesbitt and Frances O’Conner starrer will premiere on 30 November 2015 at 10 pm.

The show is an anthological series chronicling the life of a married couple, Tony Hughes and Emily Hughes, played by James Nesbitt and Frances O’Connor respectively, after they lose their five year old son, Oliver, while vacationing in France. The show is conceptualized around Tony’s exhaustive search which fractures his marriage to Emily and threatens to destroy his life.

The show is available for Indian viewers and is narrated over two frames simultaneously in two countries, as it explores the emotional cost borne by parents after a child’s abduction.

November 23, 2015
Star World & Star World HD to premiere ‘UnREAL’

MUMBAI: Star World and Star World HD is all geared up to premiere UnREAL, an American dark comedy and reality dating series. The entire series will premiere on 19 and 20 December 2015 at 12 pm on Star World Weekend Binge, where viewers can watch the show uninterrupted. The series stars Shiri Appleby and Constance Zimmer in the lead role. The entire series will be aired on a single weekend for the binge viewers.

The provocative drama series will offer behind-the-scene glimpse into the chaos surrounding the production of a fictitious dating competition show titled as Everlasting, which happened to be a big hit with the audience. The series, co – created by Marti Noxon and Sarah Gertrude Shapiro, will find a young producer Rachel Goldberg, played by Shiri Appleby, whose sole job is to manipulate her relationships with and among the contestants to get the vital dramatic and outrageous footage that the program’s dispassionate executive producer Quinn King, enacted by Constance Zimmer, demands.

Speaking about the new show, Sarah Gertrude Shapiro asserted, “It’s anyone who’s ever had a job really. I mean, it’s sort of about growing up in the world. I think it’s truly a quandary that most people can relate to, is how do you stay yourself and respect your morals as you become an adult.”

UnREAL also stars Craig Bierko, Chet, Freddie Stroma and Adam Cromwell. The plot of the show would have Josh Kelly playing the character of Jeremy, a cameraman who is Rachel’s ex-boyfriend. Siobhan Williams enacts the character of Lizzie, Jeremy’s current fiancée and on-set makeup artist. Everlasting’s contestants include Grace played by Nathalie Kelley, who is seen winning Adam’s heart in the show. Anna played by Johanna Braddy is shown as classy and shrewd with her eye on the prize. Faith, a sensitive and vulnerable tomboy from the South is portrayed by Breeda Wool and Mary is played by Ashley Scott, a gorgeous single mom who has been unlucky in love. Arielle Kebbel will guest star as Courtney, a contestant who has no filter and isn’t on Everlasting to make any friends.

November 23, 2015
Bell Media to become sole operator of HBO in Canada across all platforms

BENGALURU: Canadian communication company BCE announced yesterday that its mass media subsidiary Bell Media will expand The Movie Network (TMN) into a national pay TV service and become the sole operator of HBO Canada, as Corus Entertainment winds down operations of its Movie Central and Encore Avenue pay TV services in Western and Northern Canada to focus on its core national media brands.

Under the comprehensive, long-term agreement, the first of its kind for HBO in Canada, Bell Media will have the ability to deliver current-season, past-season, and library HBO programming exclusively on its linear, on-demand, and over-the-top (OTT) platforms in English and French. The agreement also marks the first time HBO has granted exclusive subscription video on demand (SVOD) rights for first-run programming throughout Canada. As a result, Bell Media will have the flexibility to provide current HBO content such as Game of Thrones, Girls, and Veep over-the-top in Canada on its platforms.

“Bell Media now has the national scale required to create, negotiate and deliver more premium TV programming to Canadian consumers, across more platforms and more quickly than ever before,” said Bell Media President Mary Ann Turcke,. “Our extensive new content agreement with HBO for both traditional TV and next-generation platforms like CraveTV and with significant original co-production opportunities, is a great example of the benefits for Canadian viewers nationwide.”

BCE will pay Corus a consideration of $211 million, $195 million net of tax benefits, to support the national expansion of TMN and HBO Canada, equivalent to a valuation multiple of approximately 5.6x fiscal 2015 EBITDA of Movie Central and Encore Avenue after operational synergies are applied.

Bell Media is a multimedia company with assets in television, radio, out of home and digital media, including Canadian television network CTV, and has the Canada’s most-watched specialty channels.

Bell Media is a Canadian multimedia company with leading assets in television, radio, out of home and digital media, including CTV, Canada’s #1 television network, and gas Canada’s most-watched specialty channels.

November 22, 2015
Get ready for the Season 4 of Once Upon a Time with Star World and Star World HD

MUMBAI: Star World and Star World HD is back with a new story-line for Season 4 of Once Upon a Time. Once Upon a Time is a unique show where fairy tale legends collide with some characters from the earth. The show will premiere on 21 November 2015 at 12 pm and will be telecasted on 22, 28 and 29 November 2015.

Expect more magic and excitement this season, with elements from the movie Frozen and new characters like Elsa, Princess Anna, Kristoff, the Sorcerer’s Apprentice, Little Bo Peep and Poseidon.

The channel also offers the audience to watch the Season 4 at one go, on Star World Weekend Binge.

The show has added two new adventurous elements to it for this season. The first half of the season will portray characters from the movie Frozen uniting with people in the world while the second half will observe an exiled Gold with Ursula, Cruella De Vil and Maleficent. The anti-heroes will be seen entering Storybrooke to get the happy ending that has eluded them since long.

Speaking about the show, Jennifer Morrison, who plays the role of Emma Swan says, “I need you to believe in Magic! We talk about magic in a very literal way on the show and part to what people relate to on the show is that in certain moments magic means love and in certain moments magic means adventure and in certain moments magic means loving your child or discovering your passion in life. I think we all sort of deal with magic in a metaphorical sense because I think it represents bigger things in life on Once Upon a Time whereas in the real world it wouldn’t be the same.”

November 20, 2015
Turner denies erroneous report on shutting down HBO Hits in India

MUMBAI: The Indian television industry was rife with rumours that HBO’s premier channels HBO Hits and HBO Defined were being wound up in India. This followed the tepid response from cable TV and DTH viewers to the high sticker price at which they were being offered. What added grist to the rumours was the fact that TV industry veteran Monica Tata quit the company earlier this year after looking after the two channels for a couple of years.

In fact, a small website – like several other incorrect reports it continues to post – even erroneously reported that HBO was taking steps to shut them and that its initiative to run ad free channels had failed.

Now Turner International has issued a release clarifying that no such thing is happening. The release states that in fact HBO Hits is being rebranded as HBO HD and is en route to being relaunched in 2016, subject to regulatory approvals. However, HBO Defined would be discontinued come 31 December 2015 for Indian audiences.

According to Turner, it had assumed full operational responsibility in January 2015 “including content acquisition, programming, distribution, advertising sales and marketing, for the HBO channel in India and other South Asia markets namely Maldives, Bangladesh and Pakistan.”

With the expansion of its English entertainment portfolio that includes WB and now HBO, Turner says that it plans to keep the on-going commitment to invest in the HBO channels, and has recently completed a pan-India consumer research to better understand its audience and how it can best meet their expectations. The results of this initiative will be visible on-air soon, with a HBO brand refresh.

According to the release: “This will make the high definition HBO movie experience, currently available only to premium audiences, accessible to a far wider audience base in India. “

Says Turner International SVP and managing director Siddharth Jain said in the release“With the inclusion of the HBO channels, the Turner portfolio houses some of this region’s biggest and best-loved brands in English entertainment. We will lead the HBO channel operations in India capitalizing on the enormous synergies and experience we have in managing industry leading networks. We are excited to bring our first high definition offering, HBO HD to Indian viewers. Come Q1 2016, the viewers will get to see a more glitzy and invigorated HBO. Do stay tuned for more on that.”

While Jain will continue to lead Turner and HBO from a managerial and business leadership perspective, programming and marketing for the HBO channels will be managed by Rohit Bhandari; advertising sales and distribution will continue to be managed by Juhi Ravindranath and Kishan Cheranda respectively

November 20, 2015
AXN upgrades weekend entertainment with Limitless and season 4 of Elementary

MUMBAI: AXN, the English entertainment channel, is bringing two new shows for its ‘Fresh From The U.S.’ slot -Limitless and season 4 of Elementary. Limitless will premiere on 21 November 2015 and can be seen every Saturday at 11 pm and Elementary will air on 22 November at 10 pm.

Talking about the two new shows, Sony PIX & AXN India executive vice-president and business head Saurabh Yagnik said, “In order to cater to the TG who seeks new and latest content that airs day-and-date with the U.S., we had created a specific slot – ‘Fresh From The U.S.’ – wherein we have been programming the freshest shows and their latest seasons over the weekends. This exclusive slot is a perfect getaway for viewers to experience new, fresh stories, never-seen-before on Indian television. With premieres of iconic shows like Limitless and Elementary (Season 4), we continue to live up to the brand promise of providing a thrilling entertainment experience.”

Elementary stars Jonny Lee Miller as detective Sherlock Holmes and Lucy Liu as Dr. Joan Watson. Elementary is the modern-day drama about a crime-solving duo that cracks NYPD’s most impossible cases. In this season, Holmes and Watson must rely upon one another to rebuild their lives, notwithstanding the untimely return of Sherlock’s estranged but wealthy father, Morland Holmes.

Limitless a spinoff of the 2011 thriller of the same name, features Jake McDorman and Jennifer Carpenter as the leads and is produced by Bradley Cooper, the original main character from the film, plays U.S. Senator Eddie Morra. In the show, protagonist Brian Finch, played by Jake McDorman, is seen discovering the brain-boosting power of the mysterious drug NZT. He is then forced by the FBI into using his extraordinary cognitive abilities to solve complex cases for them.

Limitless debuted in the US on September 22, 2015. On October 23, 2015, CBS picked up Limitless for a full season of 22 episodes. It airs on CBS every Tuesday night.

November 19, 2015
ZEE is set to launch Zee Café HD

MUMBAI: Zee Enrtertainment Enterprise Limited (ZEEL) is set launch Zee Café HD, the HD feed of engish entertainment channel on 21 November

Zee Café business head Ali Zaidi said, “Over the years, the demand for English entertainment content has grown many fold. Audiences are willing to invest their time and money to watch the best and the latest. According to the FICCI 2015 Report, there are 4 million HD subscribers accounting for 10 per cent of total DTH subscribers.The point is that over 15 per cent of the increase in DTH subscribers has been with those opting for HD connections. We have been trendsetters in the industry, and the demand for our shows makes us rule the points table every week. With Zee Café-HD, we are now taking this experience a notch higher”

Zee Café has been a pioneer in the English entertainment space, which has made it a favorite destination to enjoy the best in English content. #ThePlaceToBe campaign will be launched to reiterate all the attributes of the channel.

Commenting on the campaign, Zaidi adds, “Some of the biggest and award-winning shows—such as House Of Cards, Gotham, The Big Bang Theory, The Vampire Diaries, and Criminal Minds, among others—have helped reinforce our position. Additionally, unique viewing formats, like premiere marathons, shows Along With The U.S., and live telecasts of international events, have helped us remain the most popular English GEC amongst viewers. #ThePlaceToBe is a very unique campaign, conceptualized internally, and will help reinforce the USPs of both the channels. The campaign will be spread across all mediums—outdoor, radio, TV, as well as print—to promote the new HD offering. There will be an integrated approach to reach out to our viewers”

November 19, 2015
Sony Pix brings Spectre to Pix Premiere Nights

MUMBAI: Sony Pix is all geared up to offer its fans the biggest amazement of the year by partnering for Spectre, the latest James Bond movie, a day before its theatrical release in India exclusively for Pix Premiere Nights. The exclusive screening of the film for Pix Premiere Nights is scheduled on 19 November 2015.

Get set to watch the latest Bond thriller across the cities of Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Bangalore, Pune, Hyderabad, Kochi, and Chennai. Pix Premiere Nights, the largest integrated on ground brand property in the English movie category is a unique proposition for the viewers to exclusively watch the premiere of the latest Hollywood movies one day before its theatrical release in India. Spectre will be screened in 11 screens across 8 cities.

Sony Pix has previously hosted Pix Premiere Nights for Robocop (2014), The Hobbit: The battle of the five armies (2014), Amazing Spider Man 2 (2014) and Fantastic Four (2015) among others.

November 18, 2015