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<ul><li><keyword id="20068359" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="zee-entertainment" source="keywords">Zee Entertainment</keyword> has backed out from a $ 1.4 billion licensing agreement with <keyword id="19976118" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="disney-star" source="keywords">Disney Star</keyword> for the TV broadcast right for cricket matches.</li><li>This is reportedly a fallout of collapse of its merger deal with <keyword id="19914172" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="sony" source="keywords">Sony</keyword>.</li><li>Sony Corporation had on Monday announced the termination of the $ 10 billion merger.</li></ul> Zee Entertainment has backed out from a $ 1.4 billion licensing agreement with Disney Star for the TV broadcast right for cricket matches as a fallout of collapse of its merger deal with Sony, according to industry sources. Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (<keyword id="20115912" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="zeel" source="keywords">ZEEL</keyword>), which has already missed the first instalment of around $ 200 million, will not move ahead, industry sources told PTI. The instalment to be paid to Disney Star was part of the $ 1.5 billion investment committed by Sony Group after its merger with ZEEL, said another industry source while confirming the development. Sony Corporation had on Monday announced the termination of the $ 10 billion merger agreement with ZEEL, while seeking $ 90 million for breach of conditions besides initiating arbitration. As per the merger agreement between ZEEL and Sony, the Japanese entity was supposed to invest $ 1.575 billion in the merged entity and have a majority stake. There were no immediate comments from ZEEL over the development. Three days after Sony called off the deal, ZEEL MD &amp; CEO <keyword id="20130441" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="punit-goenka" source="keywords">Punit Goenka</keyword> addressed a townhall meeting of around 3,000 employees across the globe, in which he asked them to move forward and chase new opportunities. "Our industry is witnessing rapid changes, and these winds of change are giving us a new shape. We have to mould ourselves to be well-positioned in order to capitalise on the opportunities coming our way. We have been leaders over the last 3 decades and have delivered value to our stakeholders, year on year," he said. On August 30, 2022, ZEEL had announced entering into a strategic licensing agreement with Disney Star for television broadcasting rights of the ICC Men's and Under-19 global events for a period of four years. Disney Star will continue to exclusively stream all ICC tournaments through its digital platform Disney+ Hotstar, a joint statement had said. This was done with the in-principle approval from the International Cricket Council (ICC). Disney Star bagged the broadcast rights of all ICC events for four years from 2024 to 2027 for the Indian market from the sport's global governing body. As per the agreement, ZEEL was supposed to have exclusive television rights for ICC men's events, including the ICC Men's T20 World Cup, which will be played in 2024 and 2026, ICC Men's Champions Trophy (2025), and the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup (2027), along with key ICC U-19 events, it said. ZEEL on Wednesday approached the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) to get Sony to honour a $ 10 billion merger deal. Sony had resisted the demand by Subhash Chandra's son Punit Goenka, who was investigated by Sebi over fraud allegations, to stay on after the merger. It has also initiated appropriate legal actions to contest the claims of $ 90 million (Rs 748.5 crore) filed by Sony Group before the Singapore International Arbitration Centre (SIAC). SEE ALSO:<a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/webstories/oneplus-12-vs-oneplus-12r-heres-whats-different-between-the-two-devices/slidelist/107138750.cms" target="_blank"></a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/webstories/oneplus-12-vs-oneplus-12r-heres-whats-different-between-the-two-devices/slidelist/107138750.cms" target="_blank">OnePlus 12 vs OnePlus 12R – What distinguishes the two new smartphones</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/auto/news/rolls-royce-spectre-rolls-out-as-indias-most-expensive-electric-car/articleshow/107051636.cms">Rolls Royce Spectre rolls out as India’s most expensive electric car</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/global-pc-shipments-decline-for-the-eighth-straight-quarter-hopes-pinned-on-ai-to-drive-sales/articleshow/106981182.cms">Global PC shipments decline for the eighth straight quarter; hopes pinned on AI to drive sales</a>

Zee Entertainment backs out from $1.4 bn deal with Disney Star

<keyword id="6245082" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="ZEE5">ZEE5</keyword> has announced its launch in the United States on June 22. The platform is currently under beta testing in the market. The US is the final and largest launch for ZEE5, setting the stage for its rapid growth in a market with a ready 5.4 million diaspora audience that has a deep cultural and language connect to this content. This direct-to-consumer service launch is especially significant at a time when Indians in the US, many of whom remain deeply connected to their roots, are unable to travel home. ZEE5 will officially announce its launch in the US on 22nd June at a virtual event where its platform and content will be unveiled. The company will share key details about its plans for the market and its local partnerships, launch the brand campaign and more. With this launch, the streaming platform will open up access to the largest catalogue of South Asian content ie, Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi content to diaspora and even mainstream content consumers in the US. With 130,000 hours of content across 18 languages, ZEE5 will offer a premium, highly accessible, and affordable option for viewers to engage with the best of South Asian stories. ZEE5’s catalogue aggregates classics as well as modern stories across the widest range of categories and genres. · 3,500+ movies – including 120+ World Digital Premieres like Radhe: Your Most Wanted Bhai, Simmba, Uri: The Surgical Strike, Dream Girl, Operation Java (Malayalam), Ka Pae Rannasingham (Tamil), Switzerland (Bengali) etc. · 1,600+ TV shows including Kundali Bhagya, Mithai (Bangla), Sembaruti (Tamil), Sa Re Ga Ma Pa (various languages) etc. · 200+ Originals - including The Final Call, Kaafir, Mentalhood, Churails, and more. · 600+ music, food and lifestyle videos coming soon. · 100 Hours of fresh content added daily. With “language of your comfort” being a key promise across Content, Navigation and even Voice Search, ZEE5’s content library is tailor-made for the diverse cultures and languages of Indian and South Asian communities in the U.S. The languages include Hindi, Bengali, Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Marathi, Oriya, Bhojpuri, Gujarati, Punjabi, as well as Malay, Thai, Bahasa, Arabic, Urdu and Bangla (Bangladeshi). Key titles are also subtitled or dubbed in English. “The United States represents our most significant market and the last bastion in our global journey as we launch an ad-free subscription service. As a Global Media Conglomerate, we have had a very deep connection with our diaspora audiences here, so it is a rather happy moment for me to now be bringing this audience the largest aggregation of South Asian content on a single platform through ZEE5,” said <keyword id="304784" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Amit-Goenka">Amit Goenka</keyword>, President, Digital Businesses &amp; Platforms, <keyword id="51166" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Zee-Entertainment">ZEE Entertainment</keyword>. “The United States is home to millions of people whose families have strong connects with South Asia, and we are glad to bring them the largest and most diverse catalogue of culturally relevant entertainment across Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi stories. These stories have the power to engage deeply and go well beyond the South Asian audience to entertain and delight even mainstream audiences with their authenticity and allure. I am confident that ZEE5 will become the go to platform for all Americans who love great storytelling,” said <keyword id="3234540" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Archana-Anand">Archana Anand</keyword>, Chief Business Officer, <keyword id="7124509" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="ZEE5-Global">ZEE5 Global</keyword>. · ZEE5’s Annual pack, priced at $84 USD will be available across all major devices at a limited launch offer price of $49.99. · ZEE5 subscribers in the US will also be the first to stream Salman Khan’s Radhe: Your Most Wanted Bhai. · Key initiatives and outreach plans to support the relief efforts for the fight against Covid-19 will also be shared at the launch event.

ZEE5 to foray into the US market, set to launch on June 22

Director Chandoo Mondeti's mystery action-adventure film, '<keyword id="1729397" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="karthikeya" source="Orion">Karthikeya</keyword> 2', which emerged as a blockbuster in theatres, seems to be continuing its success streak on <keyword id="1245953" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="OTT" source="Orion">OTT</keyword> as well, witnessing a whopping 100 crore viewing minutes in a matter of just 48 hours! <keyword id="6245082" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="ZEE5" source="Orion">ZEE5</keyword>, the video streaming platform which premiered the film on <keyword id="6494550" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="dussehra" source="Orion">Dussehra</keyword>, has now announced that the film had emerged as a huge success. The platform claimed that the film had garnered 100 crore viewing minutes across languages and states within 48 hours of streaming on the platform. Produced by Abhishek Agarwal Arts and <keyword id="6780267" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="people-media-factory" source="Orion">People Media Factory</keyword>, 'Karthikeya - 2' navigates through protagonist Karthikeya's pursuit of the truth. It leads him to find out the power of the ancient Indian belief system and the Tatva of Lord Sri Krishna. ZEE5 <keyword id="3658" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="india" source="Orion">India</keyword> Chief Business Officer Manish Kalra said, "We are overwhelmed with the response that 'Karthikeya 2' has received in 48 hours on the platform. It's a great milestone to have crossed." Director Chandoo Mondeti added, "'Karthikeya 2' is really close to my heart. We wanted this film to reach a global audience as it highlights Hindu mythology which reflects India's splendid diversity. "It was possible only with ZEE5's reach. The whole team has put in a lot of effort to make it a success and I am glad that it's paid off not only in theatres but also with its digital premiere. The film has achieved another milestone of crossing 100 crore viewing minutes in 48 hours which is a cherishable moment for all of us." Actor <keyword id="1590418" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="nikhil-siddhartha" source="Orion">Nikhil Siddhartha</keyword> said, "I am extremely delighted with the love that the audience has showered on 'Karthikeya 2'. It is a surreal moment for me. "When we started this project, we had never imagined it would receive such an overpouring of love and support. But I am genuinely overwhelmed with the response that the film has received during its theatrical release as well as with its World Digital Premiere on ZEE5. "Since its release on the platform, I have been receiving so many messages and comments from the fans appreciating my character and the film. I am forever grateful to them and happy that the film has struck a chord with them." SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/entertainment/news/opening-new-innings-shikhar-dhawan-will-be-seen-in-double-xl/articleshow/94781583.cms">Opening new innings: Shikhar Dhawan will be seen in 'Double XL' </a><a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/entertainment/news/amitabh80-still-a-delight-keeps-getting-better-say-directors-old-and-new/articleshow/94776251.cms">Amitabh@80: Still a delight, keeps getting better, say directors old and new</a>

'Karthikeya 2' hits 100 crore viewing minutes in 48 hours on OTT

<ul><li>As it celebrated it 4th anniversary recently, <keyword id="6245082" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="zee5" source="Orion">Zee5</keyword> revealed that its monthly active users (MAU) rose to 101.9 million and global daily active users (DAUs) touched 9.6 million in December 2021.</li><li>Moving forward, the OTT platform is working on ensuring it goes deeper into the country, into Tier II &amp; III markets, and is also working on strengthening the platform on the technology front, to make sure even people with low-end phone or patchy networks can access it without any difficulty.</li></ul><keyword id="6372205" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="zee" source="Orion">Zee</keyword>5, the over-the-top (OTT) platform from the house of Zee, has plans of doubling down on its investments on original content production this year. The platform is also working towards building one of the best regional content library in the country, <keyword id="1164639" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="manish-kalra" source="Orion">Manish Kalra</keyword>, Chief Business Officer, ZEE5 India told us. As it celebrated it 4th anniversary recently, the platform revealed that its monthly active users (MAU) rose to 101.9 million and global daily active users (DAUs) touched 9.6 million in December 2021. It also said that its users watched an average of 201 minutes of content per month during the last quarter, and it released 51 shows and movies, including 11 originals during the period. “We are fundamentally a highly customer-obsessed business and our success lies in more and more users using our platform. In December, globally, Zee5 crossed the 100 million MAU benchmark which was very exciting for us and we want to keep going from strength to strength. In 2020, we had almost seen a 2X increase on our user base on subscription side and even in 2021, we have seen high double digit growth in subscriber base. We’ve almost doubled our subscriber base YoY which has been very rewarding for us. We are also seeing a lot of people moving to connected devices, there’s been an increase in users coming in from regional languages. So it's been a rewarding journey for us so far,” shared Kalra. Currently, close to 80% of Zee5’s users are Tier I and metro-focused, but this year, the platform wants to go deeper into Tier II and Tier III cities. “Our strategy would be to go local with the right content offerings. We have some big investments planned in regional languages including Tamil, Telugu, Bangla and Punjabi, along with Hindi. We will come up with real, relatable stories that will connect with the masses. We want to ensure we go deeper into the country and acquire and take care of this audience in a much more significant way,’ he added. To celebrate its anniversary, the platform had granted access to a select few of its premium web series and movies to everyone for free. It also announced ZEE5 Spark, an initiate aimed at bolstering the platform’s AVOD content library further by introducing some popular web series like Holiday, Ready 2 Mingle, Dude, The Great Indian Wedding, Happily Ever After, featuring actors like Aahana Kumra, Amol Parashar, Adah Sharma, Priyank Sharma and Naveen Kasturia. Zee5 will also add short films like Baarish Aur Chowmein, Half Full, Khujli, Kheer and many more, starring actors like Taapsee Pannu, <keyword id="6354338" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="naseeruddin-shah" source="Orion">Naseeruddin Shah</keyword>, Anupam Kher, Neena Gupta and Jackie Shroff amongst others that will be available for AVOD users under Spark. On some of their key areas of focus for the year, Kalra said, “We want to ensure we become the best-in-class on technology from the platform perspective. We want to become more intuitive and drive a more personalized and customized interface for every user. Secondly, we want to invest on having the best-in-class regional content library because that's our strength and forte. We don’t want to compete in the English genre. So staying focused on our rules, our strengths and investing on a class content library for Indians and the languages that they connect with would be super important for us. We also want to ensure that we stay rooted and connected with India. So, we want to ensure we are available even for consumers who are on low-end devices and do not have great network. So you will soon see some innovations from us on offline viewing and on closed network,” concluded Kalra.

This year, we will focus on ensuring the best-in-class regional content library and technology on the platform and aim at going deeper into Tier II & III markets: Manish Kalra, Zee5

<ul><li>As countries across the world continue to grapple with COVID-19, <keyword id="7124509" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="ZEE5-Global">ZEE5 Global</keyword>, which is present in 190 countries, sees a 60% surge in subscriptions and 20% growth in viewership in all markets. </li><li>The platform’s focus this year is going to be on expanding across geographies, localization and strengthening its content strategy.</li><li><keyword id="3234540" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Archana-Anand">Archana Anand</keyword>, Chief Business Officer, ZEE5 Global further shares the growth plan, which are the key markets for ZEE5 global, and its retention strategy once the lockdown is lifted. </li></ul>As most countries across the globe continue being under lockdown, viewers are turning to OTT platforms to stay entertained and escape from the much scarier reality. ZEE5 Global has also seen a 60% uptick in the number of subscribers globally and a 20% growth in viewership in the past month due to the COVID-19 lockdown. Sharing the reasons behind this growth, Archana Anand, Chief Business Officer, ZEE5 Global said, “We have seen a huge uptake in traffic and engagement on the platform especially in markets like the Middle East and Canada and our premium originals are a key driver. The growth in subscriptions is also on the back of a highly attractive offer we have rolled out on our annual pack. Apart from that, since the schools are closed, outdoor activities have been restricted and families are reliant on e-learning and online entertainment platforms to keep their kids busy. We have seen a nearly 80% jump in viewership of kids content over the period.” Anand is hopeful that the platform will continue seeing this growth across the countries it is present in, until the end of June. In addition to a rising demand for originals, ZEE5 has seen a 3X spike in viewership and watch time for movies as compared to early March. “The APAC region is where we have seen the highest traction for movies, especially in Bangladesh where the viewership has gone up almost 5X times over the previous month,” shared Anand. ZEE5 was launched in India back in February 2018 in 12 local languages. Later in October 2018, to cast its net wider, it was subsequently made available in 190 countries and territories—without any additional languages—to cater to the Indian diaspora market. Now, its focus is going to be on localization and making ZEE5 the mainstream player in a few markets, Bangladesh being the first on its list. “Our priority in Phase 1 of our global expansion has been to take our extensive content catalogue to the 40 Million South Asians scattered around the world who love Indian shows and movies, and make ZEE5 a household name for people across the globe. This year we will also focus on taking ZEE5 mainstream in specific markets. We further want to move beyond targeting just the South Asian audiences and create engaging content and storytelling for mainstream audiences. Bangladesh is one key market that we will be rolling out various localization initiatives in. We’ll share more details of this in the coming months,” says Anand. ZEE5 had planned to launch two local Bangladeshi Originals. However, due to the lockdown, it had to postpone the production of the show. Telling us what Anand had planned for Bangladesh before the outbreak of coronavirus, she said, “In Bangladesh, we unfortunately have had to push out one of our key initiatives, our Talent Hunt and postpone the shoot of the local Originals we had announced. We, however, hope to get both back on track soon, once the situation normalizes. We will continue to invest in technology to drive deeper personalization and improvements in the user experience for global markets through user interface changes and more. We also have various business partnerships with telcos and other ecosystem players in the pipeline waiting to be rolled out, and this will be done over the next several weeks.” In the past few weeks due to the nationwide lockdown, ZEE5 has seen a significant increase in viewership of content across multiple categories and genres. TV shows like Guddan - Tumse Na Ho Payega, Tujhse Hai Raabta, Sembaruthi and Kumkum Bhagya are among the most watched content. Apart from this, movies like Uri: The Surgical Strike, Shukranu, Dream Girl, etc are also driving a strong uptake in this category. It is also seeing a strong demand for ZEE5 Originals. However, after we resume normalcy, the challenge for ZEE5 will be to retain its users. And to do that, the platform will continue engaging with people through a constant flow of good content and storytelling across languages. It will also focus on personalization and improving user experience. Anand also said that she hopes to resume the productions and plans for on-ground initiatives once the situation normalizes.

ZEE5 sees a 60% uptick in subscription globally due to the COVID-19 lockdown

<ul><li>Even after the record growth witnessed by streaming services in India, the question remains whether these platforms can retain the massive lockdown gains </li><li>With streaming services under pressure to provide new content frequently and producers trying to not lose money in films, web premiers might be another new normal. </li><li>Moreover, a KPMG report suggested that OTT platforms should look at gaming as an extension to their ecosystem offerings. </li></ul>Streaming services are the only bright spot for the millions who are isolating at home during lockdown. With ample leisure time and fewer options, usage of streaming platforms surged. Most of the 35 streaming giants in India — <keyword id="3960758" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Amazon-Prime-Videos">Amazon Prime Videos</keyword>, <keyword id="6245082" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="ZEE5">Zee5</keyword>. Voot, Hungama, AltBalaji, MX Player — witnessed a record growth fueled by quarantine. The Big Boost During the lockdown, there was a 265% increase in OTT traffic since February last week — in spite of the drop from HD to SD, according to Internet Exchange operator DE-CIX. The five services that gained the most are Amazon Prime Videos, Netflix, Youtube, Zee5 and Hotstar. Disney+ — which was launched soon after India locked itself down —<a href="https://techcrunch.com/2020/04/08/disney-has-more-than-50m-subscribers/"> added 8 million users </a>within a week. Whereas, Netflix India — which was earlier losing to the homegrown market — too <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/finance/news/exclusive-app-tracking-data-for-netflix-reveals-the-countries-where-usage-spiked-in-march-and-suggests-strong-viewership-heading-into-q1-earnings/articleshow/75162782.cms">saw at least an 8% growth in Q1FY20 driven</a> by its cheapest mobile online plan at ₹199. Zee5, a homegrown OTT platform, saw 36% growth during the lockdown. Whereas its foreign arm, <keyword id="7124509" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="ZEE5-Global">Zee5 Global</keyword> saw a 60% surge in users across the world including the Middle East and Canada. Alt Balaji, yet another homegrown platform, saw a 60% growth in its subscription. <table style="border-width: initial; border-style: none; width: 468pt; table-layout: fixed;"></colgroup></colgroup><tbody><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">OTT services </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Change in viewership due to Covid-19 </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Netflix India </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">+8% in Q1 </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Zee5 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">+36% </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Hungama Play </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">+20% </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Eros Now </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">+70-100% </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">MX Player</td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">130% surge on engagement </td></tr></tbody></table> A short-term spike or a long-term gain A<a href="https://rollingstoneindia.com/how-the-coronavirus-is-impacting-audio-and-video-streaming-in-india/"> Nielsen report</a> predicted that lockdown can trigger a 60% rise in content consumption in India. Even after the record growth witnessed by streaming services in India, the question remains whether these platforms can retain the massive gains post lockdown. Hence, when Netflix recently said it added a record 15.8 million paid subscribers globally, it also added that it is treating it as “<a href="https://techcrunch.com/2020/04/21/neflix-q1-earnings/">a short-term spike” and the growth will gradually decline. </a> A KPMG report, however, believes that OTTs are likely to see continued accelerated growth. "While the same levels of consumption may not be achieved once we overcome this pandemic, there is definitely a new and higher normal that is likely to be established when it comes to time spent on OTT platforms," Girish Menon, Partner and Head, Media and Entertainment, KPMG in India told Business Insider. Moreover, Menon believes consumers are likely to develop a habit of consuming video online during lockdown which would later drive subscription growth. However, According to Karan Bedi, MX Player, OTT platforms might witness some immediate dip post lockdown, but the overall base and average time spent would continue the rise. With shooting of new TV series being delayed and movie theatres closed, services with large, legacy libraries and fresh content, have an inherent advantage. “A new normal has been witnessed as consumers adapt to the evolving situation of the pandemic. We feel this pattern will stay as it is in the post-COVID-19 era as well and perhaps there will be some incremental change in the overall user growth,” Aparna Acharekar, programming head of ZEE5 India. Ferzad Palia, who heads Voot Select in India too thinks the same. Rohit Paranjpe who heads SugarBox Networks believes new content will continue to enthuse people. The pressure on OTT services to release new content more frequently may also go up. Also, OTT players too should not be happy just retaining users and will have to engage them more. Apart from films, KPMG in a report suggested OTT platforms look at gaming as an extension to ecosystem offerings. “OTT will look to bring their consumer’s value in other areas: from aggregating other third party content providers who are not competing with them to promoting and pushing other adjacent services, like fitness and food delivery apps, and education platforms,” said Lior Friedman, VP - global partnerships and strategy at Amdocs Media. Directly onto OTT platforms With streaming services under pressure to provide new content frequently and producers trying to not lose money in films products, web premiers might be a new normal. Lakshmi Bomb featuring Akshay Kumar might release on Disney+Hotstar. MUBI is premiering Pablo Larrain’s film ‘Ema’ in India, UK and Ireland on May 2. Whereas, Zee5 is also considering premiering movies directly on its platform in the near future. AB Anni CD will be yet another film to be released directly on Amazon Prime Videos. Akshay Bardapur, the producer of the movie that stars Amitabh Bachchan said, “We didn’t want to keep audiences from watching two megastars. Also, it made sense to recover losses by selling content to the OTT.” But big-budget movies are preferring to hold back. Recently, the makers of Ranvir Singh starrer movie ‘83 said they will release the film in theatres first even <a href="https://mumbaimirror.indiatimes.com/entertainment/bollywood/ranveer-singhs-83-to-not-release-on-ott-platforms-makers-aim-for-theatrical-release/articleshow/75401861.cms">if they had to wait for six or nine months. </a> “While producers of movies that have a reasonable budget may experiment with releasing movies directly on OTT platforms or opt for a pay-per-view model, bigger films are unlikely to be released until later this year or next year,” says Neeraj Roy, founder and CEO of Hungama Digital Media. See also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/entertainment/news/cinema-halls-may-not-open-in-india-until-june-end/articleshow/75407053.cms">Cinema halls may not open in India until June end</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/entertainment/news/lockdown-watchlist-want-to-binge-watch-a-show-that-lasts-a-week-try-these-long-running-shows-on-netflix-amazon-prime-disney-hotstar-and-others/articleshow/75173116.cms">Lockdown Watchlist: Want to binge-watch a show that lasts a week? Try these long-running shows on Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+ Hotstar and others</a>

Streaming platforms who are on a new high — are hosting web premiers and might even expand to gaming

<ul><li>In line with its localisation strategy in international markets, Zee5 Global has announced two Bangladeshi Originals.</li><li>The originals, a web series and a movie, are being produced in partnership with local production house Asiatic’s Good Company and will have an all-local star cast. </li><li>Zee5 plans to open a local office in Bangladesh soon. </li></ul>After receiving an impressive reception in countries like Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, Zee5 has time and again spoken about its focus on international markets. It was perhaps this reception that encouraged the platform to come up with localisation strategies, to make themselves more appealing to these markets. Keeping in line with its plans of growing its presence in some key international markets, Zee5 Global has announced that it will start production of local content in Bangladesh. Among the multiple announcements made at Dhaka, the platform announced the launch of ZEE5’s first Bangladeshi Originals: a web series and a movie, both to be released within the next few months. Both Originals are being produced in partnership with local production house Asiatic’s Good Company and will have an all-local star cast. Over the past years, ZEE5 has rolled out over 84 Originals. With these shows, the platform now will add on a slate of local Bangladeshi content also, which will take give the local content and talent tremendous exposure in global markets. Bangladesh is in fact the very first market in which ZEE5 is rolling out its local content production, a significant statement of how deeply the platform has prioritized this market. First up for launch is a romantic movie titled Jodi.. Kintu.. Tobuo. Directed by Shihab Shaheen, this movie will take the audiences on a journey of what happens when a groom gets cold feet before his wedding day. Contract, a web series based on a novel written by Mohammad Najim Uddin, is another ZEE5 Original Series in the works. This is a cat and mouse thriller about a contract killer, a police cop and an underworld don. The series is being directed by Krishnendu Chatterjee, Tanim Noor and Parthe Sarkar. ZEE5 also shared details of its upcoming Talent Hunt titled ‘Bangladesh’s Global Superstar’ which will be launched within January. Providing a global stage to the vast local talent in Bangladesh, this talent hunt will give them an opportunity to conquer the OTT entertainment world with a chance to feature in ZEE5 Originals that get viewed across 190 countries. Commenting on the announcements, Amit Goenka, CEO, ZEE International and ZEE5 Global said, ”Localization is a very key part of our agenda this year as we look to establish deeper relationships with markets. Bangladesh has always been a high priority market, and we look to strengthen our ties further through strong local collaborations. Bangladesh will be the very first market in which we will be rolling out local language productions and I’m also very happy to share that we plan to have a local office here soon.” Talking about the initiatives and ZEE5’s strong focus on Bangladesh, <a></a>Archana Anand, Chief Business Officer, ZEE5 Globald, said, “Bangladesh is a young country poised for massive growth, and the possibilities are tremendous. We’re very excited to be here in Dhaka to share the various initiatives that we will be rolling out over the next few months along with our local partners. Our vision is one of true collaboration in this very exciting market where both of us grow and learn together to scale new heights.”

Zee5 Global kickstarts its localisation journey for international markets, announces locally produced Originals for Bangladesh

<ul><li>As we enter a new year, we wanted to understand what to expect from the Over-the-top (<keyword id="1245953" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="ott" source="Orion">OTT</keyword>) industry in 2022.</li><li>In today's feature, we speak to industry experts who share their thoughts on what this year has in store for us.</li></ul>After 2020 we had hoped that 2021 would bring us some respite from the pandemic. However, things were challenging for a large part of the year. With many of us stuck within the four walls of our house for the most part of the year, OTT platforms sometimes became the only source of entertainment in our lives. Not only did 2021 see the launch of a lot of big-budget originals on various OTT platforms, a lot of movies like Sardar Udham Singh, Mimi and Shershaah launched on these platforms. Content producing companies put their best foot forward and created award-winning shows that won both commercial and critical acclaim. There has been a visible increase in investments in content production, a trend that is here to stay in 2022 as well. A recent joint report by industry body CII and Boston Consulting Group (BCG) stated that the Indian OTT sector is currently in the scaling stage with strong subscription growth and high investment in premium as well as original content. The Indian OTT sector is one of the most competitive amongst emerging markets with over 40 players. While there have been debates about more and more people moving away from TV, Mandeep Kohli, Managing Director and Partner, Boston Consulting Group India states that we are still some time away from that happening at a large scale in India. “The share of traditional media is slowly declining with increased digital adoption but there is still high headroom for penetration with only 54% of Indian households having a pay TV connection compared to more than 70% in China. For many households, TV continues to be the center of the home and a significant part of family time,” said Kohli, Managing Director and Partner, Boston Consulting Group India. The report further stated that the industry is at a scaling stage currently and has the potential to become a $13-15 billion industry by 2030. To understand what the new year has in store for us, we spoke to a few of the most important voices from India’s OTT industry, along with some of the biggest content production houses. Here is what they had to say about what lies ahead: Manish Kalra, Chief Business Officer, <keyword id="6245082" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="zee5" source="Orion">ZEE5</keyword> India The already-growing online media and entertainment business received a major boost with the black swan event that the Covid-19 pandemic was, setting a new growth trajectory in the last year. The audience adopted a more digitally advanced way of entertainment, something that went beyond the conventional mediums, leading to mass adoption of OTT platforms which resulted in a surge in both viewership and watch-time. This pandemic-induced growth in demand for quality content led to an increased focus on storytelling across languages leading to the creation of extensive and expansive content libraries. People also became more open to sampling diverse content from different languages and were keener to opt for the living room experience thanks to the increased adoption of connected devices. This growth of the connected devices ecosystem has made OTT a preferred choice not only for personal but also for family consumption. At ZEE5, we have seen a 3X growth in the viewership on connected devices. The rise in power-packed dynamic storytelling and the rise of connected devices has led to the advent of the ‘Home Box Office’ which is a trend that is here to stay. While we grew 200% this year at the back of an aggressive slate of content line-up and hyper-personalization, we aim to make deeper inroads into Indian homes going into 2022. Sameer Nair, CEO, <keyword id="1322450" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="applause-entertainment" source="Orion">Applause Entertainment</keyword> <div type="image" title="IMG_8153 (1)" msid="88694220" hostid="261"></div> I believe the biggest emerging trend for the streaming industry in 2022 and beyond is the increasing flattening of the Earth, with both geographical borders and language barriers breaking down as internet connectivity reaches the remotest audiences. Our audiences, both local and global, have become smarter, more perceptive and way more critical; this requires us as Content Creators and Distributors to significantly improve the quality of our storytelling, of our productions and of the consumer experience we offer. Authentic, rooted stories that have a universal appeal can and will breakout to reach audiences globally. The more we collaborate with talent from diverse cultures and geographies, the richer we will become as storytellers. The ‘One Planet One Species Shared Cultures’ is an idea whose time is truly upon us. Divya Dixit, SVP, Marketing &amp; Revenue, <keyword id="4241922" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="altbalaji" source="Orion">ALTBalaji</keyword> With the traditional marketing budgets on a decline and digital and influencer marketing taking center stage, there are many trends, however interrelated, that we will see emerging in 2022. The digital audiovisual industry will explode; according to Bain and Company, India's online video user base has increased to more than 350 million people, growing 24% in the last three years. Influencer marketing will rapidly move to include micro-influencers and not just be dependent on Celebrity influencers, thereby also promoting UGC. Video marketing, live streaming will give rise to Social commerce and tier 2 and 3 cities will claim the growth chart curve. With all these interrelated events/trends triggering off, Users will expect personalized experiences which will be offset by deeper integration of ML, which will give rise to AI usage; however, the world of marketers will also see a more focused emerging curve towards Organic retention – CRM, surveys, retention tools, recommendation cycles, SEO, UI/UX as Google continues the stance of stopping 3rd party cookies by end of 2023. Manjit Sachdev- Head – Originals, Voot and Voot Select, Viacom18 Digital Ventures <div type="image" title="Manjit Sachdev _Head Content at VOOT AND VOOT Select" msid="88694240" hostid="261"></div> After an unprecedented 2020, with an acceleration in the growth of OTT platforms, 2021 was a year for creating milestones in curating unique and enthralling stories for the audience. Now as we step into 2022 with hope and resilience, the OTT sector will witness an increase in the demand for personalized and purpose-driven content. Given the increasing competition in the OTT space, staying relevant and purposeful is most critical. Considering the changing realities in today's times, having a purpose-driven story telling approach is the way to go. Content with purpose has the power to travel beyond boundaries, spread values, knowledge and positivity and build deeper engagement with subscribers. This trend will act as a key differentiator in changing behaviours. Megha Tata, Managing Director, South Asia, Discovery, Inc As SVOD continues to grow aggressively, we are seeing an increasing number of audiences now willing to pay for good content. I believe a right combination of compelling content and pricing would be the key in attracting a bigger share of consumers into the SVOD world next year. Also, differentiated programming will add to a player’s competitive advantage in the midst of most mainstream players offering similar content. This is a trend familiar to what we saw even broadcast channels go through. I believe some players will be able to carve out a niche for themselves, while most streaming catalogs will end up resembling each other. Rishi Negi, COO, Banijay Asia 2020 was a game changer for the whole world, we strategized a smooth transition to the streaming era and the year 2021 was about sustaining the positive change and envisioning the prospects of growth. With changing narratives and experimental content taking a lead, along with the fact that the data &amp; streaming charges have dropped, has resulted in the content reaching a much bigger audience. I anticipate the year 2022 to be vibrant with original productions, compelling storytelling and some path-breaking performances. Fighting the content inflation with a wide variety of exceptional chronicles intertwined with existing catalog shows in this post-pandemic world, viewers are streaming more than ever. With nominal data plan and streaming charges, content is reaching even the darkest corner of the world. Considering the pace of content transmission, at Banijay Asia, we have become more aggressive towards producing content that delights the heartland of India. We see a hike in demand for stories which are untold, female centric and with CTV on the rise, we anticipate growing interest in regional unscripted content in 2022. While we have seen this trend kickstart already with our Tamil unscripted show The Survivors as it received unparalleled response from the audience and our hinterland drama Matsya Kaand recently crossed a 100M views on <keyword id="2214311" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="mx-player" source="Orion">MX Player</keyword> within a month. These numbers affirm that the trendsmap that we're following leads to a sustainable future. Given these past two years have been a real tester, we have pushed through every possible challenge posed by the virus this year and successfully produced shows for the streaming giants and kept the show running. While we have covered grounds with our scripted, non-scripted, international format adaptation, book adaptations, in the upcoming year, we aim to keep up with our pace and keep reinventing our ways. To sum it up, we are thoroughly looking forward to 2022 to be a year full of exciting and enthralling projects to keep our audiences engaged and invested. Rohit Jain, Managing Director, <keyword id="193261" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Lionsgate" source="Orion">Lionsgate</keyword> South Asia and Networks, Emerging Markets Asia 2022 is going to be an exciting year for OTT players as the content pipeline will be stronger than ever. While the pandemic has leapfrogged growth in terms of viewers and subscription we expect 2022 to further amplify the reach and will witness growth not only in the metros but also in tier II &amp; tier III cities. Today’s viewers are constantly looking for edgy and unique stories. We have always said premium content is the ultimate winner. The OTT industry will have to concentrate on quality content over quantity of content. Siddhartha Roy, COO, Hungama Digital Media The media and entertainment industry has been making rapid strides in the interior of India. Regional markets are becoming the industry’s point of convergence as the digital infrastructure expands across the length and breadth of the country. Content houses and creators are going vocal through local, thereby, making homegrown, high-quality content available at the click of a button. Going further, consumption of entertainment, in addition to audio and video, will be extended to varied mediums, such as gaming. As the Indian online gaming sector is witnessing tremendous growth in 2020 it sets a tone that gaming will be the next big thing. The industry will witness a rapid rise in the use of AI and ML to create a customised and personalised experience for audiences. This makes industry consumer friendly; not just that, it helps in massive consumption and double consumer engagement. Hiren Gada, CEO-Shemaroo Entertainment Ltd <div type="image" title="Hiren Gada, CEO, Shemaroo Entertainment Ltd." msid="88726664" hostid="261"></div> With regional internet penetration growing at a rapid pace, localization of content and OTT apps are going to be one of the emerging trends to look out for. Content that was earlier restricted to just Bollywood and Hollywood is getting extended to other native languages and it is going to play a key role in attracting new consumers and in supporting other industries such as dubbing and subtitling that will further boost the content bank. Other than localization, we will also see content being offered across other segments that include devotional, and kids’ categories. As we see new OTT apps being launched almost every month with multiple paying models, the consumers will have more flexibility and power to make their own choices. With increased smartphone adoption along with affordable data, mobile penetration of the OTT will see more focus. Mobile-centric plans have been introduced by most OTTs today to cater to the Millennials and GenZs who have the hunger to consume content but not the deep pockets to pay. This space will continue to grow with the increased bundling of OTT by telecos. Additionally, the arrival of 5G which is most likely to take off this year will be a game-changer not just for the OTTs but also for the consumers. It will enable faster connectivity, accessibility to content and further enhance the viewing experience with reduced buffering issues, and an uninterrupted real-time streaming experience. Shailesh Kapoor, The Founder &amp; CEO, Ormax Media The last two years have been exceptional for the OTT market in India, aided in no small measure by the lockdowns. As things begin to get back to normal, the question that we will hear a lot more in 2022 is: Where is the next level of OTT growth in India going to come from? The category has grown at an estimated 30-35% in its user base and more than 50% in paid subscriptions over the last two years. But these growth rates are not sustainable in the long run. Platforms will have to look for offerings that are both compelling and distinctive, to get new subscribers in a category that will continue to grow, but at more modest levels of 15-20% per annum. Crossover content, be it Indian (such as Jai Bhim) or foreign (such as Squid Game or Money Heist), will play an important role in this regard. The language barrier has been broken considerably by the OTT medium, and with dubbing and subtitles available in many languages for all major shows and films now, platforms cannot stick to single-language, homogenous offerings anymore. We can expect more language-led experimentation, both in content acquisition and presentation."

Where the Indian OTT industry is headed in 2022

<ul><li>Zee has introduced a new content consumption medium for consumers &amp; film distribution model for producers.</li><li>It has partnered with distribution players including Dish D2H, <keyword id="94550" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Tata-Sky">Tata Sky</keyword> and Airtel Digital TV, as well as key distribution platforms in the international markets. </li><li>The service will also be available on the OTT Platform - <keyword id="6245082" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="ZEE5">ZEE5</keyword>, in India &amp; overseas.</li></ul><keyword id="174248" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Zee-Entertainment-Enterprises-Ltd">Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd</keyword>. (ZEE) has launched its ‘<keyword id="9863712" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="cinema2home">Cinema2Home</keyword>’ (C2H) service, <keyword id="9862721" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="zee-plex">Zee Plex</keyword>. This new offering will help consumers watch new releases sitting at home, at an 'attractive (per film) price point'. A release from the organization said that along with convenience for consumers, this new movie distribution model will enhance the overall commercial ecosystem for the film producers, enabling them to present their creative work, to a wider range of audiences on established entertainment platforms. Speaking about this new initiative, <keyword id="163696" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Shariq-Patel">Shariq Patel</keyword>, CEO, Zee Studios said, “We are very excited to bring this new offering to all the movie buffs across India and around the globe. While we all love to catch the latest movies at the nearest theatres, we sensed the need for a solution like Zee Plex, which gives the consumers flexibility and convenience, to catch their favourite films in the comfort of their homes, along with friends and family. We have received great interest from producers and are looking forward to release a strong slate of blockbusters across languages.” <keyword id="529229" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Atul-Das">Atul Das</keyword>, Chief Revenue Officer – Affiliate Sales, ZEE added, “We are thrilled to announce the launch of Zee Plex, a first of its kind service for movie lovers. This would be available in India from October 2 as a Pay Per View service to subscribers of leading distribution platforms like Dish D2h, Tata Sky and Airtel Digital TV. We believe Zee Plex will provide another opportunity for our partners to offer a unique and pioneering service to their consumers across different languages. We very much look forward to developing this opportunity in the coming years.” With new releases every month, Zee Plex aims to bring the theatres right to the consumers’ homes, offering them a quality family viewing experience at an attractive price-point. ZEE has partnered with leading television distribution platforms in India and has also established strategic alliances with distribution partners in the international markets. Zee Plex as a C2H service, will also be available on ZEE5 (ZEE’s OTT Platform) globally. Key highlight of Zee Plex: o On Television, the service will be available on leading distribution platforms in India and established content distribution networks across the globe. o The service will be available 24x7 and feature shows at various intervals through the day giving consumers the required flexibility. o Consumers will also be able to book their movie shows well in advance prior to release date. o On Digital platforms, the service will be available on ZEE5, in India and overseas markets. o The C2H service will be offered at an attractive price point. o Consumers will be able to watch any new movie release along with their family with a single ticket. o Users will have multiple payment options to purchase their favourite movie.

Zee launches Zee Plex, its ‘Cinema2Home’ service

<ul><li>ZEEL's domestic advertising <keyword id="45663" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Revenue">revenue</keyword> for Q3FY21 grew by 7.5% YoY and 43.6% QoQ.</li><li>Its international ad revenue and <keyword id="2212194" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="subscription-revenue">subscription revenue</keyword> stood at Rs 577 million and Rs 1091 million respectively.</li><li>Its domestic subscription revenues reported a growth of 18% including revenue from its music business which has been reclassified as subscription revenue in this fiscal.</li></ul><keyword id="1417408" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Zee-Entertainment-Enterprises-Limited">Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited</keyword> announced that its domestic advertising revenue for Q3FY21 grew by 7.5% YoY and 43.6% QoQ. This sharp recovery post H1 is a reflection of a resurgence of consumer demand and spending, the broadcaster said in its statement. Its international ad revenue and subscription revenue stood at Rs 577 million and Rs 1091 million respectively. Its domestic subscription revenues reported a growth of 18% including revenue from its music business which has been reclassified as subscription revenue in this fiscal. Comparable growth of 9.3% in the domestic business was driven by both television and <keyword id="6245082" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="ZEE5">ZEE5</keyword>. ZEEL's all India viewership share stood at 18.2% in Q3. The network also launched 2 new channels – Zee Zest and Zee Vajwa, taking the network channel count to 47. ZEE5 global's MAUs and DAUs stood at 65.9 million and 5.4 million respectively in Dec’20 and it released 7 movies on ‘Pay Per View’ model. The report also stated that while its share is back to pre-COVID levels, overall network share has seen a decline due to FTA channels losing share and decline in the overall Hindi movie genre.

ZEEL's domestic ad revenue for Q3FY21 grew by 7.5% YoY

<ul><li><keyword id="2826400" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="The-Essel-Group">The Essel Group</keyword> is planning to sell 16.5% stake in ZEEL.</li><li>The Group seeks to sell up to 16.5% stake in ZEEL to financial investors, in order to repay loan obligations to certain lenders of the Group for whose benefit such shares are currently encumbered .</li><li>The Group seeks to sell 2.3% stake in ZEEL to <keyword id="8354451" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="OFI-Global-China-Fund">OFI Global China Fund</keyword>, LLC and/or its affiliates.</li><li>The Group has taken this step to generate adequate liquidity for the repayment process. </li></ul> The Essel Group is planning to sell 16.5% stake in <keyword id="1417408" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Zee-Entertainment-Enterprises-Limited">ZEE Entertainment Enterprises Limited</keyword> (ZEEL) to financial investors. The Group seeks to sell up to 16.5% stake in ZEEL to financial investors, in order to repay loan obligations to certain lenders of the Group for whose benefit such shares are currently encumbered (and who have consented to such share sale by the Group). Out of the aforesaid, the Group seeks to sell 2.3% stake in ZEEL to OFI Global China Fund, LLC and/or its affiliates. Pursuant to the aforementioned transactions, the post-transaction overall holdings of the Group in ZEEL will be 5%, out of which encumbered holdings of the Group will reduce to 1.1% of ZEEL. This development reaffirms the Group's positive progress on its overall asset divestment approach, undertaken to generate adequate liquidity for the repayment process. The Group is also working actively on further divestments including its media/ non-media assets and remains confident to complete the same.

The Essel Group to sell 16.5% stake in ZEE Entertainment Enterprises Limited

<ul><li>In an interview with Business Insider <keyword id="6245082" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="ZEE5">Zee5</keyword> CEO Tarun Katial reveals its growth plan for 2020. </li><li>Zee5 wants to become an ‘super app’ for entertainment and is planning to release over 80 new originals in 2020. </li><li>Zee5 Global also made its foray into Bangladesh. </li></ul>India is all set to witness a tough battle in the over-crowded <keyword id="1245953" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="OTT">OTT</keyword> space, this year. <keyword id="128682" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Netflix">Netflix</keyword> is all set to invest ₹300 crore on Indian content, while Prime Videos is also expected to double its investments. Hotstar too set aside at least ₹120 crore to make seven originals across languages. India’s homegrown platform Zee5 however is playing the numbers game. “Zee5 has already invested in over 100 originals till date. But we believe that there’s a lot of room for regional content in this country. There are many stories to be told. Zee5 will do about 70-80 originals this coming year,” Zee5 CEO Tarun Katial told Business Insider India in an interview. It has already roped in Bollywood actors l<a href="http://telegraphindia.com/entertainment/karisma-kapoor-makes-her-digital-debut-with-altbalaji-and-zee5s-web-series-mentalhood-about-motherhood/cid/1749151">ike Karisma Kapoor, Dia Mirza, Arjun Rampal, Shruti Seth and TV actor Arjun Bijlani to star in upcoming shows like Mentalhood, Kaafir and Final Call. </a> Zee5 wants to capture millennials and other audiences who don’t watch TV but exclusively depend on streaming services for entertainment. Original shows and exclusive movies In addition to original shows, it is planning <a href="http://financialexpress.com/brandwagon/tarun-katial-on-why-zee5-is-more-than-a-video-streaming-app/1874856/">to produce 30-40 movies</a> across languages which will be exclusively streamed on the platform. Katial says that Zee5 wants to be a ‘super app’ for entertainment. At present, Zee5 has over 1,153 shows with 70 originals and 3,147 movies on its platforms. It also live streams all its 45 channels just like Hotstar. Zee5 expects this strategy to bring in more subscribers. It expects to have 15 million daily active users and 100 million monthly users by March. It had around 8 million daily active users in December, and has been operational for two years. OTT platform is not overcrowded, says Katiyal In spite of the presence of many more platforms like SunNxt, Voot, SonyLiv and many more, Katiyal believes that the Indian OTT market isn’t overcrowded. “While there are a lot of OTT platforms in India, it finally comes down to those OTT players who have enough content to play this out,” he said. A large base of content can be provided by platforms that have been in the television business. “Broadcasters eventually have a meaningful edge in this business because of their ability to reuse their content and their legacy of having built years and years of content is far better than anybody else,” he said. Going Global With strong roots in regional content, Zee5 is all set to take its battle with Netflix, Prime Videos in the international markets as well. In fact, they are using the same success mantra — local content to local audiences. Zee5<a href="https://www.exchange4media.com/digital-news/zee5-global-goes-big-in-bangladesh-sells-all-ad-slots-before-launching-local-productions-102954.html"> already marked its debut in Bangladesh with two shows in their library</a>. “Our brand marketing spend in Bangladesh this quarter is approximately 70% of the overall spend in Asia-Pacific,” said Archana Anand, chief business officer at Zee5 Global. See also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/netflix-is-losing-to-hotstar-zee5-amazon-prime-video-india-as-the-country-remains-addicted-to-soaps-and-movies/articleshow/74111720.cms">Netflix is losing to homegrown OTT players in India — as the country remains addicted to soaps and movies</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/altbalaji-and-zee5-partner-to-take-on-hotstar-netflix-and-amazon-prime/articleshow/70429024.cms">Indian OTT platforms ALTBalaji and Zee5 team up to take on Hotstar, Netflix and Amazon Prime</a>

You Searched For "ZEE5 Global" and got 12 results

Zee Entertainment backs out from $1.4 bn deal with Disney Star

PTI

ZEE5 to foray into the US market, set to launch on June 22

BI India Partner

'Karthikeya 2' hits 100 crore viewing minutes in 48 hours on OTT

IANS

This year, we will focus on ensuring the best-in-class regional content library and technology on the platform and aim at going deeper into Tier II & III markets: Manish Kalra, Zee5

Samarpita Banerjee

ZEE5 sees a 60% uptick in subscription globally due to the COVID-19 lockdown

Karuna

Preeti

Streaming platforms who are on a new high — are hosting web premiers and might even expand to gaming

Preeti Soni

Zee5 Global kickstarts its localisation journey for international markets, announces locally produced Originals for Bangladesh

BI India Partner

Where the Indian OTT industry is headed in 2022

Samarpita Banerjee

Zee launches Zee Plex, its ‘Cinema2Home’ service

BI India Partner

ZEEL's domestic ad revenue for Q3FY21 grew by 7.5% YoY

BI India Partner

The Essel Group to sell 16.5% stake in ZEE Entertainment Enterprises Limited

BI India Partner

Zee5 plans to release 80 original shows this year across Indian languages

Preeti Soni

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