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Tag: Aparna Acharekar

  • coto’s 24/7 live consultation, a new frontier to empower and support women users

    coto’s 24/7 live consultation, a new frontier to empower and support women users

    Mumbai: Digital media has become an important part of people’s lives, allowing them to stay connected, learn, seek advice, and monetize. To meet this demand, coto, a social community app for women, having more than 7000 vibrant communities with over 1 million conversations, has introduced live consultations on its platform. This new offering aims to encourage women users to seek knowledge and guidance from experts on diverse topics, creating a supportive environment to connect experts from different walks of life.

    coto’s live consultation which integrates the AI-powered Q&A feature, enables women users to take 1:1 sessions using live chat, audio, and video features with the experts, combining community support with digital convenience. This progression and enhancement of engagement beyond communities offers a range of exclusive benefits without being limited by geographic boundaries. Users will have 24*7 access to expert guidance across time zones on taboo topics like mental health & wellness, relationships, astrology, and tarot, amongst others.

    To experience the value of expert advice, users can also avail of initial free sessions, and conveniently pay for live consultations through coto wallets.  coto’s unique Pay Only When Happy  allows users to pay for consultations only when they are satisfied with the services. This policy encourages users to seek help without worrying about financial risks. Maintaining a strong emphasis on privacy and safety, coto caters to the confidentiality and security of users by providing an option to join the live session anonymously.

    Expressing her excitement around the launch, coto co-founder Aparna Acharekar stated, “At coto, our commitment is to always empower women by providing a safe and unbiased online space, free from any judgment. Our new live consultation feature further reinforces this commitment by offering 24×7 expert guidance and support whenever needed. With this launch, we aim to address women’s challenges, foster growth and promote entrepreneurship within a supportive community.”

    Commenting on the announcement, coto chief technology officer Zeebee Siwiec said, “Furthering its commitment towards enhancing user experience and boosting engagement on the platform, coto is addressing specific and personal challenges of users by combining community support with expert consultations through AI-driven solutions. By using large language models, the app is identifying individual challenges, efficiently matching them with tailored services, and continually improving the quality of consultations. With a focus on advanced new age tools like LLMs and Vector Stores, coto uplifts the nature of content, conversations, and consultations, making the social community platform a more interactive and expressive user interface.”

    Expressing her excitement, coto chief astrologer Dr. Gunja Mehta Ahuja said, “With the launch of live consultation, interest among women in the age group of 25-45 is being witnessed. They are majorly seeking advice about their relationships, marriage, finances, and careers, amongst others. This showcase of enthusiastic participation indicates that it’s paving the way for success for coto.”

    Adding on to that, coto chief psychologist Dr Mona Gujral said, “The live consultations on coto will help women better understand the different kinds of issues women across the country face. Having kickstarted live consultations, the commonly asked questions so far have revolved around relationships and marriage. During my sessions, while multiple interactions take place with women who engage, the conversations tend to be beneficial and enlightening for those merely attending, too. This gives them the courage to open up about their own struggles, along with the hope that help is available out there, should they ever need it.”

     

  • Coto appointed Shefali Anurag as VP of the marketing

    Coto appointed Shefali Anurag as VP of the marketing

    Mumbai: coto, the social community platform, by women, for women has appointed Shefali Anurag as vice president of marketing. Shefali will lead and execute the marketing strategy for the organisation. coto to accelerate the platform ‘enhancement its presence in the dynamic landscape of technology, information, and the internet.

    As a seasoned expert she has good experience in digital marketing, social networking, and global relations verticals. Shefali’s industry experience will be significant in strengthening the brand’s positioning as a niche platform for women, offering them opportunities for growth, connection, and empowerment in the digital world.

    She has worked predominantly in the tech, e-commerce, and fashion space, and spearheaded transformative marketing initiatives before. With a wealth of experience in some of the innovative tech companies including Amazon, Twitter (Zipdial), Booking.com (Agoda), and Pomelo Fashion, Shefali has managed multiple media launches, announcing funding rounds, acquisitions, product launches, and KOL campaigns across six Asian markets – India, Bangkok, Vietnam, Thailand, Philippines, and Singapore.

    Welcoming Shefali to the team, coto co-founder Aparna Acharekar said, “We’re delighted to have Shefali lead the marketing team at coto. Her rewarding industry experience and strategic vision speak volumes about her knowledge, expertise, and leadership. We’re confident that Shefali’s acumen in the digital world will help the platform build a safe and secure online environment for women.”

    Speaking about her new role to the media Shefali Anurag said, “Today, women make up 49.6 per cent of the world’s population; we are finally at the point where we can be equals and take the lead on the global scale. However, given how much time we spend in the digital space, we must stay ahead of the Web3 curve to thrive – coto serves as the perfect medium for this. coto’s team, its vision, and goals inspire me greatly and I’m looking forward to an incredible journey together.”

  • coto’s Publisher Partner Program enables users to create, distribute & monetize content

    coto’s Publisher Partner Program enables users to create, distribute & monetize content

    Mumbai: coto, a social community platform for women built on the web3 principles of trust, transparency, and participative ownership, has announced its Publisher Partner Programme. It brings together publishers, experts, and creators across genres and platforms to create and monetise their communities.

    coto explains that its Publisher Partner Programme aims to reshape the traditional content ecosystem of creation, distribution, and monetisation for publishers. Through the program, publishers can finally turn their current challenges of discovery, monetisation, and value-added services into the advantages of preferred partnerships, community engagement, and multi-monetisation models.

    It added that the internet has created a wealth of opportunities for publishers to extend their market reach and cater to a more focused audience. Competing in an era of free content, most publishers walk a tightrope in expanding their network, enhancing revenue generation models, attracting the attention of the right audience, and at the same time, owning the brand-audience relationship. As the world transitions to web3, there remains a need for a multi-network online platform that can provide creators and brands with a wider content ecosystem that offers universal content access and incremental revenue opportunities. This is the gap that coto is looking to fill.

    It will help collect the right mix of content, genres, and users on the platform that resonate with the brand’s ethos.

    coto co-founder Aparna Acharekar said, “coto’s Publisher Partner Program endeavours to create a responsible social platform where authentic, verified information is available from credible experts. As we transition to the new era of the internet, there is a clear need and potential to create an ecosystem that helps the audience navigate through the vast amount of content online and, at the same time, captures growth opportunities that disrupt the sector. By adopting a community-driven approach, the programme incentivizes engagement, thus creating an ever-evolving diverse model of monetization. It will offer members, brands, publishers, and creators a truly universal experience of accessing content.”

    Big FM COO Sunil Kumaran said, “Big FM stays committed to engaging its diverse audience with purpose-driven campaigns that entertain and inform with exceptional content, delivered in an impactful manner. Our thoughts align with coto, a women-only social community platform serving as a channel of change with content by women, for women. We are glad to associate with coto and are coming up with an exhaustive content line-up by our RJs covering multiple topics and industries. This convergence will create a new horizon of infotainment, exclusively on this trailblazing platform—coto.”

    Spooler founder & CEO Binoy Joseph shared, “The internet has become the primary source of content and, therefore, has created a need for different revenue generation models for creators and publishers. coto’s publisher partner programme is built on the principles of participation, ownership, and micropreneurship for all women. Its monetisation opportunities such as social, live, and service commerce, advertising revenue, and merchandising give creators and publishers a perfect platform to begin the monetization journey. We look forward to growing our audience with a very distinct and discerning women audience base.”

  • ZEE5 announces its new section dedicated for kids

    ZEE5 announces its new section dedicated for kids

    MUMBAI: As over-the-top platforms become the go-to-place across all age groups, leading streaming service ZEE5 has announced its entry in the kids category with ZEE5 Kids, a special section within the service. The new service will have over 4000 hours of content across nine languages, targeting the age group of two to early teens.

    “We want to touch every cycle of a consumer’s life,” ZEE5 India programming head Aparna Acharekar said, adding that the circle of ZEE5 becomes complete with having fun, entertainment, and education together.

    The new kids section will be on the advertising model now. Since ZEE5 originals are in the pipeline for the kids section and some of the big IPs from the network will also come live, a subscription model will be looked at in the future.

    ZEE5 Kids’ content is a mix of acquired and exclusives by onboarding the leading production house like Lionsgate and Cosmos Maya. It will also be launching exciting exclusive digitals like Gadget Guru, Guddu and Bapu which will be released over upcoming timelines.

    “We are very excited to share our new offering, ZEE5 KIDS, a unique and smart confluence of entertainment that is designed to meet the learning needs in a child-safe environment. The product is deliberated to augment the intellectual abilities of children in a FUN learning way by providing bespoke content ranging from shows, movies, reality and DIY shows to nursery rhymes in nine languages and across genres,” Acharekar added.

    Acharekar also assured that the launch has been announced only after ensuring parental control.

  • ZEE LIVE’s Supermoon launches “Live to Home” edition 2 on ZEE5

    ZEE LIVE’s Supermoon launches “Live to Home” edition 2 on ZEE5

    MUMBAI: As the lockdown has got extended, ZEE LIVE, in collaboration with ZEE5, continues to entertain with the best of curated content on food, fitness and entertainment under Supermoon ‘Live to Home’ edition 2 from 17 to 19 April.

    Supermoon “Live to Home” houses your favourite celebrity creators. The highlights include- Fitness Hour from 8 am to 9 am – Home workouts with experts like Swapneel Hazare and Praveen Nair, Immunity by Mickey Mehta, Yoga by Natasha Noel, Diet & Nutrition by Pooja Makhija and Mental Wellbeing by Gaur Gopal Das;  Food from 12 pm to 12.30 pm- Home recipes made easy with Chef Pankaj Bhodouria, Chef Vicky Ratnani and Chef Shipra Khanna and Entertainment from 8 pm to 9 pm – Unplugged music by Akhil Sachdeva and Jyotica Tangri, Folk music by Swaroop Khan, Instrumentals with Rakesh Chaurasia, Poetry by Kumar Vishwas.

    Supermoon Live to Home aims to encourage social distancing while keeping you positively engaged and entertained. Enhancing the entertainment experience for users, special sets will be created to stream the content live. Users will also get an opportunity to watch their favourite artists create and perform in an informal set-up.

    ZEE LIVE  COO and business head Swaroop Banerjee said, "#StayAtHome has been the norm worldwide. People across the world have turned to live talent who are healing, entertaining, helping us stay fit, showing us home recipes and guiding us with positivity in these times. Supermoon Live To Home is our way of engaging our audiences in the lockdown period through some of the largest celebrities in fitness, mental health, nutrition, food and entertainment who have come together on this initiative by the ZEE Family. It gives me great joy to announce the second weekend of this edition with a promise that we will continue to be with our audiences in every moment of this journey.”

    ZEE5 India programming head Aparna Acharekar added, "The first edition of Zee Live’s Supermoon ‘Live to Home’ on ZEE5 was a big success. We were happy to see all our audiences staying indoors enjoying their daily dose of uninterrupted entertainment on our platform. With ‘Live to Home’ second edition starting from April 17-19, we are confident that this will further give our viewers a reason to stay indoors and catch-up on all the content from Food to Fitness on ZEE5.”

    Praveen Nair said: "I am excited to be part of this new initiative by ZEE LIVE which will be streamed on ZEE5. Let us all come together and conquer this phase while keeping ourselves fit! Let's make use of this time and learn the new way of workouts which are easy to do at your home."

    Pooja Makhija said: “Live to Home is a wonderful initiative by ZEE LIVE. I am glad to share some tips and motivate you'll to stay fit and Healthy. I would urge everyone to have a fixed routine and use your time to eat healthy and stay positive.”

    Kumar Vishwas said: "Entertainment is something which keeps us connected. I hope my poetry will be a magical experience for the entire family. I am glad to be associated with ZEE LIVE who is providing a platform to everyone to stay motivated and you can watch me perform on ZEE5."

  • ZEE5 opens up premium, new original shows for free

    ZEE5 opens up premium, new original shows for free

    MUMBAI: During this unprecedented situation and lockdown across the country, ZEE5 is providing an uninterrupted dose of entertainment to all those who are confined to their home via its initiative #BeCalmBeEntertained. As part of this initiative, ZEE5 will bring a slate of new original shows for its users to stream it across devices.

    ZEE5 India realises the gloominess that the nation faces today and hence the need to boost the entertainment quotient. And with shows putting their shoots on hold at present, the lack of newer episodes would leave a void for entertainment for the viewers.

    Premium and new original content which will be available for free streaming are Kar Le Tu Bhi Mohabbat – a romantic drama starring the iconic Ram Kapoor and Sakshi Tanwar; an epic love triangle drama Kehne Ko Humsafar Hai starring Ronit Roy, Mona Singh and Gurdeep Kohli; Baarish – a classic tale of different paths united by love starring Sharman Joshi and Asha Negi; and Ishq Aaj Kal to name a few will be available on the platform. Not only that, on offer would be a large bouquet of blockbuster movies, new exclusives, binge-worthy ZEE5 Originals, and bespoke premium content, all for free.

    ZEE5 India Programming Head Aparna Acharekar said, “As a responsible video streaming player, we are totally committed to undertake any preventive measures which would collectively help the entire ecosystem curb this unprecedented situation caused due to COVID-19 outbreak. With this new initiative, we want our audiences across the country to stay calm and enjoy responsibly by staying home whilst, catching up on their favourite shows/movies uninterrupted, across 12 languages on ZEE5.”

    Today, the world is fighting a battle with the COVID-19 pandemic. The reality of individuals, families having to be confined to their homes to be safe, is not an easy task. Social distancing is the need of the hour, however, the fact of being engaged, expressive and the need for entertainment is not going to go away. And the good news is, although there is nowhere to go, the #BeCalmBeEntertained initiative from ZEE5, promises to keep viewers entertained 24×7, across devices.

    The bespoke content which will be available for free includes:

    ·         Fresh / New exclusive show for the very first time on ZEE5

    ·         Premium movies made free

    ·         Popular ZEE5 Originals

    ·         Quick catch-up seasons of classic library shows

  • ALTBalaji & ZEE5 announce second season of Code M

    ALTBalaji & ZEE5 announce second season of Code M

    MUMBAI: ZEE5 India and ALTBalaji have announced the second season of Jennifer Winget and Tanuj Virwani-starrer Code M, and Riddhi Dogra and Monica Dogra-starrer new web series ‘A Married Woman’, based on Manju Kapur’s novel. These key announcements were made in the presence of actors including Jennifer Winget, Tanuj Virwani, Riddhi Dogra, along with Aditya Pittie, Managing Director – IN10 Media, Samar Khan, Chief Operating Officer – Juggernaut Productions, and other celebrities.

    The night also brought together many starry names from the tinsel town including ace director Akshay Choubey along with the actors like Chandan Roy Sanyal, Aalekh Kapoor, Kashyap Shangari, Madhurima Roy and Gautam Ahuja.

    ALTBalaji MD Ekta Kapoor said, "Samar, Akshay and the team put in the best efforts, walked the thin line between being commercial and yet credible, and did a fantastic job. Code M has done well for us and congratulations Jennifer, Tanuj and the entire team. ALTBalaji is delighted to extend this partnership with Juggernaut Productions with A Married Woman and Code M second season.”

    “Code M has all the elements of a runaway success and the numbers and the love received from fans across India is a testament to that. The strong protagonist and the story telling are its key success factors. We will continue to satiate India’s appetite for entertainment with interesting subjects like the one explored in Code M,” said ZEE5 India programming head Aparna Acharekar. 

    Juggernaut Productions COO Samar Khan said, “With the influx of digital platforms, content has evolved drastically, especially the stories and formats, leading to a highly competitive and cluttered environment. It’s extremely overwhelming that our first production has hit the right note with the audience.” Further added, “This is our first collaboration with ALT Balaji and ZEE5 but there’s more in the pipeline. Apart from Code M, we are delighted to extend our association with ‘A Married Woman’. The teaser has evoked a lot of curiosity and anticipation, we are all excited and geared up to create yet another exceptional series.”

    Jennifer Winget who made her digital debut with the role of Major Monica Mehra in Code M said, “I am both thrilled and humbled at the same time to see the audience’s appreciation for Code M and all our performances. We gave it our best to reel in a gripping show that would get you hooked. Of course, to receive so much love in my very first web series is very encouraging. Needless to say we’re hooked too and I am excitedly diving into my character the second time around. We will be giving it our all. The intensity will only peak, I can promise you that.”

    Tanuj Virwani, who plays the role of Angad Sandhu in the show, shared, “I think my character in Code M is a prime example of what one can achieve solely based on mutual trust and faith in each other’s creative vision. The team really let me mix things up and add my own nuances to Angad. It’s fun to be break away from our preconceived notions of what we expect an individual to be based on their choice of career. Also the subject matter of the show was very serious in nature for the most Part. I think Angad’s Vibe gave the show some levity. It also helped in humanising an otherwise cut and dry Monica to some extent. The response from critics and the audience alike has been overwhelmingly positive and I am excited to take the series and my character's journey ahead.” 

  • ZEE5 launches ‘Republic of Entertainment’ campaign to democratise content viewing

    ZEE5 launches ‘Republic of Entertainment’ campaign to democratise content viewing

    MUMBAI: As India begins to celebrate Republic Day, ZEE5 takes a pledge to entertain the nation and every Indian with the best of content from across the length and breadth of the vast Indian subcontinent. Commemorating the day when the constitution of India officially came into force and the country transitioned to become an independent republic, Republic Day holds a special significance for every Indian. ZEE5 imbibes the essence of this momentous occasion to transform into a ‘Republic of Entertainment’ and entertain every Indian with content in 12 languages and multiple genres encompassing blockbuster movies, path-breaking original web-series, India’s most popular TV shows, live TV channels, latest super-hit music videos, lip-smacking recipes and fun content for kids.

    The pledge, “This Republic Day, we pledge to entertain you, with no bias to language or genre, the best of entertainment – with the most variety and diversity, We are the republic of entertainment!”, will be taken by Bollywood, TV, digital and music celebrities. The pledge reinforces ZEE5 as the premier entertainment hub for viewers, without any bias to language or genre.

    ZEE5 programming head Aparna Acharekar said, “Indian culture, often labeled as an amalgamation of several cultures, spans across the Indian subcontinent and has been influenced by a history that is dated several years ago. Many elements of India's diverse cultures, such as Indian philosophy, cuisine, languages, dance, music, and movies have a profound impact across the country and the world. At ZEE5 we believe that it is our duty to entertain all equally with content that has no bias towards any particular language or genre, content that celebrates the variety and diversity of India and its people! We have therefore decided to take a pledge of entertainment on this day and create a republic of entertain at ZEE5!”

    With 125,000 hours of content / entertainment across 12 languages, 800+ top-rated TV shows, 4100+ movies, 90+ path-breaking originals, super-hit music videos, 90+ live channels, 30+ news channels, 3000+ hours of kids content, lip-smacking food videos, and more, ZEE5’s depth of offerings across content types, genres and languages is hard to beat and appeals to the viewer looking for a complete entertainment package destination.

  • Data has made us richer in thinking and approach: ZEE5’s Aparna Acharekar

    Data has made us richer in thinking and approach: ZEE5’s Aparna Acharekar

    MUMBAI: Data, touted as the new oil, has empowered creativity, especially in the segment of over-the-top (OTT) platforms. As audiences across the country are spoilt with options, streaming engines are integrating data massively in content strategy. ZEE5 India programming head Aparna Acharekar is also of the view that data has made the platform richer in thinking and approach, bringing a change in the decision-making of starting new projects as well as in content strategy.

    "Data is the first benchmark. It is the ammunition we have. Data is the new oil that runs the entire industry. The process is not different because all of these choices. Then again whether it is acquisition or buying, your filters will have to be the same,” she said.

    In a freewheeling chat with us, Acharekar, the mastermind behind all the great content ZEE5 is churning out explained how the decision-making process changed from what it was a couple of years ago. She also threw light on the evolution of the content strategy looking back at 2019 as time goes forward.

    While earlier a lot of commissioning was based on overall knowledge of what consumers in OTT want, now on the back of data they are noticing what each consumer likes. While ZEE5 has an enormous library of originals alongside catch-up content from the network, it’s important to keep a track of what a consumer is liking to retain him on the platform.

    According to her, last year the trends they picked up was different consumer sets and consumer tastes rather than the genres. She also added that most of the platforms have gone beyond from this typical thing of genres.

    “More than clear genres emerging as viewers, clear consumer taste evolved as viewers because at ZEE5 we tried out everything. We didn’t go after one genre because very early on we realised that if you go after any one type of content then you will get only one type of people, who are watching that type of content at multiple different sources. So for me to widen my base I have to keep attracting people who like different things,” she added.

    She also explained how the business and content strategy collide.

    “If two taste clusters overlap then we will make something that both of you like. The most valuable customer for us is the one who likes multiple things. If you are very rigid you are important for me but you give me less value. The ARPU I get from you is less. Content strategy is derived from business strategy,” she added.

    One big driver for the platform this year will be taking forward successful shows into the next seasons while the trend has been already set with Rangbaaz Phirse. As in last two years, the platforms have already set a base, now it plans to capitalise on all the wins that it had in the earlier seasons.

    “It is more of an evolution, not a change,” she commented on ZEE5's content strategy for 2020.

  • ZEE5’s original ‘Sexpionage’ to premiere in early 2020

    ZEE5’s original ‘Sexpionage’ to premiere in early 2020

    MUMBAI: ZEE5, the largest producer of originals in India, aims to continue its leadership position in original content in 2020. The platform has announced Sexpionage, an anthology of films produced by Azure Entertainment (Sunir Kheterpal) and co-produced by Hussain Zaidi & Jaspinder Kang for Gold Mohur. The film is on a scripting stage and will go on floors in early 2020.

    Sexpionage is written by renowned writers Bilal Siddiqui, Vibha Singh, Rahul Patel & Amit Agarwal, and Vivaan Shah. The stories revolve around spy agents stuck in a high-stakes spy game between two nations. Sexpionage is embellished with shocking exposures, betrayal, international espionage, and sexual favours to save each other.

    Hussain Zaidi said, “My partner, Jaspinder Singh Kang and I, are proud to be associated with AZURE Entertainment to bring this four-film spy thriller series, on the common theme of Honey Traps. I am extremely excited about collaborating with a top OTT platform like ZEE5 for these films.”

    Azure Entertainment producer Sunir Kheterpal said, "This is our maiden venture with Gold Mohur and we are looking forward to creating these exciting movies based on years of research by Mr. Hussain Zaidi. Azure Entertainment has time & again sought creative collaborations on high-concept and content driven stories and this new venture in the digital space reinforces the same ethos."

    "Co-producing with Sunir for this beautiful and special project makes us so grateful. ZEE5 coming up with such real content makes the audience witness some of the great unheard stories which need to reach out to people. I'm very excited about this association", said Hussain Zaidi.

    ZEE5 India programming head Aparna Acharekar said, “Sexpionage is an amalgamation of interesting stories conceptualized by renowned writer Hussain Zaidi. It will consist of four spy thriller films and we have a fantastic team working on it. We are certain it will perform well on our platform. It is for our audiences, especially for those who love thrillers.”

    Sexpionage is Azure's first foray into content development & production for the OTT platforms for which it has joined hands with Gold Mohur, which is a newly formed content curation company owned by Hussain Zaidi, the celebrity crime journalist & writer and his partner, Jaspinder Singh Kang.