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Tag: Radhe

  • #Retrace2021: 30-40 per cent of our investments will be in regional content: Manish Kalra

    #Retrace2021: 30-40 per cent of our investments will be in regional content: Manish Kalra

    Mumbai: Outlining the vision for Zee4.0 at the company’s 39th AGM held prior to the Zeel-SPNI merger, CEO Punit Goenka had said that the roadmap for the next three years is going to be driven by digital. The focus on digital meant greater opportunity as well as challenges for team Zee5, particularly in terms of scaling up the content library and providing enhanced customer experience, as emphasised by Goenka.

    For Zee5 chief business officer Manish Kalra who leads the B2C business for India, the year 2021 was largely about aligning the platform’s content strategy with these tangible business outcomes. With rich experience in leadership roles at digital-first companies such as Amazon, Craftsvilla, and MakeMyTrip, he is now responsible for growing the overall revenue, viewership, and driving subscription numbers for Zee5.

    Kalra strongly believes that successful businesses are built by teams with a great understanding of customer behaviour, which explains his zeal for the ‘customer-first approach’. Under his leadership, Zee5 placed the bet on ‘deeper regionalisation’ and TVOD services in an SVOD and AVOD-dominated market to build an expansive and diverse library of content comprising over 150 web series and over two lakh hours of on-demand content across 12 languages.

    In Q2 FY22, Zee5 reported 93.2 million global monthly active users (MAUs) on the platform. On the back of the Punjabi content slate announced in the year’s second half, it witnessed 2X growth in active subscription numbers with the highest contribution from Punjab and neighbouring states like, Haryana Delhi NCR and Uttar Pradesh. The average watch time per viewer per month as on September stood at 186 minutes. Another significant development in 2021 was the launch of the Zee5 Intelligence Monitor – a fortnightly knowledge series for advertisers.

    In this interaction with Indiantelevision.com, Manish Kalra talks about all these developments, and other happenings in 2021, and shares his plans for the year ahead.

    Edited Excerpts:

    On the content strategy for 2021 and going ahead

    Content is one of the strongest pillars of Zee5’s growth strategy. 2021 has been a phenomenal year in terms of churning out compelling content as we endeavoured to develop a robust content slate that caters to the diverse needs of our consumers. Right from launching tentpole properties such as ‘Radhe’, ‘Friends: The Reunion’, ‘Break Point’, and ‘Rashmi Rocket’ to collaborating with TVF, and offering the Punjabi content slate ‘Rajj ke Vekho’, we’ve ensured having something for everybody at our content store.

    In fact, with a concerted focus on ‘Deeper Regionalisation’, and a primary objective to drive ‘Entertainment Inclusion’, we also launched two successful campaigns – ‘Any Time Manoranjan’ and ‘Dekhtey Reh Jaogey’. Both these initiatives were aimed at democratising access to bespoke Indian entertainment for all, especially for markets that are new or underserved.

    We foresee the next wave of growth coming from the Tier II and III cities that are looking for diversity in original content and genres. While the big cities will have a definite influence, the larger share of the pie will come in from smaller markets over time. Content will still be king across all, and the diversity of content is only going to grow. Regional content is our forte and we want to continue to be the multilingual storyteller for multiple entertainment seekers.

    On the opportunities in regional and sports content

    A major part of Zee5’s strategy is to convey realistic and original tales from the heartland. Coming from the legacy content powerhouse, Zee, we have established our dominance in the regional content space. Almost 50 per cent of our viewership comes from regional language content. In fact, we were the first home-grown streaming platform to have been launched in 11 Indian languages (Hindi, Bengali, Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Marathi, Oriya, Bhojpuri, Gujarati, and Punjabi), offering access to one of the largest regional content libraries in the country.

    Going forward, around 30-40 per cent of our content investments will be in the regional space, and we expect this percentage to increase as we further cater to untapped regions. After the recent foray into original Punjabi programming, our aim is to double our Telugu and Tamil originals by early 2022. Bengali is on the radar post that.

    On the emergence of new business and subscription models

    The pandemic made us rethink the way we operated and accelerated the process of innovation. Since people were confined to their homes OTT adoption accelerated resulting in a surge in viewership and watch-time. Consumers’ willingness to pay has also increased, resulting in SVOD revenues growing at a higher rate than AVOD revenues globally for the first time ever in 2020. Zee5 being a hybrid video streaming platform saw an upsurge in traffic on both SVOD and AVOD. It was heartening to see how consumers sampled content on AVOD and further migrated to SVOD to enjoy uninterrupted content across genres and languages from our library.

    That being said, we had to continuously reinvent ourselves to give our viewers the best experience and value for their investment. With this thought, we introduced our pay-per-view subscription model ‘ZEEPlex’ to bring the box office home to Indian audiences. With digital consumption being at an all-time high we are positive that the TVOD subscription model will prove to be a success in the coming days. The concept of subscriptions was also once new, but it has picked up today. We expect TVOD to meet the same fate.

    On the evolution of movie business through 2021

    The pandemic-induced lockdown resulted in two trends – consumers stayed at home to enjoy movies and other forms of entertainment, while studios and filmmakers had to go back to the drawing board and rework their distribution strategy. Since the advent of streaming has fundamentally altered how the audiences consume content, OTT became the natural choice for filmmakers for premiering their movies – be it low-budget movies or blockbusters, giving birth to the concept of direct-to-digital. The TVOD (pay-per-view) model also emerged as a viable option. In fact, India also witnessed an industry-first, hybrid release of the magnum opus ‘Radhe’ on Zee5 and ZEEPlex.

    Now, even though the theatres have opened up, there are plenty of opportunities for both movie theatres and OTT platforms to leverage and co-exist in a profitable way. The way I see it is that movies will now first release in theatres and then come to our platform where viewers will have the flexibility to view them at their convenience. Both entities will have a synergistic relationship with each other.

    At Zee5 we are geared up for 2022 with our pipeline comprising both originals and acquired content including movies such as ‘420 IPCC’, ‘Bob Biswas’, among many others. Over and above this, we have a list of direct-to-digital releases lined up. It will be unveiled gradually in the coming days.

    On the road ahead; key focus areas for 2022

    Our customer is at the heart of everything we do. Hence, our focus has always been to enhance our technology prowess and provide high-quality video and best-in-class content viewing experience across devices.

    Moving forward, we want to focus on family entertainment along with regional content. Our aim is to make South-Asian content across languages popular, not only in India but also internationally. We aim to reach 50 per cent of the audience that is consuming content digitally. We will continue to offer differentiated shows and blockbuster movies and invest in content that is ‘real, relevant, and resonant’. These investments would drive our market share putting us in good stead going forward. In terms of content investments, it will be equally divided between original shows and acquisitions, primarily films and other shows.

  • Zee Biskope unveils Chhath Puja special programming lineup

    Zee Biskope unveils Chhath Puja special programming lineup

    Mumbai: Observed six days after Diwali, Chhath Puja, also known as Surya Shashthi, is an ancient Hindu Vedic festival and one of the most popular and celebrated festivals in Bihar, Jharkhand & Uttar Pradesh. This festival not just adds merriment but even fosters the values of family bonding. Rejoicing in the region’s biggest festival, Zee Biskope gifts viewers with a daylong entertainment saga on 10 November that spans from morning till night and not just on TV but even on-ground. 

    The channel will convene the Chhath celebrations with an hour-long break-free line-up of devotional Chhath songs from 6 a.m in the morning on 10 Nov. While the devotional music continues till 9 a.m, the mood slightly revs up towards being festive with Chhath special celebration songs.

    As the afternoon adorns, viewers will witness the world TV premiere of “Radhe” featuring superstar Ravi Kishan & youth star Arvind Akella Kallu. With the storyline projecting nature’s power through Radhe – the elephant along with a friendly snake, the film is thematically aligned to the nature-based festival of Chhath. The story is of two orphans, raised by the idea of honest, fearless life devoted to Mahadev. Just as devoted is the elephant (Radhe) to goodness and truth. In the happy and cherished life of Radhe, Om and Kallu come the mystery of Tamanna – in disguise as a flower seller. The story takes a turn when an idol of Lord Shiva gets stolen. Will Om & his companions find out the real thief? The story unveils how the honesty and truthfulness of Om will sort things with the guidance of Mahadev and the help of Radhe. The story will unfold this Chhath on Zee Biskope.

    Taking the ongoing festive mood a notch higher, the specially curated “Jai Chhati Maai” will mark an entertaining Chhath Puja for all the film aficionados out there. The event will be starred with the brilliant performances of the biggest superstars of the Bhojpuri industry and will take viewers on a rollercoaster of authentic Bhojpuri entertainment.

    Being a truly movie plus brand, Zee Biskope goes beyond the on-air platform to engage with the viewers on-ground at the biggest Chhath celebrations at College Ghat in Patna. To celebrate the festival of Chhath, the Vratin – the devotee observing the festival follow strict rituals for four days including fasting without water, cooking bhog, eating satwik food, arranging and offering the arghya to Sun God. All this is for the well-being of her family and especially children. 

    This Chhath, Zee Biskope brings “Vratin Ke Sahae Bani Chhati Maai” – an initiative to acknowledge the Vratin’s effort and pray for her well-being. She has been observing the vrat for her children & her family. It’s now time that we offer a prayer for her well-being. Zee Biskope invites viewers to join them in the noble initiative on 10 November at College Ghat from 4 p.m onwards. To pray for the Vratin, viewers will be facilitated to light a lantern in her name and release it offering a prayer for her. A giant LED screen will also witness a series of diyas (oil lamps) getting lit up on the screen with the name of the Vratins as their family members share prayers in their names.

    “Zee Biskope is built on the premise of curation, which extends to its esteemed partners as well. Being a hyperlocal & consumer-centric brand, Zee Biskope is committed to bringing the best of entertainment to the region’s biggest festival that will serve as a palette to cater customised solutions to brands to help them establish their value parameters sharply amongst their target audience,” stated chief cluster officer – East Samrat Ghosh.

    “At Zee Biskope, we have always paid heed to an enriching family viewing experience. Festivals like Chhath are meant to be enjoyed with family as it fosters love & bonding. This year as well, our offering is extending beyond just movies to ensure that we cater to the entertainment appetite in line with the mood of the festival making it more meaningful to our viewers,” said chief channel officer – Bhojpuri Amarpreet Singh Saini. “With a penchant to serve curated content, we are gifting a bonus World Television Premiere on Wednesday over and above our Sunday WTP slot making it relevant to the occasion and ensuring families get to spend an entertaining evening together on Chhath. Extending the festive celebration will be our on-ground event that takes a unique route to add value to our viewers lives.  Here’s wishing all our viewers a very Happy & Safe Chhath Puja.”

    The channel is motivated to grow from strength to strength and break new ground in the industry as the ultimate Bhojpuri entertainer. Zee Biskope is available on Airtel (channel no 663), Tata Sky (channel no 1120), DEN Bihar (channel no 840), DEN Jharkhand (channel no 839), DD Free Dish (channel no 31), d2h (channel no 2073), Dish TV (channel no 1555), Siti Cable (channel no 214) and Darsh Digital (channel no 189). The channel will soon be available on all other major cable platforms.

  • ZEE TV to hold world TV premiere of ‘Radhe’ on 15 August

    ZEE TV to hold world TV premiere of ‘Radhe’ on 15 August

    Mumbai: ZEE TV has announced the world television premiere of ‘Radhe: Your Most Wanted Bhai’ on 15 August at 12 noon. Directed by Prabhu Deva and starring Salman Khan, Disha Patani and Randeep Hooda in lead roles, the film was released on 13 May via multiple platforms.

    During its release, theatres remained shut because of lockdown restrictions, so the film was made available for viewing on the OTT platform ZEE5 via its pay-per-view service ZEEPlex as well as DTH operators such as Tata Sky, Dish, D2H, and Airtel Digital TV. The film was also distributed in theatres worldwide while adhering to Covid protocols issued by governments.  

    To create anticipation for the film’s TV premiere on Independence Day, ZEE TV will create the biggest fan-sourced mosaic depicting the actor Salman Khan as ‘Radhe’ that encompasses 6,500 images sourced from across the country. “All one needs to do is upload their picture on their social media page tagging @ZeeTV and using the #BhaiKoSalaam in their post. The lofty 32 ft x 20 ft recreation of Salman Khan’s Radhe is being installed at the Carter Blue Promenade in Bandra, Mumbai and is open for all Salman Khan’s fans till 14th August,” said the channel in a statement.

    “For millions of fans across the nation, Salman Khan has been this larger-than-life hero they worship, a symbol of incomparable charisma and effortless swagger,” said ZEE TV business head, Aparna Bhosle. “It is with the intent of enabling every Salman fan to express their love for him in an extremely personal way that we are inviting them to contribute their selfies, which in turn will be assembled and curated into an almost God-like avatar – a gigantic mosaic of their idol at the busy Carter Road promenade in Mumbai. We hope this celebration of Salman’s fandom mirrors the euphoria surrounding the world television premiere of his film Radhe we’re bringing our viewers on Independence Day.”

    The film is produced by Salman Khan, Sohail Khan, Atul Agnihotri, and Zee Studios.

  • Radhe streams on pirated websites, Zee files complaint at Cyber Cell

    Radhe streams on pirated websites, Zee files complaint at Cyber Cell

    Mumbai: Hours after its release, the much-awaited movie Radhe got leaked on pirated websites, compelling the producers to take action. After appealing to the public to say no to piracy, Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (ZEE) has now filed an official complaint at the Cyber Cell against the pirated version of the film.

    According to an official statement from Zee, a pirated version of the film is being circulated across messaging platforms, including WhatsApp and Telegram. The officials are now actively tracking down the phone numbers involved in this act of piracy, taking the required legal actions, it said on Sunday.

    ZEE has also appealed to the public at large, seeking their support in bringing an end to piracy, not just for the film Radhe, but for any kind of content. “Films create livelihood, employment and a source of income for millions of people working in the industry. They also contribute to the economy with the taxes paid to the government. People engaged in spreading the illegal version of the film are not just embracing piracy, but are also negatively impacting the growth of the industry and the livelihoods of people working round the clock,” said Zee as it appealed to all people to consume entertainment content only through official platforms.

    Actor Salman Khan also took to Twitter on Saturday night to warn people against watching pirated versions of the movie.

     

     

    The first-ever multi-platform release of its kind, Radhe: Your Most Wanted Bhai was released on 13 May on Zee5 with ZeePlex, theatres worldwide keeping the Covid protocols in mind, and across all leading DTH operators – Dish, D2H, Tata Sky, and Airtel Digital TV. The movie had garnered 4.2 million views across platforms on Day 1.

  • Salman Khan’s Radhe takes viewers by storm across all platforms

    Salman Khan’s Radhe takes viewers by storm across all platforms

    KOLKATA: Actor Salman Khan’s much awaited film Radhe has opened to a thunderous response from the audience. The movie proved to be yet another Eid blockbuster garnering over 4.2 million views across various platforms.

    In India, the film was released on Zee5 with Zee’s pay-per-view service ZeePlex, along with leading DTH operators. It was also released theatrically in international markets on 13 May.

    Right from fans cheering for the film in theatres overseas, to massive bookings on streaming platforms, the fans of the superstar watched the film as soon as it released making it the most-watched movie on the opening day itself.

    With theatre capacities running at 50 per cent in UAE, the film has collected $379,000 on its opening day, which is not only higher than Salman Khan’s last film Dabbang 3 (2019) but also a higher opening day collection than Godzilla vs. Kong. The collections are likely to go up given the festive weekend.

    Radhe’s emphatically demonstrates the success of a hybrid release and shows an effective model of releasing a film during these very tough times. This would be important not just to the stakeholders of Radhe but to the entire film industry at a time, when the country is reeling under the most severe wave of Covid-19. The release also reinforces the belief that multi-platform simultaneous release is the future of entertainment and will grow multi-fold in the years to come.

    “The film has won over audiences and through this unique and never-seen-before distribution strategy we could ensure the widest possible ‘opportunity to see’ this high-on-entertainment, quintessential Salman Khan movie at a place and time of audiences’ choice,” said Zee Studios CBO Shariq Patel. “With unprecedented circumstances comes the responsibility to make innovative choices that will pave the way for future business models and Zee is at the forefront of it.”

  • Zee, Salman Khan to channel ‘Radhe’ revenues into India’s fight against Covid

    Zee, Salman Khan to channel ‘Radhe’ revenues into India’s fight against Covid

    MUMBAI: As the pandemic continues to wreak havoc in India, Zee Entertainment and Salman Khan Films (SKF) have pledged to support Covid2019 relief efforts across the Nation, including the donation of essential medical equipment ranging from oxygen cylinders, concentrators, and ventilators. 

    This support will stem from the revenues garnered from the multi-platform release of the much-awaited film Radhe on 13 May 2021. Zee and SKF have partnered with India’s largest and donation platform GiveIndia, to activate the much-required relief efforts. 

    “Zee stays committed towards taking all the necessary steps to strengthen the fight against Covid2019. We believe in not only providing extraordinary entertainment to our viewers but also going beyond the business to undertake meaningful and focused efforts to drive positive change across the country. We sincerely hope that the support from the release of the film Radhe will help amplify the resources to provide vital relief efforts to people affected by the pandemic,” said a Zee Entertainment spokesperson in a statement. 

    Salman Khan Films spokesperson said, “We are glad to be a part of this noble initiative, to contribute our bit towards the nation’s fight against Covid. Since the last year, we have been consistent in our efforts towards fighting Covid, since this unprecedented crisis struck our country and the world. Very importantly, we have also come to realise that holding up the release of a pre-shot film may not help us in any way but using its proceeds towards fighting the pandemic is a more suitable and pragmatic approach. Radhe’s release on Zee5 and ZeePlex will empower us to contribute more in these extremely difficult times.” 

    As a part of its national-level corporate social responsibility (CSR), Zee had donated 240+ ambulances, 46,000+ PPE kits, oxygen humidifiers, and 6,00,000 daily meals. The company had also built and donated a 304-bed Dedicated Covid Healthcare Centre (DCHC) for frontline workers and their families in Maharashtra.

    Directed by Prabhudeva, Radhe is expected to be a high-voltage action thriller. Apart from Salman Khan, the film also stars Disha Patani, Randeep Hooda, Jackie Shroff, Sudhanshu Pandey, Bharath, and Megha Akash in prominent roles. The film will be released as premium video on demand on Zee Plex and digitally through Zee5 on 13 May 2021. 

  • Value of Rs 499 plan not limited to Radhe, says Zee5’s Manish Kalra

    Value of Rs 499 plan not limited to Radhe, says Zee5’s Manish Kalra

    KOLKATA: The Covid2019 pandemic has rewritten many rules of the media and entertainment sector. One of the most noticeable trends has been direct-to-digital releases throughout 2020 in India as well as globally. While Salman Khan’s upcoming blockbuster Radhe was supposed to release in theatres only, it has turned out to be the first film in India to take multi-format route. With the moving coming to be showcased on Zee5, the platform has rolled out a new yearly subscription pack at Rs 499, bundling Radhe to boost its subscriber base.

    The OTT has also scored 50+ theatrical releases across languages for the year. Moreover, it will launch 40-50 original shows throughout 2021. Hence, the entertainment value of the new plan is much higher than only one view of Radhe, Zee5 India chief business officer Manish Kalra said.  

    Inquired about the promotion plans for the new subscription plan, it is all about Salman Khan and his equity, Kalra commented. “Obviously Radhe is a big driver. Indian consumers have been starved of good quality content for last few months with such a big blockbuster coming and consumer getting access to it, we want to ensure that we are able to reach out to all the fan of the franchise and give them this high value package. That will happen 360 degrees – that is TV or digital or any medium where the consumers are. We want to ensure we send the message out that with Radhe, they also get access to the entire library,” he noted.

    “The assumption is if you are a fan and you want to buy a good value added package, you will buy the subscription and watch it. The objective remains to leverage the asset to create a win-win situation for all of us. Consumers get to watch content from the comfort of their home, we get to tie-up with new users and it kind of becomes a long-term relation for us,” said Kalra when asked if the plan will increase the subscriber base of the platform.

    Along with a wider library, Zee5 is looking at a deeper language library too. The platform is focusing highly on Bengali, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada market and will launch original series, movies, bring theatrical releases. Kalra is of the view that the next round of growth for Zee5 will come from these markets. While Hindi continues to lead, Telugu, Bengali, Tamil are the highest growing languages for the platform in terms of consumption, time spent, number of users coming in.

    To reach the hinterlands of India, the streamer is not only strengthening its content library but looking at financial inclusion. It entered a partnership with retail network Sahaj to get access to more than 76,000 gram panchayats, and over 96,000 tier-3 and tier-4 rural locations. Kalra said more such retail partnerships are in offing.

    “The objective is to reach out to people in a format they are comfortable with. The intent from our perspective is to enable the users, empower them with more and more access whether it is through their internet provider or telecom provider or they directly want to pay and subscribe. The objective remains how we reach more and more users across India,” he noted.

  • ‘Radhe’ rush: Zee5 rolls out new Rs 499 plan to reel in viewers

    ‘Radhe’ rush: Zee5 rolls out new Rs 499 plan to reel in viewers

    KOLKATA: OTT platform Zee5, along with ZeePlex, has rolled out a special Radhe Combo Offer to make Salman Khan’s upcoming Eid release, Radhe: Your Most Wanted Bhai, accessible to the masses. The special one-year offer, available at an attractive price of Rs 499 will give viewers the opportunity to watch the much-awaited film on Zee5 with ZeePlex starting 13 May, in addition to giving audience access to the streaming service’s extensive and diverse premium content library.

    The Rs 499 ‘Radhe Combo Offer’ will allow consumers to watch Radhe: Your Most Wanted Bhai on Zee5 with ZeePlex, along with access to Zee5 originals, movies, TV shows, live TV, ALTBalaji shows, ad-free catch-up TV, Zindagi TV shows, kids content, and much more for one year. This subscription plan will also give consumers access to the new 50+ theatricals across diverse languages and 40+ originals slated for the year.

    Zee5 India chief business officer Manish Kalra said, “Salman Khan’s films are thorough family entertainers which appeal to audiences across demographics. Radhe: Your Most Wanted Bhai is one of the biggest releases of the year and we are proud to launch this on Zee5 in a multi-format model. A Salman Khan film with its mass appeal becomes the perfect choice to launch our specially designed annual value proposition of Rs 499, to unify India and Bharat through our shared love for films.

    He went on to describe the Rs 499 plan as the most attractive value proposition for a user, and that it will also help the OTT platform cast a wider net into the country by tapping into newer audience segments.

    The first ever multi-platform release of its kind, Radhe: Your Most Wanted Bhai will be available on Zee5 with ZeePlex, theatres worldwide keeping the Covid protocols in mind, and across all leading DTH operators – Dish, D2H, Tata Sky and Airtel Digital TV. The film’s trailer has already amassed 65 million+ views across all platforms and the recently released song, Seeti Maar, is topping charts, having accumulated 49 million+ views and counting.

  • Amid Covid fears & theatre slump, what Radhe’s simultaneous release portends

    Amid Covid fears & theatre slump, what Radhe’s simultaneous release portends

    NEW DELHI/KOLKATA: After a number of filmmakers sought the direct-to-digital route to cope with the shock of the Covid2019 pandemic, it was expected that movies will return to theatres once lockdown restrictions eased. But the second wave of the novel Coronavirus has walloped the hopes of the comeback of cinemas. It seemed likely that many of the pending big releases would again be postponed. However, in a first for the Indian film industry, a movie is going to have a hybrid release. Radhe, which features Salman Khan in the lead role, will hit theatres on 13 May, while also simultaneously premiering on Zee5 and Zee Plex under pay-per-view plans. 

    Zee Studio CBO Shariq Patel said that the studio sensed the need to release the film on OTT, as it will give audiences the flexibility and convenience to watch the film online from the comfort of their home. 

    Simultaneous release of a film in theatres and OTT is a completely new trend in India. A few weeks back, Godzilla vs Kong distributed by Warner Bros was released in a similar manner in the United States. This unexpected move turned beneficial for the movie, as it enjoyed decent box-office collections in both domestic and international markets. 

    However, in India, the scenario could be different as most of the single screens and multiplexes are shuttered due to the second wave of the Covid2019 pandemic. A minority of single screens are currently functioning with just 30 per cent occupancy. As Radhe will be released only on a limited number of screens, industry experts are not expecting a box-office storm from this Salman Khan-starrer. 

    "It is completely about OTT. As more than 80 per cent of the theatres are closed, I am not expecting a decent collection from the big screens,” said Elara Capital vice president & research analyst (media & consumer discretionary) Karan Taurani. “I consider the premier of Radhe as a complete OTT release. If the situation persists like this, makers of movies like Sooryavanshi may also seriously consider an OTT or hybrid release. Moreover, the content is also getting old." 

    Despite creating high hopes, direct-to-digital releases have not performed well. But as more people are again being compelled to stay at home, Zee5 might gain from its latest movie rights.

    "It is early to say since we don't know how wide would the film release theatrically, which depends on the pandemic situation in May. In case the situation improves and the film releases wide like any other Salman Khan film, the impact may not be that much as audiences would want to watch the film in theatres,” Ormax Media partner Gautam Jain noted.

    However, in case of a restricted release, it will have a positive impact on the platform, he added. Since this is one of the big tentpole and awaited movies, he said the industry can expect a few announcements of a similar nature from other films.

    “I would imagine that Zee Studios has obviously realised that theatre revenue is going to be subdued for the rest of the year. It is very unlikely that theatre revenue will pick up for the next few months, the situation will remain like this maybe till the end of this year. Therefore, the only alternative left for them is to look at revenue coming from OTT or TV or any other partnership in terms of monetisation,” Kurate Digital’s Uday Sodhi surmised.

    On the other hand, Taurani felt that the pay-per-view model will not work in a country like India, where the concept of the TVoD model is still taking baby steps. 

    "We believe that the TVoD model is still too nascent for a market like India and one cannot expect any big positive surprises. We had already anticipated that certain large films may go direct OTT or TVoD route given the current rush for content coming into cinemas whenever they open up; expect some more small/medium budget films too to hit the direct OTT route as all may not wait for cinemas to open up," he explained. 

    Taurani also noted that one big film that fares well at the box office could lead to shifting of bargaining power in favour of exhibitors. However, theatres in India should start functioning properly to expect such a scenario. 

    Talking about the expected normalcy timeline, Taurani said, "The unlock time with 100 per cent occupancy this time around may be much faster – three months (June) as compared to six months last time when cinemas opened only in October and got 100 per cent occupancy towards February.'' 

    In the meantime, Zee5 will attempt to maximise and exploit whatever opportunity is available. A movie like Radhe will be great for its subscription side as more people are sitting at home and will like to consume more OTT content; and top of that, the film’s star Salman Khan has a loyal and extremely massive fanbase.  Therefore, any big movie release will boost subscription to some extent. While ZeeL’s Zee Plex is available on DTH platforms, it is going to be more interesting for the television side as TV content is in short supply, Sodhi added.

    However, it is the overarching belief among experts that multi-release format will not work in India like other global markets. "It would be difficult to continue a multi format release in future as exhibitors would want a clean theatrical release window for films, especially the big tentpole event films," Jain noted. Sodhi is also of the same view that these models are born out of crisis but will not continue once the situation stabilises.

  • Salman Khan-starrer Radhe to debut on Zee5, Zee Plex along with theatres

    Salman Khan-starrer Radhe to debut on Zee5, Zee Plex along with theatres

    KOLKATA: As the Covid2019 pandemic once again slams the film exhibition industry with new restrictions, filmmakers and distributors have been in a quandary — whether to postpone movie releases or take the direct to OTT route. Now, taking a cue from foreign production houses like Warner Bros, Salman Khan-starrer Radhe will debut on Zee5 and Zee Plex on the same day as its theatrical release. 

    With this move, Zee Studios has become the first studio in India to adopt a multi-format release worldwide. 

    Zee Studios CBO Shariq Patel shared, “The ongoing pandemic forced us to innovate, and we are proud to be the first to embark upon this new distribution strategy. While we all love to catch the latest movies at the nearest theatres, we realised we’d be doing a disservice to Salman’s fans nationwide if we aren’t able to release theatrically in all Indian states.

    He went on to add that the studio sensed the need for a pay per view solution along with theatres, which gives the consumers flexibility and convenience of viewing the film. Zee Studios is looking to release the film in over 40 countries including theatrical release in major overseas markets. 

    “There cannot be a better film than Radhe to offer the audiences who’ve been waiting for an out and out entertainer for over a year now,” quipped Patel.

    The film will have a theatrical release and will be showcased in all Indian states where cinema halls are operational as per Covid protocols. The international theatrical release will target countries in the Middle East, North America, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Europe. It will also be the first Bollywood film to release theatrically in the UK since the lockdown last year

    Salman Khan Films' spokesperson remarked, “We will support the theatre owners by releasing the film in as many theatres as we can, keeping in line with the rules and protocols laid down by the government. But, considering the guidelines and safety measures, we also need to devise ways to ensure that the film reaches all of our audience. We don't want to deny the audience the choice of entertainment in the comfort of their homes during these times."

    Along with Salman Khan, Radhe also stars Disha Patani, Randeep Hooda and Jackie Shroff in pivotal roles. The movie is presented by Salman Khan Films in association with Zee Studios, produced by Salma Khan, Sohail Khan and Reel Life Production. It is scheduled to release on 13 May 2021 on the occasion of Eid.