ITV

Tag: The Broken News

  • ZEE5 Global partners with the Patel brothers

    ZEE5 Global partners with the Patel brothers

    Mumbai: ZEE5 Global has announced its partnership with the Patel Brothers, a US-based Indian grocery chain, to facilitate connecting with diaspora audiences on the occasion of the 75th year of Independence.

    Commenting on the partnership, ZEE5 chief business officer global Archana Anand, said, “We’ve seen exponential growth in the US in our first year of launch, and we are happy to have been able to delight our audiences here with our rich content library. There’s no better way now to cement our leadership position in this market than with this partnership with the Patel Brothers, another iconic and much-loved South Asian brand, and we look forward to a long, wonderful relationship with them.”

    Actor Sonali Bendre inaugurated the Patel Brothers shop on Oak Tree Road in Edison, New Jersey. Sonali discussed the collaboration and how it will help Indians living in the US.

    Sonali recently made her comeback and a successful debut on ZEE5 Global with The Broken News.

    Bendre added, “I’m very happy to be here to kick off this partnership between two deeply rooted South Asian brands, The Patel Brothers and ZEE5 Global.  As the leading South Asian streaming service, ZEE5 Global has stepped out of the screens and is making an effort to bring together the diaspora audiences across the US through multiple community initiatives. Together with the Patel Brothers, who are America’s oldest, largest, and best-loved Indian chain in the US, we can expect many wonderful initiatives and experiences from this partnership.”

    At the store, ZEE5 Global also held a competition where participants had to respond to inquiries about the platform and Patel Brothers. As part of the “Shop with the Stars” competition, the winner received the chance to shop for groceries worth $200 for free with Sonali. 

    Patel Brothers’ Kaushik Bhai Patel said, “We’re always looking for ways to cater to the needs of NRIs and South Asians in the US hungry for their home culture. We are very happy to partner with ZEE5 Global that shares this ethos.”

  • There is a high demand for scripted content on OTT platforms currently: Sameer Gogate

    There is a high demand for scripted content on OTT platforms currently: Sameer Gogate

    Mumbai: BBC Studios, the production arm of BBC group, has emerged as the preferred partner for over-the-top (OTT) platforms to create premium shows. It has partnered with OTT platform Zee5 for its latest release The Broken News directed by Vinay Waikul and starring Sonali Bendre, Jaideep Ahlawat and Shriya Pilgaonkar. “The demand for scripted content on OTT platforms is extremely high right now and we’ve been servicing that demand,” remarks BBC Studios general manager Sameer Gogate.

    BBC Studios has gotten off to a strong start to the year with its Disney+ Hotstar series Rudra: The Edge of Darkness marking Ajay Devgn’s OTT debut. Now, it is backing Sonali Bendre’s OTT debut with The Broken News. The studio first partnered with Zee5 for the Telugu-language thriller Gaalivaana directed by Sharan Koppisetty and starring Sai Kumar and Radhika Sarathkumar. The studio will continue its association with Zee5 by building its slate of Hindi originals across genres.

    In terms of new projects, the studio is working with Amazon Prime Video for an unnamed project and Voot for Kaisi Yeh Yaariaan season four which has begun filming. It is also expecting the release of Hotstar Special Criminal Justice season three in the coming months.

    “We’ve got a fairly busy slate this year and there are a few more projects I can’t announce yet because the OTT platform would like to announce it first,” says Gogate. He reveals that the studio is working on another project with Disney Star.

    After a silent period in the TV production space, the studio is returning to work on a upcoming dance reality show. While the studio is mostly working on OTT projects, Gogate expects this trend could change in the next couple of years.  

    The Broken News is based on a UK series called Press, created and written by Mike Bartlett. While the original show was written for print media, BBC Studios India adapted the format for the broadcast news industry. “The show (The Broken News) highlights the role of the news producer who is the earpiece of the news editor. There’s a lot of work that went into the writing in terms of visiting news studios, meeting with anchors and catching up with news reports. The story is a reflection of what’s happening in society and thankfully when we pitched it to Zee5, they took it up right away,” recalls Gogate.

    In the past, BBC has created the shows What The Love Netflix and Sons of the Soil for Prime Video. It has also worked on Out of Love seasons one and two for Disney+ Hotstar. As subscription driven streamers increase investments in original content in India, they’re on the lookout for production partners who can deliver premium shows that can help them differentiate from the clutter.

    “By virtue of being a studio with a strong lineage and brand, we’ve been able to put up big productions that have been successful,” says Gogate. “I’m fortunate to have an experienced team that can mount big shows and handle that pressure which helps me sell more content to OTT platforms.”

    Gogate is keen to work with all the subscription OTT platforms in the country including players like SonyLIV, Netflix, HBO Max and Lionsgate Play.

  • Zee5 partners with BBC to expand its premium content offerings

    Zee5 partners with BBC to expand its premium content offerings

    Mumbai: Video streaming platform Zee5 has announced a partnership with BBC Studios India. The two top entertainment companies will work to build a robust content slate of new Zee5 originals in Hindi across genres exclusively for Zee5 viewers.

    With this partnership, Zee5 aims to further bolster its existing premium content offerings with captivating and diverse stories based on successful British formats.
    The first Hindi project introduced as part of this ongoing partnership is an original drama series titled “The Broken News,” which also marks actor Sonali Bendre’s debut on OTT.

     
     
     

     
     
     
     
     

     
     

     
     
     

     
     

    A post shared by ZEE5 (@zee5)

    In line with the theme of the new series; to generate excitement amongst the news viewers, Zee5 will announce  the release of “The Broken News” in the primetime slot across prominent news channels on 11 May.  

    It is an adaptation of the  popular British series “Press,” directed by award-winning director Vinay Waikul with a stellar star cast featuring  theatrical favourites like Jaideep Ahlawat, Shriya Pilgaonkar, Indraneil Sengupta, Taaruk Raina, Aakash Khurana, Kiran Kumar, amongst others. The plot of the show features two rival news channels based in  Mumbai – Awaaz Bharati, an independent, ethical news channel, and Josh 24/7 News, which offers sensationalist and invasive journalism, and what transpires between the main characters in their quest for news.  

    Commenting on the partnership, Zee5 India chief business officer Manish Kalra said, “This year  we have a fantastic line-up with many big titles announced in the first quarter of the year.”

    “The focus for 2022  is to bring premium quality content across genres and languages. Zee5, in addition to bolstering its portfolio  of Hindi originals, is simultaneously working on curating a list of unique stories across formats and languages  to build a platform of varied choices for its viewers,” he explained.

    “With ‘The Broken News’ we are marking the beginning of  another partnership with a reputed content studio to bring interesting and unique story narratives for our audiences. This partnership is in line with Zee5’s strategy to build a portfolio of unique and compelling content for an enhanced value from the services. We are sure our audiences will enjoy and love it as much as they have  loved our content so far. Zee5 has been working with the best talent in the creative ecosystem to create a  riveting slate of originals, in line with our content strategy of keeping the viewers at the centre of the business,” added Kalra.

    On the announcement of the new title, Zee5 Hindi originals chief content officer Nimisha Pandey said, “’The Broken News’ is an extremely relevant story for the times we live in. We are glad to partner with BBC Studios India and director Vinay Waikul to bring this story to life.”

    “It is a riveting drama depicting the  nuances of the media houses and the daily hustle-bustle of a newsroom. The story revolves around the  ideological differences of the protagonists, beautifully played by Shriya Pilgaonkar and Jaideep Ahlawat. The  story has a strong, contemporary and compelling narrative making it a perfect addition to our content bouquet,” she added.

    Speaking on the partnership, BBC Studios India general manager Sameer Gogate commented, “We are  thrilled to join forces with Zee5 as part of this partnership to produce this riveting BBC Studios format, set  in the fascinating world of TV news journalism. The strength of our formats lies in their ability to transcend across cultural boundaries and languages. We are honoured that Jaideep Alhawat, Sonali Bendre and Shriya  Pilgaonkar will be a part of this journey directed by Vinay Wiakul and we hope Zee5’s Hindi audience will enjoy the gripping personal and professional dramas facing the characters under the pressure of a 24-hour news cycle.”