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Tag: ZEE5 India

  • OTTs gear up for battle against content pirates

    OTTs gear up for battle against content pirates

    KOLKATA: With the tectonic shift in technology, piracy has found new ways to expand its reach and impact. And given the ongoing lean period in TV and movie releases, pirates are charting new waters for prey. Streaming platforms, which are investing heavily in premium content, offer easy pickings. While stringent regulation is the need of the hour, major over-the-top (OTT) platforms are devising comprehensive techniques to check this threat.

    One of the leading OTT services in India, SonyLIV, is now moving away from basic solutions to a 360 degree approach. SonyLIV technology head Manish Verma said in a webinar hosted by indiantelevision.com that the platform is now looking at advanced measures like watermarking, fingerprinting and code protection to safeguard its content. It is now in the process of evaluating how they can utilise some of these tools to reduce piracy.

    Read more news on SonyLIV

    Presently, DRM is the preferred mode of encryption for the platform. But Verma admits that DRM has certain loopholes as well, especially when it comes to screen mirroring. Hence, the platform is in talks with vendors and partners to find out other ways to counter piracy. As part of its enhanced security measures, SonyLIV recently started a two-way authentication with username and one time passwords, instead of the traditional login with password system.

    According to ZEE5 India technology head Tushar Vohra, creating a barrier is very important, as is instilling the fear of getting caught among pirates. To this end, tracing the source of a breach can be helpful. For example, ZEE5 will launch a forensic watermarking for its web player this month itself and later across all devices. This step will enable the platform to track the source of pirated content. Hence, Vohra is hopeful that there would be a decline in piracy rate within six months.

    Echoing Vohra’s bent of mind, Verma said: “We need to put deterrence in terms of making it difficult to pirate the content, degrading the experience for pirated content. When a consumer is not getting that experience of premium content on illegal sites, they will come back to our platform.”

    Both tech experts concurred that there is no particular trend of piracy in the Indian market. But Vohra mentioned an interesting fact: premium Indian content is being pirated more outside the country. Some contradictions do exist. While ZEE5 saw an increase in piracy during the lockdown, SonyLIV’s Verma said that the tendency to pay for premium content went up during the same period.

    Read more news on ZEE5

    “We have put in machine learning through which we can detect multiple users logging in or consumer consuming content for a longer duration of time. We can do a token revocation; we can go from the back end and revoke the token if we see some sort of abnormality in the behaviour. I think we are making it difficult to pirate the content,” Verma added.

    The panellists agreed that rationalising cost structure for security will lead to higher adoption of technology solutions. ZEE5, which is already investing five-seven per cent for data and application security, has now developed a full-fledged security team, due to join in December.

  • PROMAX INDIA IS THRILLED TO ANNOUNCE AN ADDITION TO AN EVEN MORE STELLAR LINE-UP OF SPEAKERS for ‘Re-Invent’ PROMAX INDIA VIRTUAL 2020 -CONFERENCE & AWARDS LIVE on 7th, 8th & 9th of October, 2020

    PROMAX INDIA IS THRILLED TO ANNOUNCE AN ADDITION TO AN EVEN MORE STELLAR LINE-UP OF SPEAKERS for ‘Re-Invent’ PROMAX INDIA VIRTUAL 2020 -CONFERENCE & AWARDS LIVE on 7th, 8th & 9th of October, 2020

    Get transported into the Future of Creativity in Augmented Reality all the way from Sydney with Emile Rademeyer, and the Climb to the Top of the Pyramid and witness a fireside chat with Megha Tata and Navika Kumar, as they highlight their journey and experiences in the media landscape. Then, sit back, relax and get an insight into OTT Marketing where leading OTT marketeers will truly deep dive and unearth some non-conventional ways of winning customer.
    ’Re-invent’ Promax India Virtual 2020 promises to keep you engaged and entertained.

    Emile Rademeyer presents The Future of Creativity in Augmented Reality….PART II.
    Emile is Executive Director, Creative Strategy & Innovation at VANDAL in Sydney, Australia where he creates innovative moving image, sound, art, immersive and augmented reality experiences for public, commercial, advertising and entertainment platforms. Emile’s recognised talent earns international respect and he’s regarded as one of Australia’s most prolific new media, creative trailblazers.

    So, take a seat and buckle up…! You are about to travel into the future and witness new augmented realities of creativity.

    TOP OF THE PYRAMID – with Megha Tata & Navika Kumar
    Promax India is proud to present Megha Tata, the MD of Discovery Networks who has made her place amongst the top CEOs of Media Networks & Navika Kumar, Group Editor – Politics, Times Network and her journey to go head-to-head with the predominantly male bastion of Indian TV Journalism.

    Come join us for a Fireside chat with the two women powerhouses as they highlight their journey and experiences in the Indian media landscape. 
    A not to be missed session that will keep you entertained and inspired!

    An engaging session on OTT Marketing as they share invaluable insights on new ways of winning and retaining customers. Led by Rahul Mishra of Shemaroo Entertainment Ltd and the panelists include Avi Kumar – Head Supply and Brand Marketing, ZEE5 India, Abhishek Joshi – Lead Marketing – MX Player & and others.

    Rahul Mishra, Head of Marketing & Communications, Shemaroo Entertainment Ltd said,  “Promax has been setting new standards in the M&E space and this year too Promax India 2020 promises to be an exciting and enriching event. I am looking forward to moderating the OTT session with industry stalwarts and getting to hear their perspectives in the changing times and bring new learnings for our industry.”

    Avi Kumar, Head of Supply and Brand Marketing, ZEE5 India said “It is exciting to see  Promax India Virtual Conference 2020 in a new avatar while adapting to the new challenges. As more and more audiences become receptive to the new way of entertainment, it is even more imperative for marketers, to constantly innovate and customize their offerings as per demand. The way forward for the OTT marketing landscape is going to be an interesting one, and this session will truly deep dive and unearth some non-conventional ways of winning customers.”

     Abhishek Joshi, Head of Marketing and Business Partnerships at MX Player said, "Promax has always been at the forefront of bringing together industry leaders to explore and ideate on new strategies. I am looking forward to being a part of its virtual 2020 edition, discussing the world of OTT marketing that is now fostering and enabling new viewer relationships post pandemic – wherein a digital first, and most importantly a consumer first strategy has to be top priority."

    Do register your teams at https://www.promaxindia.tv/indiavirtual2020/

    RE-INVENT' PROMAX INDIA VIRTUAL 2020 – CONFERENCE & AWARDS goes LIVE on 8th & 9th of October, 2020 

  • HONOR collaborates with ZEE5 to reach Indian consumers for its latest smartphones

    HONOR collaborates with ZEE5 to reach Indian consumers for its latest smartphones

    KOLKATA: The leading OTT platform ZEE5 continues to be a brand favourite, when it comes to reaching out to a diverse set of audiences across the country in the most targeted and effective manner. The newest one to join the bandwagon and choose ZEE5 as one of its preferred OTT advertising platforms is HONOR, a global leading tech brand for the youth.

    HONOR India, with the collaboration with ZEE5, aims at educating Indian consumes about its latest smartphones – HONOR 9A and HONOR 9S and at the same time, reach out to people looking for an enhanced smartphone experience, at a pocket-friendly price.

    As part of its stated 1+8+N strategy, HONOR introduced its affordable smartphone range – HONOR 9A and HONOR 9S in under Rs 10K segment, along with the brand’s first laptop for the market – HONOR MagicBook 15, featuring India’s first laptop with three breakthrough innovations – Pop-up Webcam, 2-in-1 Fingerprint Power Button and 65W Type-C Compact multi-device fast charging, at a price of under Rs 50K range, and powered with Microsoft Windows 10 Home, AMD Ryzen™ 5 3500U and RadeonTM Vega 8 Graphics processor. The latest offerings are a testimony to HONOR’s commitment of bringing innovative and progressive products for Indian consumers, while meeting the varied requirements of the users.

    With a surge in viewership post lockdown, ZEE5 has fast tracked its vision of democratising access to bespoke content and enhanced user experience through various initiatives to keep India entertained 24×7. HONOR’s latest launches align with this vision as it aims to offer the latest offerings to a larger base of consumers without them having to compromise on technology and quality. 

  • ZEE5 launches ‘ZEE5 CLUB’ at Rs 365/year

    ZEE5 launches ‘ZEE5 CLUB’ at Rs 365/year

    KOLKATA: ZEE5 today announced the launch of ‘ZEE5 Club’, a unique proposition for every Indian at Rs 65/year. This is in line with its commitment to democratise access to bespoke content for diverse Indian audiences across genres, languages and a spectrum of devices.

    ZEE5 Club, a complete OTT television entertainment pack is set to delight the consumers with exclusive access to most popular shows before telecast on TV,  apart from select ZEE5 and Alt Balaji shows, – 1000+ blockbuster movies, ZEE Zindagishows and over 90+ Live TV channels. With ZEE5 Club, subscribers will be able to enjoy-engaging entertainment content without any intrusive ads and across devices.

    Speaking about this new offering, ZEE5 India SVOD senior VP and head Rahul Maroli said, “We are a customer obsessed OTT platform and the launch of ZEE5 Club is a result of the feedback we received from our consumers. Furthermore, democratising access for all Indians to their favourite entertainment content, at a value price, was brewing as an idea for the longest time. With a strong consumer value proposition, ZEE5 Club will help us to board every Indian and provide them with a hyper-personalised and a seamless content viewing experience all at Rs 365/year.”

    The launch of ZEE5 Club would enablemillions of Indianstosample their favourite TV shows and OTT exclusives at their convenience at an affordable price. The Club Pack has been created keeping in mind the platform’s diverse user behaviour, regional preferences and viewership patterns. 

    Some of Zee’s popular TV shows like KumumBhagya and KundaliBhagya in Hindi, Sembaruthi in Tamil, JotheJotheyaliin Kannada and MazyaNavryachiBayko in Marathi and many more would be now available on ZEE5 Clubbefore telecast on Television, making anytime a new prime time for consumers to catch up on their favourite shows.

    Follow Tellychakkar for the consumer facing news & entertainment

  • ZEE5 India appoints Manish Kalra as senior vice president and business head, AVOD

    ZEE5 India appoints Manish Kalra as senior vice president and business head, AVOD

    KOLKATA: ZEE5 has transformed the digital video entertainment ecosystem of India. As part of its strategy to drive the next stage of growth, the platform has recently made a series of senior-level appointments across verticals. In line with this, ZEE5 has hired Manish Kalra to lead their AVOD service as senior vice president and business head.

    Manish brings with him an experience of over 19 years in the online business and marketing space. He believes that successful businesses are built by teams with a solid understanding of customer behavior and has a customer-first approach.

    In his new role, he will be responsible for overall AVOD business, developing the platform and content marketing strategy including, strategy for user acquisition and retention campaigns, partnerships and alliances for distribution and consumption of the AVOD content on the platform and driving overall growth. Prior to this, over the last 10 years, he has taken up various leadership roles like CMO, CBO and CEO in various online organizations like Amazon, MakeMyTrip.com, Craftsvilla.com and Homeshop18.

    Manish holds a Master’s in Business Administration from XLRI, Jamshedpur and a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Punjab Engineering College, Chandigarh.

  • ZEE5’s HiPi gears up for India’s 1 billion video consumers

    ZEE5’s HiPi gears up for India’s 1 billion video consumers

    KOLKATA: Evolution is the key to sustain in a transforming ecosystem; India’s leading entertainment network Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (Zeel) is following that route. While it has been charting its growth in the online ecosystem with over-the-top platform ZEE5, the latter is now venturing into short-format video too. It’s not a mere expansion but the ambition is to be able to create a sustainable business over a period of time which essentially addresses a billion users in India, as ZEE5 India expansion projects business head and product head Rajneel Kumar says.

    “Very soon we will have a billion Indians who will be consuming videos on a monthly basis. That time could be one, two or three years from now. That’s the overall market size we are gunning for. We have a very long-term strategy around short-form content where we will see new users who will start consuming this content. Of course,  we would like million and millions to come on the platform but our main ambition is to be able to create a sustainable business over a period of time which essentially addresses a billion users in India,” Kumar said in an interaction with Indiantelevision.com.

    Nearly two weeks ago, ZEE5 revealed the name of its short-form content platform, HiPi. The announcement came right after the Indian government imposed a ban on 59 Chinese apps including TikTok, the giant in the short-video segment. As opposed to launching as a separate app, HiPi will be a part of ZEE5. 

    “We have been working on it for over a year with consumer research, content research, product research as well as trying to understand what features consumers like. The timing was honestly coincidental; it was something we already planned in this quarter. However, once the news came out we did expedite certain priorities to be able to get this out as early as we can while not compromising quality or experience,” he added.

    ZEE5 is not waiting for consumers or influencers discover the platform once it launches the new segment. Rather, it is actively getting a lot of influencers who are on other platforms and onboarding them to ZEE5. With these influencers, their followers will be also able to find their content on the new platform. Initially, HiPi is launching with 300 influencers while it also has a list of other 200 influencers that will come on the platform very soon. 

    Moreover, it has opened the platform for new influencers as it is launching ‘Creators Dashboard' in the next couple of months. Through this, influencers can upload profiles for the kind of content they have created and references of other platforms where they exist. If they become verified, they would enter into a revenue-sharing model with ZEE5. There will be remuneration and compensation for all content they create. Currently, they can reach out to ZEE5 through the latter’s social handles.

    In the past, we have seen user-generated content platforms getting dragged into controversies for sensitive content. While the company is in the final stages of testing, it is highly focusing on user experience and brand safety. Kumar assured that both human and AI intervention will be there to filter content. “Unlike other platforms, no content which is uploaded goes straight and people can see it. Every content which is uploaded goes through a layer of both AI and human moderation,” he added.

    ZEE5 has several content pieces ranging from catch-up content to premium originals, news and sports. “Each one of them has individual experiences built up to see which is best for the users. When a user comes on the platform, he or she is able to see all the content which is available. Only when they start to consume a particular piece of content, whether it is a movie or a short-form content, the appropriate interface for the user comes up. The short-form content area will be a vertical scrolling video which is full-screen,” he added.

    Now a bunch of short-format video sharing apps are mushrooming as OTTs did two-three years ago; even Instagram launched Reel a few days back. Hence, despite the giant being gone, it is not easy to attract consumers. 

    “We have put together a very strong content team which will curate the kind of content to make it different and interesting for users. We will be launching different kinds of AR filters which will enable users to create interesting content. We are focused on a road map of engagement which is beyond just consuming content; so how can the user interact with other people, how can the user play games? We are working on those kinds of areas which will be part of our roadmap and essentially our distinguishing features,” Kumar sounded confident.

  • Changing consumer behaviour as viewership spikes on ZEE5

    Changing consumer behaviour as viewership spikes on ZEE5

    MUMBAI: The current Covid2019 pandemic and the nationwide lockdown has not just stalled industries and economic activity but has also contributed to the ongoing change in behavioural patterns in people, including that of digital consumption. The restrictions on social interaction imposed by the government in response to the pandemic had already led to an increase in video viewership on OTT platforms. The lockdown led to more people inadvertently realising the convenience of OTT, which has shifted the way content is consumed on a day-to-day basis.

    With Unlock 2.0, production studios are coming back to a new way of shooting; thus ensuring consumers get their daily dose of entertainment. With regional language channels launching new shows which are being shot in smaller towns to new episodes of old shows, viewership is growing week on week. ZEE5, India’s No.1 Contech platform, has observed a phenomenal spike in viewership as consumers consume more content on the platform, with the new Unlock!

    Viewers bounce back:

    As TV shows gear up to launch new episodes from 13 July, ZEE5 has observed a +52 per cent Week on-Week growth in video views across majority of languages. Shows such as, Rahichi Rahibi Tori Pain, Pavitra Rishta, Vedh Bhavishyaacha, Ninne Palladhata and many shows across Hindi, Oriya, Marathi, Kannada etc have observed a massive jump in video views. 

    With the increase in demand for digital content, more and more households have invested in Connected TV (CTV) devices like Apple TV, Amazon Firestick and Smart TVs. These devices provide regular televisions with internet access to stream video content on OTT platforms. 

    The Rise of Cord Cutting and Cord Shaving

    Cord cutters are viewers who have cancelled paid multichannel subscription services like cable or satellite television. Cord shavers are viewers who have downgraded their TV packages, replacing those reduced services with on-demand video streaming services.

    In a survey carried out by Eros Now and KPMG in September 2019, involved 1458 OTT users from 10 cities in India, revealed that 10 per cent of respondents prefer watching original content online. The report also revealed that OTT video could usher in cord cutting sooner than expected. While 38 percent of the respondents could consider cord cutting in the future, 14 percent of the respondents considered subscribing to OTT platforms as an alternative to TV subscriptions. 

    As more and more consumers decide to reduce or cancel their TV subscriptions to consume content on OTT, this has led to a rise in cord cutting and cord shaving. 

    The lockdown has driven this behavioural change into permanency and now manifests itself in viewers consuming old and new TV content again across all apps.

    With three out of ten respondents viewing online video on telco platforms, also proved the importance of Telco platforms for the distribution of online video content. A recent study by YouGov (Feb 2020) suggested, that 42 per cent people spend time watching catchup content on OTT platforms while only 18 per cent prefer watching TV. The same report also mentioned that 72 per cent urban Indians prefer video on demand as compared to cable TV.

    A large part of the TV viewing audience has migrated towards consuming content on digital-only platforms like OTT. The above table shows 10 shows which are produced for TV and are also available on ZEE5. Majority people have watched the episode on ZEE5 as compared to TV. This rise in viewing content online has opened new doors for advertisers. As more and more people move towards ZEE5, advertisers can use this opportunity to reach more people by leveraging ZEE5 content to increase their market presence. 

    Opportunity for Advertisers

    As consumers adapt to the new way of living, they will likely continue to stream OTT content for the majority of their at-home entertainment. Hence OTT is becoming mainstream for most advertisers as the platforms are brand safe, have higher ad completion rates and cost per effective reach for the brand. As viewership increases, ZEE5 is the destination for brands to advertise which provides incremental and targeted reach through transparency in measurability.  

    ZEE5, Contech leader in this space, provides unique targeting through one on one targeting, lifestyle-based cohort segmentation and a powerful suite of Ads format to engage audience depending on business objective across an entire device ecosystem.

    Learn more about OTT advertising and how this strategy could be implemented for your business by getting in touch with ZEE5 Ads.

  • ZEE5 collaborates with Dabur Honey for a new health and fitness chat show

    ZEE5 collaborates with Dabur Honey for a new health and fitness chat show

    MUMBAI: The current global situation has highlighted the importance of building immunity and having a fitness routine to be healthy. And one thing that the lockdown restrictions have brought to light is that you don’t necessarily need to go to a gym to stay fit. A little motivation and creativity is all you need to stay fit during these times. Keeping this in mind, ZEE5, and Dabur Honey have collaborated to launch an exclusive chat show  – Dabur Honey Hello Fitness to motivate and encourage India to be proactive about their well-being.

    The one of a kind show is a part of ZEE5 Ads’ Ampli5 offering and will let viewers get an exclusive peek into the fitness routines and healthy habits of their favorite celebrities. The virtual show will be hosted by one of India’s talented actor, host and colourful personalities – Karan Wahi who will get the celebs to dish out their health and fitness secrets and routines through some fun and games! The show will give fans an insider’s view on how and why their favorites follow a particular routine, a specific diet and what they do to keep their mind and body balanced and fit. Apart from this, fans will also get a chance to have interactions by sending their questions which will be answered on the show.

    Highlighting the uniqueness of the show and collaboration, ZEE5 India chief revenue officer Rajeev Dhal said, “ZEE5 is India’s Entertainment Super-App today because we truly understand the pulse of the nation and create relatable content. The present situation has brought us even closer to our audiences and given us a better glimpse into what they want. With fitness and overall well-being, a prerequisite in this new world, this exclusive show in collaboration with Dabur Honey – undoubtedly, one of India’s top health and fitness  brands, aims to motivate and encourage our viewers to make their health a cardinal priority. We are excited to collaborate with Dabur Honey to present this exclusive show series and even more so as it is a first in the OTT industry.”  

    The show is set to launch with the first episode to go live on 28 June. A total of a six-episode series, with two episodes to be released every week.

    Dabur Health Supplements marketing head Prashant Aggarwal said, “Dabur Honey, through its best-in-class products and communication has been urging people to lead healthier lives and more so, in the current context. We want to partner with Indian consumers in making their lives healthier and fitter. This association with ZEE5 is an attempt to get consumers to know the lifestyles and habits of celebrities and how they keep themselves fit and healthy even in trying times like these. A Natural Immunity Booster, Dabur Honey is seeing increased adoption by Indian households in the current times.”

  • OTT players ease payment worries with UPI tie-ups

    OTT players ease payment worries with UPI tie-ups

    KOLKATA: The unified payments interface (UPI) service crossed a billion transactions a month last year and is on a constant upward trend. As more Indians make UPI their go-to option for online payment, over-the-top (OTT) platforms are also strengthening their ties with them to be more user friendly.

    Leading OTT player ZEE5, which has seen high uptake of the service on connected devices,  became the first-ever OTT platform to launch an UPI based payment facility on connected devices. Users of Samsung smart TVs now have an option of ‘scan and pay’ by selecting the ‘UPI payment’ mode, ‘scanning the QR’ and ‘paying on their UPI app’. With this easy convenient option, the app is set to empower users by democratising the payment process and allowing customers to make payments through their smartphones. 

    “ZEE5 has been leading the way in innovation through technology with constant upgrades to our interface and navigation to make things smoother for users. In an industry leading initiative, ZEE5 is now offering users the option to make their payments easily online while watching their favorite content through smart TV Apps. The latest update of the ZEE5 app on Samsung Smart TVs has already made UPI QR payments available to users. Customers can now choose their plan, make the payment through UPI within seconds by scanning the QR code, and then continue streaming. This is an exciting juncture for ZEE5 as very few sectors offer this option and we are the first platform in this industry to explore this. ZEE5 has been a pioneer in integrating new technology and options and this is another step that will drive forward our growth,” ZEE5 India expansion projects business head and global product head Rajneel Kumar said.

    SonyLIV 2.0, which has unveiled recently its new brand identity, reinforces its alliances with a series of wallet partners to maximise consumer delight.  In an exciting initiative, LIV premium subscribers now stand to win an array of offers and benefits across six leading payment options like Paytm, MobiKwik, AmazonPay, Payzapp, Freecharge and OlaMoney Postpaid. User can avail a cash back varying from 10 per cent upto 100 per cent subject to the platform. These newly announced cashback offers are available to all LIV premium subscribers in India across operating systems and devices.

    “At SonyLIV, customer delight is of primal importance to us. We are happy to leap ahead in existing partnerships with wallets and add newer ones to the franchise. This is a major step up in our efforts towards strengthening old bonds and building new partnerships keeping in mind consumer behavior & preferences,” SPN digital business growth and monetisation head Manish Aggarwal said. 

    ALTBalaji recently extended its association with payment gateways Paytm and Amazon Pay. As a part of the offering, Paytm will be offering cashback up to Rs 75 on ALTBalaji subscription whereas Amazon Pay customers will get a cashback of a minimum amount of Rs 10 and a maximum amount of Rs 250 on a minimum purchase of Rs 100. The offer will be valid in India for Android and web-only.

    “Keeping the customer at the very core of everything that we stand for, we have always strived towards providing them a seamless experience through our services. Our long-standing association with Paytm and Amazon Pay is yet another step in the right direction that further fosters this bond with our consumers. It will further give us the opportunity to reach out to the masses and make them aware of the engrossing and original content that we have on offer,” Balaji Telefilms group COO and ALTBalaji CEO Nachiket Pantvaidya said.

  • Constant communication with consumers is Rahul Maroli’s mantra to grow ZEE5’s subscription

    Constant communication with consumers is Rahul Maroli’s mantra to grow ZEE5’s subscription

    KOLKATA: Streaming services have found more relevance in the post-Covid2019 period. ZEE5, one of the leading contenders in the ‘streaming war’, has brought a new head to build its subscription business when more consumers flocking to those services. ZEE5 senior vice president and business head Rahul Maroli aspires to touch the top both in terms of subscription and viewership.

    “We want to be relevant to every Indian. Content has to resonate with every Indian. An extension of that became the Atrangi campaign where we are trying to say that every person is unique, that’s what this country is all about and we respect your uniqueness. In terms of our specific goal, we want to be the largest OTT platform in the country both in subscription and viewership,” Maroli says in an interaction with Indiantelevision.com.

    Maroli comes with a rich experience but not within the media industry. He worked in automotive, mobility, e-commerce and consumer businesses earlier while his last assignment was with Ola. Asked about what learnings he wants to incorporate here, Maroli says that he has mostly looked after the consumer business in Ola, so the ethos remains same. 

    “As long as you understand who your consumers are and how are they reacting, what is it they like, what is it you don’t like, you keep constantly going back and talking to them and trying to understand, then your ability to communicate with them, to produce good services is absolutely the same,” he adds. 

    The reports and high-level data are not sufficient but the teams have to keep talking to the consumer. Talking about his other lesson, he said that working very closely with the team is very important. Hence, he would try to apply these lessons in his new role.

    He adds that partnership is a very important foundation of their business. “Telcos are looking at OTTs as means of building consumer loyalty. We want to go deeper into that and build more relationships. We clearly see that where you have provided access to OTT platforms there is much more consumer loyalty,” he shares. 

    Maroli further mentions that ISPs are also partners with strong propositions as they have direct access to last-mile consumers. ZEE5 has a deep partnership with ACT Broadband and the platform will roll out more partnerships in the coming days.

    ZEE5, like other OTT platforms, has gained more users and subscribers during this period. Although lockdown is easing, Maroli states that it has not seen much change in the platform’s retention cohorts. According to him, the number remained the same for both direct consumers and b2b partnerships.