ITV

Tag: Zee5

  • ‘The Kashmir Files’ to have its OTT premiere on Zee5

    ‘The Kashmir Files’ to have its OTT premiere on Zee5

    Mumbai: After the super successful theatrical run both domestically and internationally, director Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri’s latest hard-hitting drama “The Kashmir Files” is going to have its world digital premiere on Zee5. The official date of its digital release is yet to be announced.

    The film recently crossed Rs 250-crore-mark at the box office and broke all records in the post-pandemic era. “Wth its digital release on Zee5, ‘The Kashmir Files’ will be accessible to the viewers of across 190+ countries in multiple languages like Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and Kannada,” said the streaming platform in a statement.

    The film is produced by Zee Studios and Tej Narayan Agarwal, Abhishek Agarwal, Pallavi Joshi and Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri, and it is written and directed by Vivek Agnihotri and features a stellar cast of actors including Mithun Chakraborty, Anupam Kher, Darshan Kumaar, Pallavi Joshi and Chinmay Mandlekar.

    Living up to its title, “The Kashmir Files” is a true story, based on video interviews of the first-generation victims of “Kashmir genocide” of Kashmiri Pandit community. The film garnered positive response from critics and fans alike and even struck an emotional chord with many including superstars like Aamir Khan and Akshaye Kumar among others.

    Commenting on the digital release of “The Kashmir Files,” Zee5 chief business officer Manish Kalra said, “At Zee5, we are building a platform that empowers its audiences as much as it entertains them. We are always looking for real, relatable stories to connect with the Indian audience. Over the last few years, we have accelerated and expanded our offerings while partnering with the best of talent and content creators to design a slate that makes us the platform of choice for entertainment seekers.”

    “’The Kashmir Files’ is not just a film but an emotion and a movement,” said director Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri. “I am glad that the theatrical release received such overwhelming response across the world and now with its World Digital Premiere on India’s largest homegrown video streaming platform – Zee5, the film will reach more people and will continue to strike a chord in millions.”

  • How viewer data analytics are shaping operators’ revenue and content strategies

    How viewer data analytics are shaping operators’ revenue and content strategies

    Mumbai: Indiantelevision.com, in partnership with Synamedia, organised a virtual webinar on ‘how analytics shaping operators’ revenues and content strategy?’ on 23 March. The panel discussion was joined by Altbalaji’s Divya Dixit, MX Player’s Viraj Jit Singh, Zee5’s Abhirup Datta, and Synamedia’s Amruta Shankar. Shankar, who is Synamedia’s director of data and analytics, has penned observations of the panelists and highlighted the crux of the discussion.

    During a recent IndianTelevision webinar, I was joined by leading Indian OTT streaming platforms, Altbalaji, MX Player and Zee5 to discuss their wealth of video data, and how it can be leveraged to address their pain points and achieve genuine business-boosting results.

    Bringing together all the digital clues that viewers leave behind when they watch video content across an ever-increasing number of screens is critical to ensuring data caters to the different needs of the organisation. It helps the content rights manager to understand what viewers want to watch, or the marketing director to realise when and how they want to watch content. The product manager can use data to ensure that the content is searchable and keeps viewers engaged.

    “Our entire business and growth are based on data,” said MX Player’s senior vice president and head of revenue Viraj Jit Singh.

    For streaming providers and operators, the content remains king, but data is the jewel in their crown. A source of priceless insights from across the video ecosystem, data can help to drive viewer engagement, reduce churn, slash operational costs and grow revenue.

    On-demand content is driving a lot of today’s consumption, and so to keep pace with changing viewing habits, “you have to be platform-agnostic,’’ remarked Altbalaji senior vice president of marketing, partnerships and revenue Divya Dixit. Whilst content ‘snacking’ on small screen devices is growing in prevalence, particularly through social platforms like TikTok, the lure of long-form content on the big screen in the living room continues to endure.

    ALSO READ | ‘Lock Upp’ is ALTBalaji’s ‘KBC moment’ as it forays into AVOD: Divya Dixit

    With data underpinning all the big decisions, including monetisation and advertising, all the panelists agreed that getting the tech stack right to cope with all the available data is vital. Equally important is ensuring the data is of sufficient quality to avoid a shifting base, where the numbers simply don’t add up from one month to another.

    Using data for business decisions certainly added up for Altbalaji and MX player’s latest joint venture, a new show called “Lock Upp,” which achieved over 100 million views in less than 20 days.

    Because MX Player is an AVOD platform, Singh emphasises the importance of understanding viewers “to get the right brands to advertise to the relevant audience, which obviously leads to higher efficiencies for advertisers but also better viewing for our subscribers.”

    Zee5 head of AVOD marketing Abhirup Datta agreed and said, “Leveraging data to showcase the right content to the consumer is very important….also using data about the viewing devices and what kind of content they end up watching.”

    Tackling pain points

    Datta shared how data can also help alleviate pain points including how to address ‘guest users’ on Zee5; juggling and balancing the risk of bringing new releases onto the platform at the expense of older consistently performing content; and ensuring an ad is served to the right cohort.

    For Dixit, her greatest headache is understanding why a consumer drops out at the subscription page or in the middle of sampling the first episode. She added, “the helping hand of somebody who can map out where the churn is coming from, and what needs to be done to rectify this, could obviously add a lot of value.”

    Listening to customers and optimising their experience

    For Singh, this is an ongoing process “we work very hard to listen to our consumers and try to over-deliver on their expectations.”

    Datta agreed that “a user’s experience is at the core of everything we do. It is our North star.”

    In business, the customer is always right, but more importantly, the customer’s data never lies. Scrutinising and validating that data objectively, and validating it using a trusted, independent third party has the power to deliver a treasure trove of valuable business insights.

    The last word goes to MX Player’s Singh, “listening to your consumer, understanding that data, and seeing how you can mix it all together and figure out a solution for them is the best metric you can work on today,” he said.

  • GSEAMS hits its stride with a foray into web series

    GSEAMS hits its stride with a foray into web series

    Global Sports Entertainment and Media Solutions (GSEAMS), chiefly involved in film production, started creating content for OTT players beginning with their first project “Samantar” streaming on MX Player from 13 March 2020. The company hit its stride ever since, with a successful run of series on various platforms including “Raktanchal” on MX Player and “Naxalbari” on Zee5. This year, they are yet again collaborating with MX Player on three projects, two of which are successive seasons of their hit franchises. A new web series is also in the pipeline for the OTT platform Voot.

    The company was founded in 2013 by Arjun Singgh Baran and Kartk D Nishandar who quit their corporate roles to get into the content business. The duo saw an opportunity to create films for Marathi-speaking audiences, who at the time was only served by two major companies Zee and to some extent Viacom18. In a short span, they produced about 15 Marathi films with hits such as “Mogra Phulaalaa,” “Ranangan,” “Tula Kalnnaar Nahi,” “Bhikari,” “Vicky Velingkar,” “Bonus,” and “Bali” and produced more than 500 episodes of a popular TV show “Nakalat Sare Ghadale” for Marathi general entertainment channel Star Pravah.

    GSEAMS is now involved in the production of films, TV shows, and web series content for various media platforms. Their original Marathi films are available on Amazon Prime Video and the latest film “Bali” was released last year as an Amazon Prime Video Original.

    In his past tenure as a corporate executive, Baran was associated with Reliance Broadcast Network Ltd as West India business head for BIG 92.7 FM. He’s been in the media industry for over two decades, has produced numerous hit films and provides strategic direction at GSEAMS. Nishandar was also at Reliance Broadcast Network Ltd in the role of national head and has a background in marketing. During their tenure in the production business, they have produced three web series, 11 films and nine television shows, becoming prolific showrunners.

    GSEAMS directors Arjun Singgh Baran and Kartk D Nishandar talk to IndianTelevision.com about their journey into content production and their foray into the OTT space.

    Edited Excerpts:

    On the inception of GSEAMS

    Arjun: Kartk and I started this company in 2013. We had been professionals working in different media companies. I was a business head and Kartk was head of marketing. GSEAMS started off as a company providing marketing solutions for films and managing talent but we quickly moved into production. Unlike other production houses that first get involved in TV production, we got into film production from the get go and started making Marathi movies. At that time, not many corporate companies were making Marathi films with only major producers being Zee and to some extent Viacom18. That’s when GSEAMS came into the picture.

    We have worked on about 15 Marathi films since 2013 and today half of the Marathi directors either work with us or with Zee. We’ve worked with Swapnil Joshi on many films that appear often on TV channels. We also began purchasing a lot of Marathi films and today we have a bank of 80 films that most of the Marathi channels are airing.

    In time, we realised that we need to move into the OTT space. Any project takes us about two years to develop and we got into the OTT space at the right time in 2019. We got in touch with MX Player and produced “Samantar,” which was a hit with 100 million views.

    Kartk: Now, we’re producing another three shows for MX Player. We’ve done one for Zee5 that is “Naxalbari” and we’re doing a show for Voot.

    Arjun: We started shooting for “Naxalbari” when the whole world was in lockdown. The shooting happened in Goa with 250 people and the cast included Rajeev Khandelwal, Tina Dutta, Shakti Anand, Satyadeep Mishra, Sreejita De. Our main lead Rajeev Khandelwal was staying in Goa at the time. We discovered the entire team from the director, DOP, and artists in Goa and were shooting there with Covid tests and checks. The show began streaming on Zee5 in July 2020.

    Arjun: We are partnering with Voot and Jio Studios for our next web series. The show is called “Rafuchakkar” and it has Maniesh Paul, Priya Bapat and it is directed by Ritam Shrivastava who’s also done “Raktanchal 1” and “Raktanchal 2” for MX Player. It is a story of a con man.

    Kartk: Amazon Prime Video is our partner for Marathi content and hence all the movies that we’ve produced are available on the streaming service. Our latest film “Bali” released in 2021 was a Prime Video Original.

    On the hits produced under GSEAMS banner

    Kartk: Our film “Fugay” released in 2017 starring two superstars of Marathi cinema Swapnil Joshi and Subodh Bhave was well received. We also released a film called “Tula Kalnaar Nahi” in the same year that did well. Another film of ours “Mogra Phulaalaa” released in 2018 cast Swapnil Joshi and Sai Deodhar in the lead and did extremely well with the theatre audience. We made a remake of a South film called “Pichaikkaran” into a Marathi film called “Bhikari” which was released in 2018. The production had a huge scale with ace choreographer Ganesh Acharya as the director.  Our recent release “Bonus” featuring Gashmeer Mahajani and Pooja Sawant in lead roles received 12 nominations from the Maharashtra Times Sanman Awards.

    On their content philosophy

    Arjun: We want to make films that appeal to everybody and have done that by continuously studying what the audience wants and understanding the art and science of production. There are few production houses like ours who are creating content because they know what the audience wants. We’ve had hits and misses like everybody else. But the people who survive in this industry are the ones who continuously work on one project after another. If you wait for something to become a hit then you’ll never become a big company.

    We also thought about ‘how do we do production in a much smarter way’ because the industry is very unorganised. If you go and shoot in Goa, Satara or in the North it’s not compatible for everybody. We are able to manage costs while comfortably completing the entire shooting process. We approach production with the mindset of a corporate company and every project that we do is a little better than the last one. That’s helped us survive over the last nine years. God has been kind.

    When the content is good people will come and watch it. Word of mouth is extremely important. That’s what Kartk and I are looking at ‘how do we create content that will have word of mouth?’

    On the expansion of GSEAMS

    Kartk: Around 2018, we created a writer’s room where we took on close to 10-12 writers. To date, we’ve also blocked around 20 book rights. “Samantar” was a great example for us which showed that a bestselling book will work out as a screenplay. Today, we have a large team of writers working across genres and languages, writing screenplays for production. We also began developing our own content by investing our own money before we approached any platform. We would never wait for the platforms to give us approval for content and that’s why we are managing to produce series back-to-back.

    On content that resonates with digital audience

    Arjun: As filmmakers, everything is 120 minutes long and larger than life stories are told where you shoot in different locations. Television is about telling stories that revolve around characters in a single location.  

    When we look at OTT, you see shows that have done well like “Scam 1992: The Harshad Mehta Mehta Story” to “Samantar.” It is about taking the audience to a particular place or time period and getting it as real as possible. On digital, the audience wants to get immersed in the characters’ lives. In the case of “Samantar” to get it as real as possible we visited 42 different locations and shot in chawls and ‘thanas’ so when you watch the show you get transported to their reality. The basic difference is how real and interesting you make the setting.

    While our strength is in creating Marathi content, recently we’ve been making Hindi content like “Raktanchal” and “Naxalbari.” The setting for these stories is in Maharashtra and Goa so even though the language is Hindi we’re able to depict the cultural nuances.

    Kartk: Every OTT platform has its own audience base. For MX Player, their major markets were in Maharashtra and the Hindi heartland. We study a platform before we create a piece of content. We dive into the culture, say for example a Maharashtrian couple who are staying in a Lalbaugh chawl and how they function. In the end, it is about understanding the dynamics and how the audience relates to the content.

    Recently, a lot of shows based on books have been working in the OTT space. From “Sacred Games” to “Scam 1992,” “Rocket Boys” to “Samantar.” We’re also looking at the biopic space that is becoming popular with digital audiences.

    We’re going to keep creating content that is based in Maharashtra. The show “Raktanchal” was based in the Hindi heartland and did really well. But our core strength is in Maharashtra and we have a dedicated writer’s room that works writing Marathi stories.

    On creating more shows with OTT players

    Kartk: In the two years of Covid, we transitioned heavily towards producing content for OTT platforms and we have kept that process going on. In 2020, we produced two series, followed by three series in 2021 and six shows underway in 2022. Our web division is growing. Films are also coming back. Currently, we’re working with director Vishal Furia of “Chhori” fame who recently created the web series “Forensic” featuring Vikrant Massey and Radhika Apte for Zee5. He’s going to direct the Hindi remake of Prime Video Original film “Bali” in collaboration with a top Bollywood actor. This year we have two theatrical releases, six web series and a major biopic starring a top Bollywood actress.

    We also do a lot of work on TV but only in the form of finite series. We have a finite series in development for a TV channel. Our scope of expertise is in telling finite stories though we produced 500 episodes of a successful show on Star Pravah called “Nakalat Sare Ghadale” which was the Marathi remake of the show “Yeh Hai Mohabbatein.”

    On their business model

    Arjun: When we are producing films the Intellectual Property (IP) always belongs to us. We have put in the investment and are taking the risk. Then we sell the media rights for so many years to various channels or platforms. For our web series, the IP belongs to the platform. Initially, we took the risk and made content because we didn’t want to wait for funds to get started.

    Still, we are continuously buying book rights and investing in screenplays. You start investing in a project on the basis of your faith in the writers and the content. In the content business, out of ten things that you’re working on, only three may go to production. As a production house, you need to keep investing money and pitch to platforms because they expect ideas from you. So, there’s a lot of investment that goes in.

    On the growth of the company and future outlook

    Kartk: We’ve been growing steadily since 2013 at an EBIDTA of 30-35 per cent annually. The biggest growth for our company comes from the IPs that we create. We keep adding new films to our library including ones that we create and acquisitions. If a web series is successful, platforms commission us to do the second and third seasons. Hopefully, we will be able to get to a stage where we create bigger series that are our own IPs like to do with our films and syndicate them to OTT platforms. Developing IP that we own is our ultimate goal.

    Arjun: There are around 300-400 people working for us every year on various projects. Every project has about 250 people working on it. We want to keep creating good content for TV, OTT and theatres which entertain people and give them something to talk about.

  • Zee5 announces its next thriller ‘Forensic’

    Zee5 announces its next thriller ‘Forensic’

    Mumbai: Building on its success with thrillers, Zee5 has announced its next project “Forensic” featuring Vikrant Massey and Radhika Apte. The psychological thriller also stars Prachi Desai, Vindu Dara Singh, and Rohit Roy in pivotal roles.

    Directed by Vishal Furia, “Forensic” is the Hindi remake of a Malayalam film of the same name and is set to premiere on Zee5 this year. It is produced by Mini Films and Soham Rockstar Entertainment.

    2022 saw a slew of thrillers including “Mithya,” “Love Hostel,” “Bloody Brothers,” and a glimpse of “Abhay 3” premiering on the platform.

    “Thrillers have been one of our best performing genres. In fact, starting 2022 we have introduced successful titles like Mithya, Love Hostel, Bloody Brothers, along with the upcoming Abhay 3,” said Zee5 India CBO Manish Kalra. “With this particular genre witnessing an overwhelming response from audiences, we’ve taken a concerted effort to diversify our content slate further with respect to thrillers as a category. In line with this strategy, we are happy to bring yet another intriguing title Forensic, with a prominent star-cast for our viewers.”

    “Forensic is one of those projects where we just knew that we had to make it. The film is a complete edge-of-the-seat thriller that will keep you hooked. ZEE5 has given a platform to many unique and important stories, and it has a wide reach globally so we are excited to be presenting ‘Forensic’ on this platform,” added producer Deepak Mukut.

    “A milligram of DNA can reveal the identity of a person. Forensic is a taut thriller with twists that will surprise and facts that will shock the viewers,” remarked director Vishal Furia.

  • Zee5 announces content slate of 20 Tamil originals for 2022

    Zee5 announces content slate of 20 Tamil originals for 2022

    Mumbai: OTT streaming service Zee5 is all set to launch 20 Tamil original series in 2022, Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (Zeel) chief cluster officer – South (linear and OTT) Siju Prabhakaran told IndianTelevision.com. Zee5 Tamil and Telugu language content library is second only to Hindi language content.

    The content lineup was announced at a star-studded gala in Chennai ahead of the Tamil New Year. The event was attended by director, screenwriter, and producer Vetrimaaran who is releasing his first original series “Nilamellam Ratham” featuring Ameer and music by Yuvan Shankar Raja on Zee5.

    He was joined by Prakash Raj who will star in a drama series “Anantham,” veteran actor Radikaa Sarathkumar who will feature in the political drama “Thalamai Seyalagam” and Kalidas Jayaram who will appear in “Paper Rocket.”

     Zee5’s Tamil content slate includes director Vijay’s teen dance drama “Five-Six-Seven-Eight,” “Kolaigara Kairegaial” directed by SR Prabhakaran and the mystical thriller “Aindham Vedham.”

    The showcase included a sneak peek into upcoming titles such as “Alma Mater,” “Ayali,” “Fingertip season 2” and films such as “Yaanai” featuring Arun Vijay and Priya Bhavani Shankar, “Thamezharasan” starring Vijay Anthony, Suresh Gopi, Sonu Sood and Remya Nambeesan.

    The cast and crew for Zee5’s most-watched Tamil original “Vilangu” were present at the event as well as the lead cast and crew of their shows “Malaysia to Amnesia” and “Vinodhaya Sitham.” Recently, Zee5 premiered the film “Valimai” starring Ajith which recorded 500 million streaming minutes of watch time on the platform, it said.

    “It is encouraging to see the momentum Zee5 has gained in expanding entertainment exposure for the creators and consumers alike with real, engaging, and authentic multilingual storytelling,” said Zee5 India chief business officer Manish Kalra. “Tapping into the hotbed of entertainment resulted in exponential success for us in the state of Tamil Nadu. Today, Zee5 has disrupted the Tamil industry with phenomenal response to content, bringing the best of Tamil talent to showcase their artistry across the globe. 2022 will see us double down on our focus for our viewers here and we have ensured the content lineup has something for everyone.”

    “We have been successful in creating a strong content repository for Zee5, offering a diverse range of content to viewers by leaning on our strong legacy and market expertise,” said Zeel’s Siju Prabhakaran. “The year is about to get more exciting as we bring to you over ten captivating original series and some of the most anticipated blockbuster movies, which will be available for our viewers in India and worldwide. The vibrant slate includes shows such as ‘Anantham’ featuring the prolific Prakash Raj, Vetrimaaran’s original series ‘Nilamellam Ratham’, new themes like Paper Rocket by ‘Kiruthiga Udhayanidhi,’ the return of a popular IP ‘Fingertip’ and many more to keep you captivated and at the edge of your seats. Besides, we are also keen to bring to fore stories which are the vision of promising budding makers and showcase fresh talent which may define the future of the Tamil OTT segment.”

    “We are delighted with the exponential growth of Zee5 in establishing itself as a prominent player in India’s exploding OTT ecosystem, especially our success with viewers across Tamil Nadu,” said Zeel’s head of content strategy business unit across TV and digital and international business Punit Misra. “We believe our clear design thinking and strategic approach to building a compelling slate along with our partnerships with the best of talent in Tamil Nadu and other key markets, will help accelerate the platform’s popularity further. What sets us apart is our approach to content design, which we call #SoultoScreen, which rests on an intimate understanding of the culture and people, creating stories and characters that are inspired from their life and crafted to stoke their imagination.”

  • Zee5 highlights regional offerings in a new campaign

    Zee5 highlights regional offerings in a new campaign

    Mumbai: Video streaming platform ZEE5 has announced the launch of the second edition of its campaign- ‘Dekhtey Reh Jaogey’ starring Sara Ali Khan and Amol Parashar. Revolving around the FOMO theme, the campaign showcases the platform’s content library, particularly the regional offerings.

    ZEE5 currently features 160+ live TV channels and 500,000+ hours of on-demand content spanning over 3,500 films, 1,750 TV shows, and 700 originals, in 12 Indian languages (English, Hindi, Bengali, Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Marathi, Oriya, Bhojpuri, Gujarati, and Punjabi), all available in a new subscription of Rs. 599.

    The SVOD viewers on the platform get access to the range of movies and web series behind the paywall, along with AVOD content before they are aired on TV. The AVOD content roster at ZEE5 includes catch-up episodes of the most popular TV shows on ZEE Network and other properties which are available for audiences to watch anytime, and anywhere.

    Over the past 12 months, ZEE5 has become the fastest growing OTT platform in India as per AppAnnie’s latest industry report. The platform’s monthly active users (MAU) rose to 101.9 million and global daily active users (DAUs) touched 9.6 million in December 2021. ZEE5 users watched an average of 201 minutes of content per month during the last quarter, with the platform releasing 51 shows and movies, including 11 originals during the period.

    ZEE5 has planned a high-frequency promotional outreach for the campaign across TV, social media, and the internet as part of a 360-degree approach.

     “At ZEE5, we have always aspired to democratise entertainment and provide quality content to our audiences at a price that is convenient for the majority of the viewers,” says ZEE5 India chief business officer Manish Kalra. “While ZEE5 has a large content library that spans across various languages, the second leg of the ‘Dekhtey Reh Jaogey’ campaign will help us exhibit our diverse content offerings, especially regional content and further our aim of deeper regionalisation by making deeper inroads into the country. With the new subscription package, viewers will have access to an endless supply of compelling and binge-worthy entertainment at an annual price of Rs. 599.”

    Lowe Lintas chief creative officer Sagar Kapoor adds, “Today, content has become the perfect conversation starter and enabler. Conversations are invariably peppered with references to dialogues and characters from content pieces across OTT platforms. It is the “conversation drama” that people miss out on when they miss content. We decided to build on this idea for ZEE5 to pull in their audiences every week to watch new shows and movies and stay above content FOMO, so they never miss out on the excitement on and off the screen.”

  • ‘Vilangu’ becomes the most-watched Tamil original series on Zee5

    ‘Vilangu’ becomes the most-watched Tamil original series on Zee5

    Mumbai: Zee5’s “Vilangu” has become the most-watched Tamil original series on the platform, the streamer announced on Wednesday.

    Starring Vemal in the lead role, the seven-episode series is directed by Prashanth Pandiyaraj and produced by Escape Artists Madan. The series began streaming on Zee5 starting from 18 February.

    The investigative drama has an IMDb rating of 8.1 that follows the protagonist Paridhi who is a sub-inspector in Vembur Police Station, Trichy. While trying to balance his personal and professional life, Paridhi is embroiled in a race against time to solve a mysterious crime. A special screening of the series was attended by the Kollywood fraternity and Tamil Nadu police, who praised the film on social media Twitter.

    “We are delighted to note the success and critical acclaim received by our original web series – ‘Vilangu’,” said Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd chief cluster officer – South Siju Prabhakaran. “With 20+ Zee5 originals, we have been disrupting the Tamil entertainment industry and growing our dominance in the market. Zee5 has been successful in churning out creative content for its viewers while experimenting with a wide range of genres for our audiences globally. From blockbuster movies and light-hearted comedy shows to dark crime-thrillers, the wide portfolio of shows has been instrumental in the surge in viewership appealing to both older and newer audiences. The response received by ‘Vilangu’ has strengthened our commitment to continue on this journey of engaging and entertaining audiences with ground-breaking content.”

  • Hope 2022 will see Zindagi also going back to its loyal TV audience: Zee’s Shailja Kejriwal

    Hope 2022 will see Zindagi also going back to its loyal TV audience: Zee’s Shailja Kejriwal

    Zee Entertainment Enterprises (Zee) chief creative officer – special projects Shailja Kejriwal, and her brainchild Zindagi channel have had an equally unpredictable, yet exciting journey in the world of media and entertainment. As a visionary storyteller, Kejriwal, to her credit has critically acclaimed content brands and initiatives like Zindagi, Zee Theatre, Star Bestsellers, and an unconventional series of short films called “Zeal for Unity” on one hand, and the TRP-churning, K-series of Indian family dramas on the other.

    Zindagi launched on television in 2014 with the Pakistani soap opera “Aunn Zara,” which ended in just 20 days, a rather ‘blasphemous’ occurrence in the pre-OTT days when TV serials ran into as many 2000+ episodes. With real characters who didn’t wear make-up to bed and finite storylines, the channel came in like a breath of fresh air. Becoming an instant hit, it went on to launch Pakistani stars like Fawad Khan, Sanam Saeed, and Mahira Khan with the popular dramas “Zindagi Gulzar Hai” and “Humsafar.”

    However, post the 2016 Uri attack, Zindagi had to pull the plug on all Pakistani content. Eventually wrapping up on TV, it became a digital-only channel. Starting out on the Ozee app, and later as Zindagi Digital, the channel finally launched on Zee5 in 2020. In the same year, Zindagi began its Originals innings with Asim Abbasi–directed web series “Churails” (2020). It was followed by “Ek Jhoothi Love Story” – a romantic comedy directed by Mehreen Jabbar, the critically acclaimed series “Dhoop Ki Deewar” featuring Ahad Raza Mir and Sajal Aly, “Qatil Haseenaon Ke Naam” – a desi noir anthology helmed by British Indian director Meenu Gaur, and most recently (11 March) Kashif Nisar’s “Mrs & Mr Shameem” – featuring Saba Qamar and Nauman Ijaz.

    Kejriwal’s constant endeavour through all the challenges has been to keep brand Zindagi alive and thriving. In a freewheeling interaction with IndianTelevision.com, she talks about “Mrs & Mr Shameem,” Zindagi’s digital journey, programming for the South Asian audience and diaspora, creating content from out of Pakistan, and her content philosophy.

    Content, cause and creativity

    ‘Short-run programming,’ ‘Hindustani content,’ ‘content for cause,’ ‘alternative mainstream,’ while the content on Zindagi has been classified as all of these and more, the idea behind the brand is simply to tell stories that have a purpose, and hence says Kejriwal, the brief is always ‘why is this story being told,’ and ‘how it will impact those watching it.’

    “There has to be a social comment in our stories; something which provides a different point of view. I believe that in today’s times when everything around us is changing, storytellers have to explore new ways of telling stories, new ways of talking about love and relationships,” she tells.

    Zindagi’s latest release “Mrs & Mr Shameem,” for instance, questions ‘who is the ideal man,’ ‘does he always have to be aggressive,’ ‘can he be like Shameem who is seen as effeminate?’ “What I also like about Shameem’s character is that he doesn’t feel like a victim of this perception of him being ‘less of a man.’ I loved the positivity in the show, and the fact that it is inclusive,” she adds.

    Programming for the South Asian audience

    Programming for the South Asian audience

    Zindagi began in 2014 with a clear roadmap of ‘curate, create and collaborate.’ The channel’s TV days comprised the ‘curation’ phase wherein it got a lot of Pakistani content to see how people liked/consumed it, and the response, shares Kejriwal, was phenomenal.

    “I haven’t met anyone who doesn’t tell me that at least one person in their family watched Zindagi,” she says, adding that, “We also kind of expected that because a) Our shows were fresh, finite and meaningful, and b) there was a lot of curiosity about Pakistan among Indians. While our shared history, language and geographies were an important reason behind it, primarily it was the fact that we’ve not had any visual reference of Pakistan since the 80’s, except the news media. On the other hand, Pakistanis have grown up watching us through our films.”

    The phase Zindagi is in right now on Zee5 is phase two of ‘Creation.’ Moving a step ahead from launching Pakistani actors, the channel began involving writers and directors in creating content for its South Asian audience. That’s when the ‘Originals’ happened. The third phase of collaboration where it hopes to be in the coming years will invite talent from both sides of the border to work together.

    Zindagi’s digital journey

    According to Kejriwal, the biggest advantage OTT as a medium offers is the freedom to tell stories that could not have been told on television.

    Sharing some snippets from what she calls “a fantastic journey on digital.” “It gave us the chance to work with a new wave of filmmakers like Asim Abbasi and Meenu Gaur. Even though Gaur is not into making Pakistani dramas, her work has a distinct South Asian approach that reciprocates with our TG. OTT provided us the platform to experiment and create content that is truly international in its making, and aimed different cohorts,” Kejriwal notes.

    “So, while ‘Churails’ caters to the upmarket or niche and younger audience, ‘Dhoop Ki Deewar’ is meant for family viewing in tier 1 cities. ‘Qatil Haseenaon Ke Naam’ is a metro-centric content piece. ‘Ek Jhoothi Love Story’ and ‘Mrs & Mr Shameem’ are suited for family viewing for audiences across tier 1 and 2 cities,” she further adds.

    Kejriwal says that she is most excited about bringing back Fawad Khan and Sanam Saeed with a new show and a completely new genre and concept of ‘magic realism’ – a first on Zindagi. “We could not have done this on TV where people are used to seeing them in a ‘Zindagi Gulzar Hai.’ That’s the fun of creating for OTT,” she states.  

    And there’s the math too! “We programme for the South Asian audience and South Asian diaspora. When we talk of OTT, we don’t talk of India alone, but the global market. There is a huge Pakistani diaspora that does not have a truly dedicated OTT platform of its own. Therefore, it becomes a low-hanging fruit for us. Our shows have a tremendous fan following among them,” she asserts.

    Back to TV?

    Kejriwal observes that even though OTT allows the freedom to experiment, the audience is becoming increasingly concerned about not getting lost in discovering content and surfing through it.

    “Content discovery can be an overwhelming task, and I propose to make the discovery of Zindagi simpler. That’s where television comes in for me,” she notes. “This is not to take away from the medium, but while the independence OTT gives is amazing, the loyalty on TV is great. OTT has kind of consolidated our viewership across demographics. I hope that 2022 will also see me going back to my loyal audiences on TV.”

  • Non-metro locations emerging as hotbed for online gaming: Report

    Non-metro locations emerging as hotbed for online gaming: Report

    Mumbai: With the advent of technology, the online gaming industry has been growing aggressively for the last couple of years. Today with 433 million gamers, India is home to the world’s second-largest online gaming market by volume. To understand the changing dynamic of the e-gaming industry, ZEE5 has released its Intelligence Monitor report on online gaming consumer insights and trends. 

    The report aims to get a deeper understanding of the changes that are influencing the landscape basis of a consumer survey by ZEE5.

    The objective is to gauge the changes in consumption patterns and consumer attitudes in India based on a survey conducted with ZEE5 viewers in over 146 cities. Let’s look at the report’s findings to understand expected and asynchronous e-commerce industry trends.

    According to ZEEL chief operations officer – revenue Rajiv Bakshi, entertainment and gaming have a symbiotic relationship owing to the mind space both occupy amongst consumers. “We have lots of female leads hailing from almost every market in India. Marketers can leverage their popularity to build stronger relationships with their audience,” said Bakshi talking about how “ZEE5 can be a partner to the e-gaming brands in building trust among prospective customers. “ZEE5 has a lot of actionable insights already available to them such as their current aspirations, what they are consuming, and how they are spending their time that will be helpful to the e-gaming players in connecting with these audiences.”

    Following are the findings from the ZEE5 report:

    Online gaming cuts across demographics and cohorts.

    The report reveals that 59 per cent of survey participants are presently involved in online gaming. If we talk about the demography, 57 per cent of females prefer playing online games against 60 per cent of males. A significant reason behind this shift is the democratisation of affordable smartphones and internet penetration. Another eye-catching data point discovered in the research is the number of games users play. The survey reveals that 58 per cent of the audiences have more than three games installed on their phone at a time. Seeing the data findings, Gaussian Network CEO   says, what we currently see is just the tip of the iceberg as far as online gaming in India is concerned. With a massive user base that cuts across demographics, the ability of gaming brands to tap and monetise it will determine the future.

    Consumers’ gaming habits evolved sharply during the lockdown

    The report also reveals that lockdown has fueled the online gaming industry’s growth significantly. This brought a significant shift in the ways audiences engage in entertainment and recreation activities. Undoubtedly the pandemic followed by a series of lockdowns brought in-person socializing to a grinding halt, and people were left with limited options for entertainment. If we go by the survey, more than 50 per cent of the respondents registered an increase in their online gaming consumption, with over 53 per cent of respondents playing online games at least five times a week. Three out of every four respondents play at least one and half hours every day, stated the report.

    Games24x7 head of digital marketing Vatsal Shah also agrees that the online gaming industry has seen a massive spike in engagement since the pandemic. “In addition to traditional entertainment content, gaming emerged as a leading form of recreation led by growth across parameters of consumption and engagement,” he said.

    Online gaming has grown across genres

    Coming to the gaming genres, the report found that the audience’s preference is evenly split between casual, fantasy, and multiplayer games. While male audiences indicate a preference for fantasy sports and multiplayer games, female participants prefer casual gaming.

    TV and OTT platforms influence the consumption of online gaming

    The ZEE5 Intelligence Report also highlighted that the propensity of consumers interacting with one game increases once they see an ad. And it’s no hidden fact that advertising builds trust and brand recall value in the minds of the consumers. But how can e-gaming brands advertise when platforms like playstore don’t allow fantasy and real money games to be listed. Here comes the advantage of the OTT platforms.

    Interestingly, TV and OTT platforms have been the major influencers to boost online gaming consumption. The report stated that one out of two gamers are likely to try a new game after watching an advertisement on TV or OTT. As the gaming industry matures and gamers open up to new and innovative concepts, we can expect exciting collaborations and crossover developments in the space that could unlock substantial value, adds Bakshi.

    Non-metro locations are emerging as a hotbed for online gaming.

    One of the most critical findings of the report is the growth of online gaming in non-metro locations. According to the survey, the growth in non-metro locations outstripped metros. While 63 per cent of non-metro users played at least five times a week, 39 per cent of the respondents played for more than 60 minutes, with the corresponding number for metros at 43 per cent and 37 per cent, respectively. At the same time, non-metro audiences have a higher frequency of playing online games.

    As far as the genre is concerned, fantasy gaming is taking the lead in non-metro locations. Surprisingly, 39 per cent of the respondents preferred online fantasy sports games.

    The survey by ZEE5 is sufficient to prove how gaming has now emerged as a pan-India phenomenon. Experts believe while some challenges persist, the increased exposure and accessibility to online gaming among users augur well for the industry. However, for gaming companies, particularly those involving real money, their inability to advertise due to regulatory restrictions remains a considerable hurdle to raising awareness among the consumers.

  • Zee5, Applause announce latest collaboration with ‘Bloody Brothers’

    Zee5, Applause announce latest collaboration with ‘Bloody Brothers’

    Mumbai: After the launch of “Kaun Banegi Shikharwati” and “Mithya” (premiering on 18 February), streaming platform Zee5 has announced its third project “Bloody Brothers,” as a part of its multi-show partnership with Applause Entertainment. The upcoming show is the Indian adaptation of British mystery thriller “Guilt.”

    Directed by Shaad Ali and produced by Applause Entertainment in association with BBC Studios India, the six-part series will premiere on Zee5 next month.

    “Bloody Brothers” is headlined by Jaideep Ahlawat and Mohd Zeeshan Ayyub. The cast includes Tina Desai, Shruti Seth, Maya Alagh, Mugdha Godse, Satish Kaushik and Jitendra Joshi. 

    The series revolves around the lives of two brothers, Jaggi and Daljeet. While the elder brother Jaggi enjoys the comfort of a wealthy and seemingly perfect life, the younger one Daljeet struggles to survive running a vintage book shop cum café. Their life spins out of control when a tragic accident occurs and distrust starts enveloping their lives, creating a rift between them and everyone around. The series builds with some edge-of-the-seat plot twists and turns.

    “We are happy to further enhance Zee5’s slate with premium and quality content that will resonate with viewers,” said Zee5 CBO Manish Kalra. “In ‘Bloody Brothers’ we have explored the realm of dark comedy, with a stellar star cast in an unconventional setting. The focus has been to experiment with genres, narratives and multi-layered characters for increased authenticity and resonance. We are looking forward to viewers’ reaction to this content, which is through our partnership with Applause Entertainment.”

    “With ‘Bloody Brothers’ we add another captivating story to our content slate. It is a story of two brothers who must stick together to fight through a challenging situation,” commented Zee5 CCO Hindi originals Nimisha Pandey. “Jaideep and Zeeshan are an absolute delight as Jaggi and Daljeet. I am extremely happy to have partnered with Sameer, Applause and BBC Studios India on this series packed with unexpected plot twists and black humour. The show cannot be boxed in one genre and that is one of the many fascinating things about it. We are very excited for the viewers to experience this tale.”

    “Even as we gear up for the launch of ‘Mithya,’ we are delighted to announce our third collaboration with Zee5. With a show packed with powerful performances and a riveting plot, we are happy to continue creating unique, popular and distinctive entertainment for our audiences across the globe,” added Applause Entertainment CEO Sameer Nair.