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Tag: Zee5

  • We have taken a relook at our entire strategy at Zee5: Punit Goenka

    We have taken a relook at our entire strategy at Zee5: Punit Goenka

    KOLKATA: The over-the-top (OTT) market is ripe for growth in India, the segment which has emerged as one of the most obvious winners in the pandemic time. Most OTT platforms in India have multiplied their user base over the last year. Zee5 was no exception as it also drew more viewers to its platform, but it may take some time before the paid subscription base is reflected in its overall revenue.

    Zee5’s global monthly active users (MAU) and daily active users (DAU) have gone up to 72.6 million, 6.1 million respectively in q4 from 65.9 million, 5.4 million in the q3. Despite the growth, its revenue has declined to Rs 107.5 crore in the quarter from Rs 117.8 crore. However, EBITDA loss has come down to Rs 162.5 core from Rs 175.7 crore in q3.

    The fall in revenue is on account of advertising, Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (ZeeL) MD & CEO Punit Goenka said in a conference call post the earnings. But that is cyclical in nature, Goenka noted. Along with that, pending telco deal renewal is another reason for the drop in revenue. Moreover, the platform saw a bump up in revenue in the previous quarter because of the festive season, ZeeL investor relations, corporate strategy head Bijal Shah added.

    However, Zee5 may see a better result in Q1 of FY22 as the blockbuster Radhe has premiered on the platform and management seems confident about the movie’s performance. “Radhe has done what we expected it to do for us,” Goenka highlighted saying the film has been quite successful for the platform. However, he did not delve into deeper numbers as it has been only a week since the release of the movie. The company hopes Zee5 revenues to move up in Q1 on the back of the film along with other reasons.

    Predominantly, the platform’s MAUs and DAUs are coming from its own organic growth as telco partnerships are only on the subscription side. On the AVoD side, 90 per cent of users are coming from India as there are few international markets of Zee5 with an advertising model. As the platform plans to launch Zee5 in the UK, US, Europe market, those markets will only have a subscription-led model.

    “We are seeing people moving to SVOD service (in India). It is slow but it is certainly heartening to see people who come to the funnel of catch up TV and then move to paid services,” Goenka added.

    Zee5 last year took several new innovations like adding education content, gamification of shows, and launching short video segments. Goenka was asked on the call why Zee5 didn’t continue its efforts in those segments. “We never got into e-learning, gamification itself. These initiatives were partner driven,” he responded.

    “Certainly, a lot of our content may not have succeeded or was not for the right audience base that we have seen but we have taken a relook at our entire strategy at Zee5. We planned to reduce the pricing to Rs 499 per year in line with what is happening in the market. That is one value proposition,” Goenka quipped.

    “Other value proposition is going to be a focus on good quality content in the form of films as well as originals across multiple languages that we are going to focus on going forward,” he stated further.  Goenka also remarked that Zee5 is going to focus on the tech platform significantly for it to be an app that can delight consumers.

  • ZeeL clocks strong quarter with Rs 275.8 crore profit

    ZeeL clocks strong quarter with Rs 275.8 crore profit

    KOLKATA: Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (ZeeL) has posted operating revenue of Rs 1965.8 crore for the fourth quarter. The leading broadcaster has reported a consolidated net profit of Rs 275.8 crore for the quarter ended March.

    Advertising revenue for the quarter stood at Rs 1123 crore and subscription revenue was at Rs 803.4 crore. The company said the growth in subscription revenue was driven by Zee5.

    Domestic advertising revenue for the quarter grew by 8.9 per cent year-on-year driven by the continued recovery in the macro advertising environment. Overall, domestic advertising revenue declined by 19.7 per cent in the financial year 2020-21 due to the continued impact of the pandemic in H1.

    Programming cost, excluding one-time inventory write-off of Rs. 259.8 crore, declined by 19.2 per cent during the quarter, primarily due to lower accelerated inventory amortisation this quarter; Adjusted programming cost for the year declined by 8.2 per cent due to lower original programming during first quarter.

    Zee5’s revenue and EBITDA for the quarter stood at Rs 107.5 crore, Rs (162.5) crore. The platform’s global monthly active users (MAUs) 72.6 million monthly active users, daily active users (DAUs)6.1 million global DAUs at the end of March. Zee5 viewers spent 156 minutes on average per month.

  • 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.”

  • For ‘Bhai’ fans & others, here’s what not to miss on OTT this week

    For ‘Bhai’ fans & others, here’s what not to miss on OTT this week

    KERALA: As more and more people remain in the safety of their homes due to the pandemic raging outside, OTT platforms like Netflix, Disney+Hotstar, Amazon Prime Video, and Zee5 are providing ample doses of entertainment to keep the audience stress-free. 

    Indiantelevision.com presents you with the list of five most-anticipated movies that will be screened on OTT platforms this week. 

    Radhe (Zee5 and Zee Plex)

    Salman Khan’s Radhe, directed by Prabhu Deva, is one of the most anticipated movies of the year. After postponing its release multiple times, the makers have now decided to release the film simultaneously in theatres and on Zee5 and Zee Plex as a pay-per-view on 13 May.

    Radhe is the first Indian movie to have a hybrid release, and it is still unclear how audiences will welcome this new strategy, as partial lockdowns have been imposed in several states and PVoD is yet to find many takers in India.

    A high-voltage action thriller, Radhe will see Salman Khan playing the role of a daredevil cop on a mission to stamp out drug cartels. The film is produced by Salman Khan, Sohail Khan, and Atul Agnihotri and also stars Disha Patani, Randeep Hooda, and Jackie Shroff in pivotal roles. 

    The Woman in the Window (Netflix)

    Directed by acclaimed filmmaker Joe Wright, The Woman in the Window will arrive on Netflix India 14 May. The film is a psychological thriller and has a power-packed ensemble cast comprising Amy Adams, Gary Oldman, Anthony Mackie, Fred Hechinger, Wyatt Russell, Brian Tyree Henry, Jennifer Jason Leigh, and Julianne Moor. 

    The film revolves around Dr Anna Fox (Amy Adams), an agoraphobic psychologist who befriends a neighbour across the street. However, things take an unexpected turn in her life when the neighbour disappears. 

    The Underground Railroad (Amazon Prime Video)

    Historical drama series The Underground Railroad will premiere on Amazon Prime Video 14 May. The series has at its centre a young woman who escapes from a Georgia plantation, and boards a train seeking freedom. However, things take a turn when she gets hunted by a dreaded slave catcher. 

    Directed by Barry Jenkins, the series stars Thuso Mbedu, Chase W Dillon, Aaron Pierre, and Joel Edgerton in the lead roles. The Underground Railroad is based on the novel of the same name by Colson Whitehead. 

    High School Musical: The Series season 2 (Disney+ Hotstar)

    Disney+Hotstar has confirmed that the second season of High School Musical: The Series will drop on 14 May. The second season will portray the story of East High Leopards as they prepare to perform Beauty and the Beast as their spring musical, and face off against rival school North High. 

    High School Musical: The Series season 2 will have Olivia Rodrigo, Joshua Bassett, Matt Cornett, Sofia Wylie, Larry Sapperstein, Julia Lester, Dara Renée, Frankie Rodriguez, and Kate Reinders in the lead roles. 

    Unfriended (Netflix)

    Unfriended will begin streaming on Netflix 16 May. The film was originally released in 2014 and due to repeated requests, the OTT platform has decided to bring back the movie again on their platform. 

    The movie revolves around the life of six teenagers who get a shock of their lives when they receive a message from their deceased friend during a video chat. Directed by Levan Gabriadze, this film stars Shelley Hennig, Moses Storm, Renee Olstead, Will Peltz, Jacob Wysocki, and Courtney Halverson. 

  • 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. 

  • Zee5’s customer strategy head Anita Nayyar quits

    Zee5’s customer strategy head Anita Nayyar quits

    KOLKATA: Senior media and marketing professional Anita Nayyar has moved on from OTT platform Zee5. Nayyar was heading customer strategy and relationships at the organisation.

    In her expansive career spanning over 20 years, Nayyar has been instrumental in driving strategic business development, client relations and creative narratives for brands across her stints at varied Indian and global firms.

    Prior to Zee5, she was associated with Havas Media Group as the CEO India & southeast Asia. She has been acclaimed and received accolades on various platforms over the years for her leadership and achievements.

    She also worked with Starcom, Mudra Communications at the outset of her career. She is skilled in digital strategy, marketing strategy, digital marketing, digital media planning and buying.

  • 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.