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Tag: Zee5

  • ZEE5 Partners with Kellton Tech to Shift from Legacy to Hyper-Scalable, Cloud-Native CMS

    ZEE5 Partners with Kellton Tech to Shift from Legacy to Hyper-Scalable, Cloud-Native CMS

    Kellton Tech (BSE&NSE: KELLTONTEC), a global leader in digital transformation and integration, announced that it has been chosen by ZEE5, India’s Entertainment Super-app, to build a next-generation, cloud-native content management system (CMS) that delivers relevant, real-time content experiences across all constituents of business. 

    As a strategic digital partner, Kellton Tech will blend automation with smart cloud capabilities to build a hyper-scalable content management system that facilitates the capture, aggregation, management, and record of informationfaster and more conveniently through a plug-and-play approach.The new CMS will be built on a foundation of self-learning, analytical technologies to enable personalized content recommendations and deliveryforboosting viewer engagement and maximizing the value of subscription-based revenue constantly. 

    Karanjit Singh, CEO – Kellton Tech India, said: 

    “Our collaboration with ZEE5 marks the beginning of an important collaborative milestone for Kellton Tech. This is a huge opportunity for us to showcase our forward-looking digital capabilities and deploy our bespoke integrated planning approaches. This project, powered by new-age digital technologies, will provide access to relevant insights and help ZEE5 gain operational efficiency, resulting in faster creation, moderation, and dissemination of content. We look forward to creating long-lasting value for ZEE5 and supporting its growth momentum.”

    Rajneel Kumar, Business Head – Expansion Projects & Head Products at ZEE5 India, said: 

    “ZEE5 is a classic consumer first brand and it takes the best of content, data and cutting-edge technology to delight users on the go. Our partnership with Kellton Tech is one such strategic step taken towards optimizing the platform capabilities to stay relevant, facilitate greater user engagement, conversion, and retention. We are committed to invest aggressively in technology that enables us to deliver a superlative content viewing experience for our audiences anytime, anywhere.”
     

  • ZEE5’s Manpreet Bumrah joins Eros STX Global Corp

    ZEE5’s Manpreet Bumrah joins Eros STX Global Corp

    KOLKATA: Content powerhouse Eros International (Eros STX) has appointed Manpreet Bumrah as senior vice president- distribution and alliance, techzone head. He will continue to be based out of Mumbai.

    Prior to this, Bumrah was working with leading OTT platform ZEE5 as vice president- business development and commercials. At ZEE5, he was spearheading the strategic partnerships with telecom operators,  e-commerce players, OEM manufacturers, edutainment platforms and tech partners.  

    Read more news on Eros STX Global

    He has nearly two decades of rich experience in business development, customer relation, revenue expansion. Bumrah, an alumnus of Symbiosis Institute of Management Studies, has worked across brands including LG Electronics, Vodafone, Reliance Broadcast Network, Samtel and others.

  • Industry bigwigs sound the alarm on piracy from OTT platforms

    Industry bigwigs sound the alarm on piracy from OTT platforms

    KOLKATA: Digital piracy is nothing new. But it has registered a massive uptick as millions of people have been forced to stay cooped up in their homes because of the Covid2019 pandemic. Illegal streaming could cost the industry around $12.5 billion by 2024 and the only way to curb the threat is a concerted effort by policy makers and service providers, according to experts.

    In a webinar hosted by Indiantelevision.com, panellists agreed that a 360 degree approach can help win the battle against piracy. ZEE5 India technology head Tushar Vohra, SonyLIV technology head Manish Verma, Synamedia intelligence and security operations VP Avigail Gutman participated in the discussion, which was moderated by Indiantelevision.com founder, CEO and editor-in-chief Anil Wanvari.

    Gutman elaborated on how piracy from streaming platforms has come to be the most significant problem in the last five-ten years. Content is being extracted from the devices from where it is legitimately supplied, says Gutman. Along with that, another kind of copyright violation has emerged including identity theft and skimming of customer credentials. While there are many security solutions that prevent older forms of piracy, streaming is now “the lowest hanging fruit” for pirates.

     

     

    With more and more people switching to digital platforms, piracy is also increasing in tandem, states SonyLIV’s Manish Verma, agreeing to the fact that the issue is ever-evolving. He explained that it started with a very simple process like deep linking of content. It went one step further when people started using proxy and VPN to stream content illegally. This gradually devolved into credential theft, identity sharing, screen mirroring and copying the content on screen.

    Read more news on OTT

    Verma believes that the rise in content piracy has a lot to do with malpractices on social media platforms like Telegram, which allows people to share large multimedia files without supervision. The messenger app became immensely popular after the government crackdown on peer-to-peer file sharing sites, better known as torrents. While the company behind the app claims to have a zero tolerance policy on pirated content, its encryption makes it nearly impossible to find out what users are sharing.

    “With content acquisition and content production costs increasing – whether it is for original content or live sports events –it is very important for us to see what all we can do to stop piracy,” he added.

    ZEE5’s Vohra pointed out how they witnessed a big spike in piracy in the wake of Covid2019 crisis. As TV content dried up with the beginning of lockdown, the platform saw a huge increase in credential theft, and original content getting pirated. This is only going to increase as people have now already tasted original premium content, he warned. 

    “It is easy for pirate services to lure audience as they combine content from several platforms and offer it freely or for a much lower price,” Vohra said. Clearly, 360 investment from content owners, communities, governments and lawmakers is the need of the hour to tackle this challenge.

    With the evolution in the nature of piracy, security solutions have also changed. Verma said that at the outset, the platform used to take basic steps earlier as the volume of traffic and impact wasn’t very high. Then they went from encrypting content, user URLs, using DRMs to blocking proxy and VPN access. Now, they’re looking at more advanced measures at different layers to make the service completely watertight against piracy.

    On the other hand, ZEE5’s Vohra said that the company believes in creating a barrier. It is trying to warn pirates that ZEE5 can catch them by figuring out their IP, user id, device etc. The platform is working on a forensic watermark to be launched on the web player in October. Later, it will be launched on all applications expect for KAIOS by end of December. He is optimistic that the OTT service will be in a better position after six months.

    “We were engaging with the government of India for data protection laws and we stressed content protection as one of the most important clauses that the lawmakers should take up. We are seeing good results from that engagement. We are hopeful that a new law that doubles down on copyright protection will be introduced by April,” Vohra added.

    Gutman concurred that there is great need for stricter law enforcement as hackers are attacking DRMs exploiting the loopholes, legitimate CDNs, video services. As piracy becomes increasingly sophisticated, it demands equally progressive regulations to check it.

  • Vi to offer free ZEE5 premium subscription

    Vi to offer free ZEE5 premium subscription

    The newest telecom brand Vi has rolled out an exciting proposition for its prepaid customers that will enable them to enjoy one year of ZEE5 premium membership at no additional cost. The offer is applicable to select data plans starting from Rs 405 and will provide Vi customers access to ZEE5’s premium bespoke content in 12 languages across originals, shows and blockbuster movies.  

    Inviting all mobile customers with discerning entertainment choices to avail of this attractive offer,  Vodafone Idea marketing director Avneesh Khosla said, “Content consumption has seen an explosion as consumers today are spending 25 per cent-30 per cent more time (over three hours per day) watching varied content on their devices.. ZEE5 as a leading OTT platform has a rich and diverse content repertoire that appeals to a  wide cross-section of society. Their large library of movies and original shows in Hindi and other regional languages makes them an ideal partner as it helps us appeal to a large cross-section of the smartphone population in this country that is seeking to do more with their mobile devices. With the new Rs. 405 ZEE5 Recharge pack that we are launching – we are providing the consumer the best of both worlds – access to the   best entertainment on ZEE 5 for one year coupled with huge telco benefits – an unbeatable combination that delivers great value to consumers.”

    The annual ZEE5 membership is available with Vi data plans with recharge value of Rs 355, Rs 405, Rs 595, Rs 795 and Rs 2595.

    Speaking on the collaboration, ZEE5 India senior vice president and SVOD head Rahul Maroli said, “ZEE5 and Vi are classic consumer first brands, and this collaboration exemplifies this core DNA that these brands have been built on, by bundling the best of entertainment offering for the ever-evolving digital consumers of India and Bharat. As part of this unique offering, Vi users will get one-year access to the premium bespoke content that ZEE5 has on offer across 12 languages with the 5 Vi prepaid recharge packs. This partnership is of many firsts and it aims to provide a superior content watching experience to the Vi users at their convenience.” 

  • 65% millennials and Gen Z prefer OTT over TV, report says

    65% millennials and Gen Z prefer OTT over TV, report says

    KOLKATA: Urban India’s youth has relied on OTT platforms to kill monotony. Amid other options, the streaming services have emerged as the most popular source of entertainment as 70 per cent of the youth have turned towards OTT platforms in their spare time. Along with existing subscribers, new OTT subscription purchases during the lockdown period spiked throughout the country across demographics.

    According to a report from The Data Sciences Division of Dentsu Aegis Network (DAN) India, 65 per cent of millennials (25-39 years) and Gen Z (5-25 years) prefer consuming video content on an OTT platform over TV. The younger the audience is, the habit of consuming OTT is higher. The report also shows that daily OTT content consumption among Gen Z is higher than millennials. 

    While before lockdown 95 per cent of the respondents used to consume only two-three hours of daily content, during lockdown on average each millennial has consumed 1.66 hours of additional content and GenZ is consuming two-three hours of additional content too.

    As a result of having more time at hand, binge-watching is becoming a prime trait of popular culture. While five per cent of the research universe has claimed to consume between six-twelve hours of daily content on OTT platforms in pre-pandemic period, currently 20 per cent of the sample is enjoying binge-watching. Millennials and Gen Z’ s purchased two and three additional OTT platform subscriptions respectively since the start of the lockdown. The average daily consumption hours have remained around four hours.

    The international platforms with expanding local content library are becoming popular choices. 60 per cent of the sample has a subscription to either Amazon Prime Video or Netflix. Disney+Hotstar also has been able to attract nearly 19 per cent of the urban youth. Homegrown platforms like ZEE5, Voot are creating a buzz gradually. Comedy, thriller and action-based entertainment were the top three preferences of GenZ audiences while millennials were more inclined towards consuming a lot more Sci-Fi over thrillers. Money Heist, Breaking Bad, Paatal Lok, Narcos, Riverdale, Friends were all the rage among the episodic content. 

    Another interesting trend that has come out of the study is that OTT based gaming has gained significant popularity during the lockdown period. While the curve of heavy gaming remained constant, casual gaming saw a steep increase in popularity. However, millennial audiences were significantly less likely to consume OTT based gaming when compared to their GenZ counterparts.

    OTT platforms have traditionally been more favoured by the young audience for the nature of the content it produces. Surprisingly, 11 per cent of the respondents criticised OTT platforms of imposing, glorifying and promoting “Content disgracing a religion or a caste”. These criticisms were accompanied by a majority (73 per cent) criticising the depiction of anti-national sentiment, foul language and bold as well as smutty content.  “Pop up Ads” were also criticised for harming the seamless viewing experience. Despite the growth of broadband across the country, connectivity issues are prevailing until now.

    The OTT industry is anticipated to grow 45.5 per cent during the forecast period 2019 to 2026. Along with the humongous growth, increased collaborations between OTT platforms and pay up TV, further hybridization and evolution of OTT monetization models could be more noticed going forward. India is expected to emerge as the second-largest OTT market with 500 million users by 2020 itself. 

  • Leading OTT players agree to universal self-regulation code

    Leading OTT players agree to universal self-regulation code

    KOLKATA: The Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) has unveiled the Universal Self-Regulation Code for OCCPs (“Code”). The code has been adopted by 15 leading Online Curated Content Providers in India. The present set of signatories include Zee5, Viacom 18, Disney+Hotstar, Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, MX Player, Jio Cinema, Eros Now, Alt Balaji, Arre, HoiChoi, Hungama, Shemaroo, Discovery Plus, Flickstree.

    The goal of this industry-wide effort is to empower consumers with information and tools to assist them in making informed choice with regard to viewing decisions for them and their families, while at the same time, nurturing creativity and providing creators the freedom to tell the finest stories. By aiming to do what is best for both consumers and creators as guiding principles, the Code intends for India to be one of the most dynamic and fastest-growing entertainment industries in the world.

    To give consumers more choice and control, the Universal Self-Regulation Code includes a framework for age classification and content descriptions for titles as well as access control tools. The code also introduces a clear, transparent and structured grievance redressal and escalation mechanism for reporting non-compliance with the prescribed guidelines. As a part of this mechanism, each OCCP will set-up a consumer complaint department and/or an internal committee as well as advisory panel which will deal with complaints, appeals and escalations. The advisory panel will constitute a minimum of three members, including an independent external advisor and two senior executives of the respective OCCP. 

    IAMAI digital entertainment committee chairman Tarun Katial said, “The Universal Self-Regulation Code for OCCPs is built around a shared belief that consumer empowerment and creative excellence are key to the long-term success of the Indian entertainment industry. With the framework for age classification, content descriptions and parental controls in combination with a grievance redressal system, we’ve made it easier for consumers to make the right viewing decisions for themselves and their families.” 

    “The combination of empowering consumers and enabling creative excellence will help Online Curated Content Providers be at the forefront of taking the best stories from India to the world and bringing the finest stories from around the world to Indian consumers. Most of the major streaming services have adopted the Code and we look forward to others joining.” he added.

    The code is effective from 15 August and allows OCCPs to comply with all the guidelines in a timebound manner. Each signatory to the code has agreed to appoint an external advisor as part of the grievance redressal mechanism within 60 days from today.

  • Punit Goenka sets two prime goals for ZEEL in next few years

    Punit Goenka sets two prime goals for ZEEL in next few years

    KOLKATA: Over the years, Zee Entertainment Entertainment Limited (ZEEL) has ruled the Indian pay-TV ecosystem. A slowing economy, the arrival of new entertainment offerings along with challenges at the promoter level had compounded the difficulties for the network. But as they say “the show must go on”, ZEEL continued its operation without minimum interruptions. The network which has been always in the range of 16-18 per cent despite all hardships is now aiming to take over “one quarter” of the country’s viewership.

    A road to growth and recovery:

    During a session at MPA’S second leg of APOS 2020, ZEEL MD & CEO Punit Goenka spoke about the goals he has set for the next few years. It is no wonder that its rising digital business acquires a major space in its strategy where Goenka sees a potential of the 4x-5x rise in revenue in the next four years. But that is not overpowering ZEEL’s core strength i.e. domestic broadcast business. “My target in the next two-three years is that I want to own one-quarter of viewership of this country,” Goenka stated.

    The regional markets hold the potential to make ZEEL achieve this target. In many markets, ZEEL reaped the benefits of being an early mover. It has been able to get eyeballs in other markets too. Its newly launched Punajbi GEC channel made it to the top in terms of viewership in just three months. Goenka reiterated his belief in the regional market – “I do believe there is still room for the regional segment.”

    He is not very happy with its flagship channel ZEE TV’s performance lately. While Covid2019 has definitely bruised the business, he added that it had lost market share in the pre-pandemic period also. However, he emphasised that it is on its way to recovery and fairly optimistic about the next two quarters. Goenka is not only happy about its Hindi GEC channel but the recovery of the overall network in the same period, even for ZEE5’s advertising revenue. 

    “From my perspective, recovery in the advertising market has been reasonably good. I am pretty confident that from the next financial year, things will be back to normal and the country’s growth will fuel growth for advertising as well,” he stated. According to him, FMCG is at the forefront of advertising resurgence at this moment but going forward the advertising mix may change.

    Rebuilding ZEEL: 

    Amid debt issues of the promoter Essel Group, the last 18 months have not been very smooth. But Goenka said the company really never underwent that current. It was largely related to promoters and the financial crisis faced by them due to several market dynamics. 

    But he acknowledged that this phase was quite turbulent for him personally. “Being a part of the family it was my duty to take some of that burden and to share that and make sure we come out keeping our head held high. Because in the end,  the equity that we have built over being an entrepreneur for so many decades in the country can not be diluted by just one thing that happened. That took on me personally. But having come out of that last November, I have renewed the energy to come back to rebuild the glory that ZEE deserves,” he added.

    In late July, he laid out the roadmap for its new journey while clarifying it he is here to stay and lead the transformation in a letter to shareholders. Governance, granularity, growth, goodwill, and gusto are the five pillars of ZEE 4.0, he stated.

    The change and challenges in the ecosystem:

    One of the major issues, not less powerful than economic turmoil, the players in the industry are facing is regulatory changes. While his peers in the industry like Disney’s Uday Shankar earlier expressed the discontent over frequent change, Goenka reflected the same tone. 

    “Unfortunately, I don’t have much to talk about the regulator. Because I have not heard anywhere in the world regulation changes this frequently. Of course, it is the right thing to do in their wisdom. I believe when NTO 2.0 will be implemented. , the impact will be felt more by consumers than by content providers like us,” he added.

    “Its a function of fragmentation. At a time, we had only a national broadcaster that existed in this country and then came the time of private TV which was led by ZEE TV, and then a whole lot of people came into the market. Eventually, the market grows, and fragments. With the advent of new technologies, the market will further at best fragment and you will get smaller buckets of audiences. You are going to create content for a smaller bucket rather than creating for one size that fits all,” he commented on the overall ecosystem.

    The new bet:

    Well aware of the changes, ZEEL is trying to build a super app through ZEE5 to stay relevant. Where ZEE5 has already grown well in the domestic market on the back of local content, getting around 80 per cent revenue, from the country, it is now expecting to grow further in the west. ZEEL will soon shut the high-cost linear business in those markets and will deliver its content through ZEE5. The third or fourth generation diaspora audience who has lost connection to Indian content can come back to it through ZEE5. Taking ZEE5’s revenue up by four-five times in the next five years is his another major goal.

    With the new independent board, changes in the margin and cash-flow target, ZEEL is on the right track. But challenges overmount as deep-pocket international players target the Indian the market for the next phase of growth. Even the HBO Max can enter India in the next two-three years. The upcoming merger of Sony and Viacom18 will throw a challenge in the traditional broadcasting business as well as OTT. Hence, time will say how ZEEL achieves the targets that Goenka has in the mind.

  • Around 80% of ZEE5’s revenue is attributed to India: Punit Goenka

    Around 80% of ZEE5’s revenue is attributed to India: Punit Goenka

    KOLKATA: ZEEL is working towards creating a digital dominance in the Indian media and entertainment market. Their plan has been on track as ZEE5 has significantly grown in the last one year.

    At the second leg of APOS2020, ZEEL MD & CEO Punit Goenka reported the last quarter’s financial results of ZEE5 for the first time since its launch. He mentioned that 80 per cent of ZEE5’s revenue is currently attributed to India, and the rest comes in from Asia.

    Goenka shared that the platform has not seen a lot of revenue coming in from the western world till now as ZEEL’s linear business is pre-dominantly still running there. Goenka thinks this part of the world could offer the next phase of growth for ZEE5.

    ZEEL will shut its linear business in the UK and Europe sometime around the end of this year and ZEE5 will carry the content instead. Later, the move will be repeated in the US and other developed markets. Given the Indian diasporas demand for content, it is presumable that ZEE5 will certainly see fair traction in traffic.

    However, the plan is not similar in APAC, MEA, and Africa due to different market dynamics. As TV and digital co-exist in these markets yet, ZEEL is not planning complete digital migration immediately. But, Singapore and Hong Kong exceptionally provide an opportunity for such migration although the timing is not decided yet.

    “We have to understand ZEE5 will be played out in the Indian context very differently compared to the developed world. In India, we are still a 97 per cent single TV household market. Therefore, the consumption of television still remains prime. What happens in the digital world or on ZEE5 is that we get consumption in individual capacity which is private consumption. We don’t have enough penetration of alternate screens like PCs or laptops that you see around the world which can replace television,” he states.

    “In India, the second screen is usually a mobile phone. You can never replace the TV experience on the phone. Therefore, the consumption of ZEE5 while at home will be replacing television for all people who are either not TV consumers or have moved out of television because of the sheer kind of content. I look at ZEE5 or digital content consumption as an incremental consumption of content. It is not TV versus digital,” he further opines.

    ZEE5’s advertising revenue has been impacted in the second quarter of the calendar year as well due to the unprecedented situation as it largely depends on television content. But like the linear business, Goenka is confident that ZEE5 will see a resurgence in advertising from the second or third quarter onwards as it comes out of the Covid2019 situation.

    “The biggest thing I had said as a part of the agenda last year was to take ZEE5 ahead and build ZEE5. I put a five-year horizon where it could be as much as 30 per cent of the total business of the company. The business of the company is growing at healthy 12-13 per cent on a CAGR over five year period. That would mean, even on today’s context, ZEE5 revenue could potentially go up by 4x or 5x in the next four years,” Goenka puts it as. 

  • ZEEL to launch new ‘Cinema2home’ service on 2 October

    ZEEL to launch new ‘Cinema2home’ service on 2 October

    KOLKATA: The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has recently released the guidelines for unlock 4.0. While as a part of the guidelines cinema halls will continue to remain shut, leading players are looking at direct premieres. Jumping on the bandwagon, Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd. (ZEE) has announced the launch of its ‘Cinema2home’ service ‘Zee Plex’. It is scheduled for launch on 2 October. With this new offering, consumers will now be able to watch their favourite new blockbuster releases in the comfort of their homes, along with their entire family at an attractive (per film) price point.

    The new C2H service from the network is for both television and digital platforms. Along with convenience for consumers, this new movie distribution model will enhance the overall commercial ecosystem for the film producers, enabling them to present their creative work, to a wider range of audiences on established entertainment platforms.

    “We are very excited to bring this new offering to all the movie buffs across India and around the globe. While we all love to catch the latest movies at the nearest theatres, we sensed the need for a solution like Zee Plex, which gives the consumers flexibility and convenience, to catch their favourite films in the comfort of their homes, along with friends and family. We have received great interest from producers and are looking forward to release a strong slate of blockbusters across languages,” Zee Studios CEO Shariq Patel said.

    With new releases every month, Zee Plex aims to bring the theatres right to the consumers’ homes, offering them a quality family viewing experience at an attractive price-point. ZEE has partnered with leading television distribution platforms in India and has also established strategic alliances with distribution partners in the international markets. Zee Plex as a C2H service will also be available on ZEE5 globally.

  • ZEE5 India bolsters product & tech team through key appointments

    ZEE5 India bolsters product & tech team through key appointments

    MUMBAI: ZEE5, today announced key appointments in their product and technology team. As part of the strategy to further drive the next stage of growth and innovation, ZEE5 has onboarded  Anjul Sachan as Adtech chief architect, Manit Kathuria as user experience head, Prateek Pant as video engineering head  and  Mandar Deodhar as technology (payments) director.

    Sachan, a graduate from IIT Bombay, will be leading the AdTech architects team at ZEE5. He will be responsible for the R&D as well as technical execution of all AdTech projects including adserver, self-serve, and optimization engine among others. He brings with him a rich experience in building and managing ad recommendations, content feed personalization, and a self-service portal for advertisers and publishers. In his previous avatar, Anjul has led AdTech growth strategies and product roadmap for Times Internet Limited Adtech division, while working on some solutions for ad platforms, data forecasting, audience data management, ad-blocker, ad-fraud identification, and so on.

    Kathuria brings over 14 years of design experience with him. In his new role, he will lead the CX experience from a product perspective. His key focus involves solving consumer problems across platforms effectively and quickly; building a seamless experience for both AVOD and SVOD users. He will lead the product design team to achieve these goals at ZEE5.  An alumnus of the University of Washington in Seattle, he has also been instrumental in building companies such as Rooja.com, Exclusively.com and Prophesee during his early days in the fashion and SAAS space. He has formerly worked as design and UX head of for companies like Snapdeal, Fabhotels among others. Before joining ZEE5, he was a part of Magicbricks as user experience head

    Pant, with an experience of over 18 years in technical leadership experience in video technologies has led the design and development of several multimedia CE products and OTT platforms. In his new role at ZEE5, he will be handling end to end video engineering from transcoding, encoding, CDN, and all player playability across platforms and will also be focussed on video pipelines for meta generation. He is passionate about IoT, video inferencing using AI/ML, AR/VR and cloud computing. Prior to this, he has worked with leading firms like Astro, Technicolor, Cisco, Maxim Integrated, Samsung Electronics, and DRDO.

    Deodhar joins as technology director. He will be responsible for end to end technology requirements for subscription, payments, and all third-party integrations. Mandar is an IIT Bombay alumni from MTech 2005 batch and has worked in different companies like Indiagames, Disney, Citrus Payments, Hotstar and HERE Maps