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Tag: Zee5

  • Rajneel Kumar joins ZEE5 as Business Head – Expansion Projects & Head of Products

    Rajneel Kumar joins ZEE5 as Business Head – Expansion Projects & Head of Products

    Mumbai, September 19th, 2018:  ZEE5 India, India’s largest platform for multi-language content, today announced the appointment of Rajneel Kumar as the Business Head –Expansion Projects & Head of Productsfor the digital Business of Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd.

    At ZEE5, Kumar has been tasked with leading the charge on the Product Function as also building on the Expansion Projects on the platform.A championof the cause of Digital innovation across industries, Kumar comes with a robust body of experience spanning almost two decades across Digital, Telecom and Media and Entertainment sectors.

    Prior to joining ZEE5 India, Kumar has worked with industry leaders including Viacom18 Media Pvt. Ltd., Balaji Telefilms, Mobile2Win Pvt. Ltd and so on, while also testing entrepreneurial waters. 

    Commenting on the new appointment,Tarun Katial,CEO – ZEE5 India said, “This is a very exciting juncture of our journey at ZEE5 India, and we are thrilled to have Rajneel join us to strengthen the team. He brings invaluable insights that will be instrumental in shaping our journey towards achieving leadership position in the entertainment space.”

    Speaking about his role, Rajneel Kumar, Expansion Projects& Live Head of Productsshared, “The ZEE Group has always inspired me in my journey as a media professional, and it is indeed humbling to be chosen to lead the Product Function as also Expansion Projects for ZEE5. The platform has been rolling out an interesting repertoire of multi-language content and I am sure this is going to be an interesting journey ahead.”

    Kumar has been championing the cause of digital innovation and growth through his participation in industry forums such as IAMAI, DMAi, etc. and speaking at major Indian & International forums such as IBC, MWC, NAB, etc. In his personal time, Kumar is a passionate biker and also supports multiple causes and organizations through his continual contribution to the Give India Foundation.
     

  • Punit Goenka says talking to Jio to renew content deal

    Punit Goenka says talking to Jio to renew content deal

    MUMBAI: A few days ago Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (ZEEL) had pulled out all its content from Mukesh Ambani-owned Reliance Jio. Soon after scrapping the deal with Jio, ZEEL entered into a partnership with another telco operator Airtel . While there were many questions regarding the development, ZEEL MD and CEO Punit Goenka has cleared the air. In an interview with CNBC, he said conversations are still on with Jio.

    “We did have a deal with Reliance Jio and it was up for renewal and our negotiations failed. Hence, we had to pull our content out. Conversations are still on, and I am sure we will find an amicable solution with them as well,” Goenka commented.

    Goenka expects the company’s new big bet ZEE5 to emerge as the number one entertainment app at the end of 12 months from now. Though he did not comment on the number of subscribers, he said that since the platform started showing original content in July, the number of subscribers doubled month-on-month.

    “We are seeing a lot of traction on the OTT platforms and there is no worry yet on the television side of consumption. If you look at the television growth itself, over the last year, we have seen growth in number of television households. We have seen growth in time consumption per consumer on a daily basis,” he also said commenting on the TV business .

    Goenka on a confident note said, TV itself is growing both on advertising as well as on the subscription side. He also added phase three monetisation has started and the company is seeing good traction coming on the subscription from there.

  • Revenue model of ZEE5-Airtel deal is cost per subscriber, duration viewed: Tarun Katial

    Revenue model of ZEE5-Airtel deal is cost per subscriber, duration viewed: Tarun Katial

    MUMBAI: The OTT players in India seem to have found telecom partnerships fruitful. Recently, ZEE Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (ZEEL) struck a three year deal with Airtel. Under the deal, the partners will do a co-branded promotion while the revenue model will be based on cost per subscriber and duration viewed.

    “There is select premium content from ZEE5 library that will be available for Airtel consumers exclusively in addition to being available on the ZEE5 platform,” ZEE5 India CEO Tarun Katial says. Though this deal is unique, ZEE5 is open to striking deals with other telecom operators also.

    “Revenue model is based on cost per subscriber and duration viewed for both in the three buckets. In the first bucket, it’s for cost per subscriber and there’s a minimum guarantee, in the second bucket it’s about volume deal for a subscription for a high-end Airtel consumer and the third model is about upscaling ZEE5 subscription packages,” he adds.

    Katial thinks this co-branding promotion across platforms will enable to create an understanding of content among consumers of ZEE5 as well Airtel. “It’s also a really good opportunity to be able to do both consumer insight as well as big data and create a recommendation for Airtel TV consumers of ZEE5 premium content,” he says. The partners will leverage each other’s social media assets also.

    Under the partnership, other than ZEE5 premium content, video content produced by ZEEL, including TV shows and movies will be available exclusively on Airtel’s digital properties like Airtel TV. Since ZEE5 already streams content produced by ZEEL along with its originals some of the selected curated content may be available on ZEE5 first while some will be concurrently available on both platforms but “deeper premium library” will be available only on its own OTT platform.

    Recently ZEEL snipped its deal with Reliance Jio pulling off all its available content on Jio TV. Though this kind of incident happens due to the failure of negotiation of cost, both the companies remained tight-lipped about the problem.

    However, the deal can boost Airtel also which has had its dominance in the telecom industry threatened after Jio’s entry. Reliance is already in a better position as it holds stakes in production companies like Eros International, Balaji Telefilms and Roy Kapur Films.

    As ZEE5 is a late entrant in the market, it is still far behind other domestic players like Hotstar, Voot and Eros Now. Moreover, international rivals like Netflix and Amazon are also eying the same OTT market. Hence, the deal is very critical for ZEE5 to reach more consumers across the country as well as to increase the visibility of existing shows on the platform. The industry being in a nascent stage does not have any clear winner till now, hence, leaving enough scope for each of the players.

  • ZEEL enters into content partnership with Airtel

    ZEEL enters into content partnership with Airtel

    MUMBAI: Days after Bharti Airtel (Airtel) decided to cut ties with Reliance Jio, it has entered into a content partnership with ZEE Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (ZEEL). The two companies will work closely to curate innovative and highly compelling digital video content solutions for customers across the country.

    Under the partnership, video content produced by ZEEL, including TV shows, original series and movies will be available exclusively on Airtel’s digital properties like Airtel TV, in addition to ZEE’s home-grown digital venture ZEE5. Moreover, the ZEE5 app will be bundled into the Airtel TV app, allowing customers to get its content for free.  

    The companies will also drive joint development and marketing of innovative content solutions for the Indian market and collaborate in areas such as digital advertising. There will be a strong focus on curating regional content also keeping in mind ZEEL’s strong regional portfolio.

    “Our endeavour is to build a world-class content ecosystem by partnering all players and enable a differentiated digital entertainment experience for our customers. In Airtel TV, we have built a solid digital platform to curate top content from India and across the world and offer it to customers at one place. We are extremely pleased to announce this exclusive partnership with ZEE and look forward to collaborating with them to unlock the potential of their vast content catalogue,” Bharti Airtel MD and CEO Gopal Vittal said.

    Recently, ZEE severed its content tie-up with Jio. The former removed all its content from Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Jio, including 35 live TV channels and more than 2 lakh hours of video-on-demand content. According to reports, it happened due to the failure to arrive at an agreement on price.  

    However, the deal can boost Airtel also which is gradually losing its hold in the telecom industry after Jio’s entry. Reliance is already in a better position as it holds stakes in production companies like Eros International, Balaji Telefilms and Roy Kapur Films.

    “As a media & entertainment powerhouse, keeping our consumers at the epicenter of our approach, we aim to be present across every platform which they wish to access and our alliance with Airtel as their lead content partner, is a firm and positive step in this direction. We look forward to this partnership, which will enable us to entertain the customers of Airtel through our thoughtfully curated content offering, leveraging our expertise in content and data. In line with our larger aim for ZEE5, to be a number one entertainment OTT player in the country, this alliance further compliments the access to our content for the overall digital consumers,” ZEEL MD and CEO Punit Goenka commented.

  • ZEE5 launches Lockdown with Badshah, Kailash Kher, Raftaar, Jonita Gandhi and many more

    ZEE5 launches Lockdown with Badshah, Kailash Kher, Raftaar, Jonita Gandhi and many more

    MUMBAI: ZEE5, India’s largest and most comprehensive digitalentertainment platform for language content, today launchedLockdown– a path-breaking concept in collaboration with renowned rapper and composerBadshah. The show marks Badshah’s debut as a producer under his banner Afterhours, co-produced by One Digital Entertainment, for ZEE5.

    Watch the trailer here: 

    Premiering 17th August,Lockdown launches with two episodes followed by an episode every week featuring two artists – aBollywood sensation and a digital superstar.Over a 10-episode series, the show will featureBadshah – Jonita Gandhi; Kailash Kher- Raja Kumari;Harrdy Sandhu – Neha Bhasin; Raftaar-Thaikkudam Bridge; Monali Thakur – Mickey Singh; Benny Dayal- Bryden &Parth; Shirley Setia – Sachin & Jigaramongst others.

    Each duoislocked together in one location for 24 hoursto recreate two songs, record them and shoot music videos. Lockdownhas been shotacross scenic locations in India and promises a rendezvous with your favourite musicians – one that has never been seen before.

    Manish Aggarwal, Business Head, ZEE5 India said, “After creating engaging original content in terms of films and shows, music was a natural progression for us. We couldn’t think of anybody better to partner in this endeavor than the hugely popular musician Badshah.Lockdownis our maiden foray into music and will be unlike anything the Indian audiences have seen.The show promises to keep audiences hooked to the amazing tunes created by some of the most talented artists.The format of the show is a winner, andwe are sure the viewers will enjoy it like our past offerings.”

    Badshah, who turns producer with the show said, “Lockdown is a project that is very close to my heart since it’s the first offering from my production house Afterhours. The format is quite unique and fun because we have got several well-known artists to collaborate with each other and some of them had never even met before! But all of them have been quite enthusiastic and the result that has erupted out of the oneness of these Bollywood and Digital sensations is something that the audience is going to love. To be aired on ZEE5, the show is sure to be a hand’s down winner for the music aficionados.”

    Gurpreet Singh, Co-Founder, One Digital Entertainment said, “Observing the current stage of music evolution and craze, Lockdown’s format will definitely stick well with enthusiasts from almost all genres. We are honoured to be a part of Badshah and ZEE5’s vision that is sure to start a new refreshing trend in the music and entertainment industry.”
     

    With over 3500 films, 500+ TV shows, 4000+ music videos, 35+ theatre plays and 90+ LIVE TV Channels across 12 languages, ZEE5 truly presents a blend of unrivalled content offering for its viewers across the nation and worldwide. With ZEE5, the global content of Zindagi as a brand, which was widely appreciated across the country, has also been brought back for its loyal viewers.

  • ZEE5 presents “Lal Bahadur Shastri’s death – An unfinished story” India’s biggest cover-up

    ZEE5 presents “Lal Bahadur Shastri’s death – An unfinished story” India’s biggest cover-up

    MUMBAI: ZEE5, India’s largest and most comprehensive digital entertainment platform for language contentannounce the launch of “Lal Bahadur Shastri’s Death – An Unfinished Story”, ZEE5’s first docudrama. It shows you what exactly took place after the Tashkent declaration was signed. The infamous truth of how our 2ndPrime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri died and how the last chapter to his life till remains an unsolved mystery. 

    The docudrama throws lights on some elements such as the possible meeting with Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, involvement of an external agency or that he was poisoned by someone from his own delegation. Promising to expose some uncomfortable truths on the mysterious death of the former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri in Tashkent, the docudrama premieres on 15th August. 

    ZEE5’s docudrama will see Shastriji’s son Sunil Shastri and his grandsonSidharth Nath Singh take us through what happened that fateful night. Kuldeep Nayyar- a veteran Indian journalist and ex-High Commissioner of India to United Kingdom also shares his view of how he suspects the involvement of TN Kaul, then foreign secretary in Shastri’s death. 

    Sunil Shastri, Shastriji’s son commented, “The first thing my grandmother said after looking at my father’s body was, “It’s surprising that a country’s Prime Minister is dead and nobody raised a question on it??  There is still a big question mark, on how Shastri died. When my father called from Tashkent, my family informed him that people here were very upset with his decision of signing the treaty. However, he had full faith that when he comes back and explains, everybody will be very happy; but as fate had it, they never let him reach or speak to anyone!

    Cook Jan Mohammed was the prime suspect in my father’s death. He is believed to be the one who poisoned him. Strangely, he was hired just after the Tashkent declaration and was also the cook to Ambassador TN Kaul, further fuelling our suspicions. His meeting with Subhas Chandra Bose fuels more rumours as to what had exactly happened. 52 years after his death, the family lives in a hope that we will someday know the truth.”

    Sidharth Nath Singh, Shastriji’s grandson says,“The fateful day when we get a call, my mother told me that the telephone operator started crying saying that Shastriji is no more. When his body came to India, it had cut marks all over and his face had blue marks. It was a clear indication of poison – till date there we do not have a death certificate, nor there was any post-mortem done.

    Is it a coincidence that, Shastriji who was a heart patient – wasn’t staying at the pre-decided place? The room he is put up in, has no buzzer- oddly his house help and his doctor’s room was very far! It’s almost like an unbelievable story, the Prime Minister of a country goes to sign a very important treaty and never comes back- all these things build up suspicion. The family and in fact India also wants that the last page in Shastri’s life doesn’t remain a BIG COVER UP!”

  • Higher production values of OTT content won’t put pressure on TV biz: Punit Goenka

    Higher production values of OTT content won’t put pressure on TV biz: Punit Goenka

    MUMBAI:  With the growth of OTT market, all the big four broadcasters in India have ramped up their investment in digital ventures. To woo the online viewers, OTT platforms are producing high cost shows especially when it comes to originals. While there have been concerns that higher production values of OTT content might affect the content cost of TV business, Zee Entertainment MD and CEO Punit Goenka does not foresee such a scenario in his case.

    Starting from Amazon Prime’s Inside Edge to Netflix’s Sacred Games, ZEEL’s digital venture ZEE5’s Karenjit Kaur, the star cast, and content quality clearly indicates the high budget of the shows, though the exact numbers have never been revealed.

    Speaking in an earnings call, Punit Goenka said,“In terms of quality, I think it’s comparable to what television quality is because we use the same equipment. It will not put pressure on the television part because the sheer volume of television content that is being produced and the economies of scale that is being achieved there versus what we are producing for digital, the delta is far apart.” But he agreed that the content being made for digital platforms is of higher production value because of outdoor shoots and bigger stars.

    Zee crates 500 hours of original content every week for broadcast while that is a mere 800 hours for the whole year on digital. “There is no per hour concept there, it is all story and concept-based content cost,” he added.

    After creating a buzz in the Indian market thanks to its regional content, ZEE5 is expected to be launched globally soon. Commenting on that, Goenka said the global rollout will be completed in a phased manner. By the end of this fiscal year (FY 19), it will be available globally.

    Goenka is very hopeful of Zee5’s international success.”If ZEE5 does cannibalise our existing subscription revenue in international markets I will be very happy with that because that’s a direct ownership of the customer that the company gets rather having it through a distributor. So that’s a good problem if it happens that way and that is one of the parts of our strategy of going global with ZEE5,” he said.

    With the technological disruptors, the entertainment industry is always in a flux. 10 years ago, the entry of DTH players changed the industry. Then the increasing internet consumption with the entry of Jio bought another disruption. Now, as Jio with its FTHH connection eyes at  50 to 100 million households, there could be some structural changes especially affecting the broadcasters. However, that possibility does not concern Goenka.

    “My view has always been, even when DTH came 10-11 years ago, that all technologies will coexist in a country of our size. So, cable will also coexist, DTH will coexist and even ZEE5 will work. So, it’s all going to be different services at different price points. For a content company like us, it doesn’t really matter because at the end all three are pipes. So, as long as my content is relevant, I will still get my value from consumer payout,” he said confidently.

    However, with a realistic view, he expects ZEE5 to break even in next five years in stark contrast to several players who expect to break even within two-three years. According to him not only ZEE5 but the industry is still now in investment mode and there isn’t a chance to breakeven in the first three years.

    Almost every OTT player has already struck deals with telecom players, but ZEE5 has not yet signed any telecom deal in India or overseas. Till the time it isn’t getting the right value of its content, there won’t be any such negotiation.

  • Veere Di Wedding premiereson ZEE5

    Veere Di Wedding premiereson ZEE5

    MUMBAI: After the phenomenal success of digital premieres of movies such as Padman and Parmanu, ZEE5 now brings theblockbuster VeereDi Wedding to your fingertipsonWednesday, 1st August 2018. That’s another stereotype the movie breaks – THEATRE KE BAAD, PEHLI BAAR on ZEE5!Since its theatrical release in June 2018, the film will now be available exclusively for ZEE5 subscribers.

    Watch the trailer here:

    Manish Aggarwal, Business Head – ZEE5 India said, “THEATRE KE BAAD, PEHLI BAAR is a property we created with Padman and are committed to reach incremental audiences by giving them blockbuster releases on ZEE5 straight after the theatre release and before the movie airs on broadcast channels.Padman, Parmanu and now Veere Di Wedding – the past two months have been exciting for us and the offering has been widely appreciated by our subscribers too.”

    He further added, “Premiering a movie such as Veere Di Wedding, one that celebrates friendship, just ahead of Friendship Day is very special. With this, we are taking another step towards building a robust portfolio of content – original as well as syndicated.”

    Commenting on the premiere,Ekta Kapoor, Producer, Veere Di Wedding said, “When we decided to make Veere Di Wedding, we knew it was going to be nothing like anything else. These are girls who don’t conform to stereotypes and in fact go on to shatter glass ceilings, with pure entertainment. The unprecedented box office numbers sky rocketed Veere Di wedding into another space and I am excited about the big digital premiere on ZEE5.”

    Veere Di Wedding revolves around four childhood friends Kalindi (Kareena Kapoor), Avni (Sonam Kapoor), Meera (ShikhaTalsania) & Sakshi (Swara Bhaskar) and their unbreakable bond of friendship. Things start to change when the pack of four meets after 10 years.Exploring the themes of sexuality and sisterhood, the movie went on to create quite a stir among movie-goers, initiating conversations across platforms.

    ZEE5 has a wide repertoire of visual content including movies as well as web series under multiple genres such as comedy, drama, thrillers, horror, biopics and so on. 

    Download the App using the special offer – 2 months’ subscription @99/- only or @499 for a year – special offer until 15th August.
    ZEE5 has a rich bouquet of original content in six regional languages along with the latest blockbuster movies. The platform will launch 20 originals in 2018 and will have 90+ shows by the end of March 2019.

    With over 3500 films, 500+ TV shows, 4000+ music videos, 35+ theatre plays and 90+ LIVE TV Channels across 12 languages, ZEE5 truly presents a blend of unrivalled content offering for its viewers across the nation and worldwide. With ZEE5, the global content of Zindagi as a brand, which was widely appreciated across the country, has also been brought back for its loyal viewers.

    Availability: The ZEE5 App can be downloaded from Google Play Store http://bit.ly/zee5 and iOS App Store http://bit.ly/zee5ios. Also available at www.zee5.com, as a Progressive Web App (PWA), and on Apple TV and Amazon Fire TV Stick. ZEE5 also supports Chromecast.

    Pricing: Freemium pricing model with both free and paid premium content (including Originals) to cater to a mix of audiences. Viewers who subscribe to the ZEE5 subscription pack will get access to the entire library of content at a special offer price of INR 99 for two months and INR 499 for a year – special offer until 15thAugust. 

  • ZEE5 goes aggressive with OOH marketing for ‘Karenjit Kaur’

    ZEE5 goes aggressive with OOH marketing for ‘Karenjit Kaur’

    MUMBAI: Despite touting digital as the next big thing, brands haven’t given up on traditional modes of marketing. Digital is great for disruption but they cannot still do without the out-of-home (OOH) marketing strategy.

    ZEEL’s digital venture ZEE5 has also been doing the same to promote its new flagship show Karenjit Kaur – the untold story of Sunny Leone which went live recently. Hoardings of the show are prominently visible in the top 10 markets which include metro cities of Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore and Hyderabad. These cities are prime targets because users here have access to the bandwidth and appropriate devices to enjoy the content which is being marketed.

    “Outdoor also works as a great medium for impact and driving imagery. Sunny Leone chose ZEE5 as a platform to do her biopic and reach out to her fans. Of course there’s a big statement in that. Therefore, one reason is awareness, making more and more consumers aware that Sunny Leone’s biopic is available on ZEE5 as a platform. The other of course is purely impact and imagery perspective as well,” said ZEE5 India’s new business head Manish Aggarwal.

    You can channel a channel when an ad comes on linear TV, you can skip an ad on YouTube or another platform but you cannot miss a hoarding when you travel. It isn’t just ZEE5 but even Netflix, Amazon, TVF etc who don’t miss out on OOH.

    Sunny Leone’s past definitely makes her a target. The Mankind brand ambassador faced a backlash from ‘sanskari’ India last year when outdoor banners featuring her condom ad in Gujarat were criticised, forcing Mankind to pull them down.

    ZEE5 hasn’t yet seen any such backlash except for the normal social media’s abusive comments. Aggarwal says that the overall sentiments for the show are “extremely positive”.

    Apart from OOH, ZEE5 partnered with several radio stations. Digitally, it made use of Leone’s social media assets. Zee channels are featuring show promos during prime time.

    “We looked at searches for Sunny Leone on YouTube, Google and which market drives searches for us. We have triangulated our market strengths, Google trends, YouTube trends etc. Then we formulated a strategy based on where our audience resides and accordingly we reached out to them through various mediums – outdoor, digital, radio,” he said.

    The series is available in four regional languages too, including Bengali, Tamil, Telugu and Marathi. The premise of ZEE5’s launch was to ensure India’s languages aren’t deprived of good content. “You want to watch good content whether its drama, thriller or comedy. Zero KMS is a dark thriller, we dubbed it and saw other language people are also watching it,” Aggarwal said.

  • ZEE5 adds Marathi original web series ‘Liftman’

    ZEE5 adds Marathi original web series ‘Liftman’

    MUMBAI: ZEE5 keeps expanding its regional content library with the launch of Liftman, a Marathi situational comedy web series. The newly launched web series of 10 episodes is running in a short duration of 8-10 minutes.

    It features Bhalchandra (Bhau) Kadam of Chala Hawa Yeu Dya fame in the titular role. Along the line of the theme, it has been shot almost entirely in the lift. The series introduces a range of different personalities who encounter Bhau on their ‘journey’ up and down. Bhau Kadam is widely lauded for the comic roles played by him.

    “The Marathi-speaking audience has an evolved sense of entertainment as may be evident from our rich heritage of theatre and cinema. With humour on the go, rich concept, relatable characters, and well-known artists from the space – Liftman has it all. Bhau Kadam in many ways is synonymous with comedy today in the Marathi industry, and I am glad that he chose to play the liftman in our short 8-10 minute snackable comedy web series,” ZEE5 India business head Manish Aggarwal said.

    “The concept of Liftman is such a phenomenal one and I am thrilled about the new avenues of media such as ZEE5 that naturally render themselves to such innovative formats. This series marks my web debut in a titular role, and I couldn’t have chosen a better concept for the same. With smartphones becoming such a common feature, entertainment options with the audience is gradually changing. Today, literally everything is at one’s fingertips – and in such cases how can one be left behind?” Bhalchandra (Bhau) Kadam commented on the show launch.