“'Middle-of-the-road' cinema--right solution for relatable quality content”, insists Manoj Bajpayee  at star-studded ZEE5 Global event to  announce Add+ons for best South Asian content for US diaspora   by Chaitanya Padukone

ZEE5 Global, the world’s largest streaming service for South Asian content has now announced a strategic move to aggregate multiple South Asian streaming platforms within the ZEE5 Globalplatform with the launch of Add-ons in the US. ZEE5 Global Add-ons will offer subscribers in the US a single-window to access their favorite South Asian entertainment platforms on the ZEE5 Global platform itself, withAdd-ons pricing starting from just $1.49 onwards. The star-studded glittering ZEE Global event was initially anchored on stage by international anchor-compere  Anusha Dandekar

ZEE5 Global Add-ons was unveiled by top-boss Amit Goenka, President, Digital Businesses and Platforms and dynamic Archana Anand, Chief Business Officer, ZEE5 Global at a mega event in Mumbai, India attended by Bollywood & Regional celebrities, industry stalwarts and others.   

“The launch of Add-ons on ZEE5 Global is a significant milestone, further cementing our leadership position as the No.1 South Asian streaming platform in the US market,”said Ms. Archana Anand, Chief Business Officer, ZEE5 Global said,  “Add-ons will bring the best of South Asian content from multiple streaming platforms within ZEE5 Global for the diaspora in the US and soon globally,and at the best possible value.”

As part of the inaugural  event ZEE5 global had arranged a  panel discussion titled  Coming of Age of South Asian Entertainment--The Time is Now with erudite articulate panelists comprising  senior journalist-author-anchor (moderator) Anupama Chopra, award-winning eminent actor Manoj Bajpayee,  twice-Academy-Oscar-Award winner-Guneet Monga,  maverick film-maker Vishal Bhardwaj and popular noted actor Pratik Gandhi and of course Archana Anand (of ZEE5 Global). Each one of the Panelists  enlightened the invited audiences with their frank yet thought-provoking revelations and views.  The panellists discussed a range of topics around the subject covering how South Asian content is finally taking centre stage, their own perspectives about the South Asian diaspora audience, how storytelling has evolved and whether crossing over was a personal aspiration for them.  The outspoken Manoj Bajpayee ( of ‘Sirf Ek ‘Banda’ Kaafi Hai’  ZEE5 OTT show and movie  fame) emphasized the need for common-man-centric movies with entertaining yet realistic content (like ‘Gadar 2’).  “ The need of the hour is to make more often ‘middle-of-the-road’ massy yet quality cinema which also allows for creative yet more realistic, engaging content,” asserted three National Awards winning brilliant actor Manoj,  whose upcoming survival-thriller gripping social drama movie ‘Joram’ written and directed by Devashish Makhija  is eagerly awaited by millions of both his fans and cine-goers 

 "At the star-studded ZEE5 Global announcement late evening event, the glitzy gathering included the presence of renowned star-celebs such as stunningly slim and gorgeous star heroine Ameesha Patel Gulshan Grover, Rahul Bhat,  Luv Sinha, Sharad Kelkar, Nikita Dutta, showman Subhash Ghai, Rithvik Dhanjani, Dheeraj Dhoopar, Shriya Pilgaonkar,anchor-actor  Karan Wahi, along with notable personalities like composer-singer Anu Malik, the charming exuberant anchor-host Anusha Dandekar, and other celebrities including Siddharth Nigam and Gautam Gulati and many more ."

ZEE5 Global Add-ons currently offers content acrosslanguages from streaming platforms like Simply South (all South Indian languages), Oho Gujarati (Gujarati), Chaupal (Punjabi, Bhojpuri, Haryanvi), NammaFlix (Kannada), EPIC ON(Hindi) and iStream) Malayalam) with at least six morebeing onboarded.  

As a first for ZEE5 Global, Gujarati content will be available on the platform to delight the huge Gujarati-speaking diaspora in the US.

ZEE5 Global Add-ons partner titles will further add to the platform’s huge catalogue of over250,000 hours of movies, TV shows, and originals across languages.

Amit Goenka, President – Digital Businesses & Platforms, ZEE Entertainment Enterprises Ltd. said, “As digital entertainment consumption and delivery models evolve in the global landscape, addressing the growing consumer demand for engaging content and a seamless, personalized experience that combines accessibility and affordability is the need of the hour. With the launch of our aggregator platform ZEE5 Add-ons, we aim to unite the entertainment ecosystem for the discerning viewer to build a robust monetization opportunity for multiple players in the global markets. We are pleased to have on board some of the most renowned names offering South Asian content to the diaspora audience, and we look forward to building a healthy partnership by enhancing capabilities in the realm of content creation and distribution by establishing ZEE5 Global Add-ons as the single destination for all South Asian content.”

Sharing her dynamic vision for ZEE5 GlobalAdd+ons, Archana Anand, Chief Business Officer, ZEE5 Global, added, “As the foremost South Asian streaming platform in the United States, ZEE5 Global has played a crucial role in connecting the South Asian diaspora with their cultural roots. Building on our leadership, the natural progression was to evolve into the premier aggregator for South Asian entertainment. Add-ons willhelp address challenges such as content and consumer fragmentation and empower subscribers to effortlessly access their preferred content at one destination. It also benefits our partners, who can bank on our extensive reach in the USand save on customer acquisition and marketing costs."

With Add-ons, users will now have just one app to down-load,only one login and a single password to remember. Billing and payment is also simplified througha single platform for all streaming subscriptions. Personalized recommendations across languages, unified user interface and search across platforms, and an ad-free viewing experience are just some of the other key benefits for consumers in the US.

In addition to Add-ons, ZEE5 Global is set to launch the largest consumer giveback program, the Great ZEE5 GiveAway, for its US consumers over the next few weeks in association with multiple partners like Quicklly, the leading online South Asian marketplace in the US, wherein with every purchase of ZEE5 or any Add-On pack, all new or existing subscribers will stand to win guaranteed gifts and sweepstakes ranging from gift cards to all-expenses-paid trips to destinations like Hawaii, Las Vegas, and more.

A unique India to US Referral Program will also be rolled out shortly. Subscribers in India will be able to share their unique referral link with friends or family in the US and earn Rs.500 for each successful referral. The best part: no capping on the number of referrals, so there is no upper limit to how much one can get.

Speaking at the event, the dynamic Archana Anand also announced a massive campaign against global piracy to be launched soon with ZEE5 Global offering a logical and legitimate option for consumers tempted by the content variety and low costs offered by pirate platforms.

ZEE5 Global Add-ons is available across platforms like Android, iOS, www.zee5.com, Fire TV, Apple TV, Roku, and Samsung TVs.