David Bridges
ZEE5 is boldly embracing its multilingual heritage as the prominent Indian streaming service undergoes a significant brand transformation and strategic realignment aimed at capturing the next wave of digital entertainment consumption. This shift is designed not just to appeal to a broader audience but also to enhance the platform’s competitive edge in an ever-evolving market landscape.
The platform has introduced a refreshed brand identity, encapsulated in the motto “Apni Bhasha, Apni Kahaniyan” (Our Language, Our Stories), which signifies what Amit Goenka, president of digital services and platforms at Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd, describes as a return to the service’s foundational principles after years of concentrating predominantly on Hindi-language national content.
“Since we launched ZEE5 in 2018, our core principle has always centered around language diversity,” Goenka shares with Variety. “At that time, the market dynamics were different. However, we recognize that the landscape has changed significantly. Smaller cities and tier two and three areas have begun embracing OTT platforms, prompting us to reconsider our original focus on language-centric offerings, which we believe is timely now.”
This strategic pivot coincides with ZEE5’s ambitious plans to significantly boost content production. The platform aims to unveil over 120 new titles in FY26, a dramatic increase compared to the approximately 60 titles it is set to release in FY25. This surge in production reflects ZEE5’s commitment to providing diverse and engaging content that resonates with its expanding audience.
“Bollywood continues to have global appeal, which is one of ZEE’s key advantages. We consistently launch a multitude of films each year that are exclusive to ZEE5,” Goenka asserts, highlighting the platform’s unique positioning in the competitive landscape of streaming services. These exclusive offerings are designed to attract and retain viewers from various demographics and regions.
ZEE5’s language-centric strategy extends beyond Indian borders, as the platform customizes its international offerings to cater to diaspora communities across the globe. Goenka elaborates on these geographic preferences: “In the Middle East, our content leans towards South Indian languages, with Malayalam being the most prominent. In the U.S. Bay Area, we primarily target Telugu and Tamil speaking audiences. In the tri-state area, we offer a mix of Hindi, Marathi, and other languages, while Canada is more focused on Punjabi content.”
The platform’s technology adapts to the user’s location automatically. “If a new user joins from Chennai, they will see the interface in Tamil,” Goenka explains. “They will also receive a prompt to select their preferred language, allowing them to easily switch content to their chosen language. This seamless experience is crucial for enhancing user satisfaction and engagement on the platform.”
The transformation encompasses more than just content selection. “We are focusing not only on content variety but also on enhancing the overall user experience across different languages in the future,” Goenka notes. “ZEE5’s interface will vary significantly based on the region, ensuring that users have a tailored and immersive experience that aligns with their cultural preferences and language choices.”
ZEE5 is also venturing into previously underserved languages, with Kannada programming kicking off recently with “Ayyana Mane.” Upcoming original content will also feature Marathi, Malayalam, and Bengali languages, leveraging the platform’s rich television heritage. The diverse slate includes various genres such as “Detective Sherdil” (Hindi), “Sattamum Neethiyum” (Tamil), “Mothubaru Love Story” (Telugu), “Inspection Bungalow” (Malayalam), “Maarigallu” (Kannada), “Aata Thambhahya Naay” (Marathi), and “Vibhishan” (Bengali).
The content strategy intentionally stretches beyond familiar territory. “We’re delving into new genres beyond what ZEE is typically recognized for, like family dramas,” Goenka explains. “Our focus is shifting to genres that are likely to resonate in international markets, including crime dramas and other innovative narratives that can attract a diverse audience.”
Unlike many competitors in the streaming industry that are incurring significant losses to gain market share, ZEE5 has successfully achieved positive cash flow in its global markets — a noteworthy accomplishment given the high customer acquisition costs that challenge the industry. This strategic financial management underscores ZEE5’s commitment to sustainable growth.
“Zee has always prioritized profitability as an organization,” Goenka emphasizes. “Our primary goal is to achieve positive EBITDA, which we have successfully accomplished in international markets. We are already EBITDA positive on the digital front, which is a tremendous achievement, especially considering the high customer acquisition costs prevalent in the industry.”
The emphasis on financial discipline is yielding results. “For instance, last year, we reduced our losses by 50%. This year, we expect to perform even better. We are targeting impressive numbers for this year,” Goenka reveals, showcasing the platform’s financial resilience and strategic foresight.
Success metrics vary according to market dynamics. “Globally, we don’t operate as a single product,” he explains. “Some markets rely solely on subscriptions, while others utilize both ad-supported and subscription models, leading to varying performance metrics. Engagement metrics become particularly vital from an advertising perspective, while subscription metrics are crucial for growth in subscription-based markets.”
ZEE5 is also strategically positioning itself for the future of vertical storytelling. The platform has announced a strategic partnership with startup Bullet, acquiring an equity stake in the micro-drama specialist that will integrate its offerings within the ZEE5 ecosystem. This collaboration aims to innovate storytelling formats and reach younger audiences more effectively.
“We, as a content-driven company, must cater to all our audiences. It’s not a matter of if we will enter the vertical storytelling space, but rather when,” Goenka states, emphasizing the urgency and necessity of adapting to new content consumption trends.
India is relatively new to the micro-drama trend compared to China, where revenues from this format amounted to $6.9 billion, surpassing local box office revenues for the first time, according to DataEye statistics. Projections suggest that the market size for micro-dramas in China could reach $14 billion by 2028.
“This is an ongoing debate we’ve been having internally for some time, and we all agree that this segment is crucial for us to pursue,” Goenka remarks about entering the micro-drama space. “To effectively engage with younger audiences, this represents the next critical battleground.”
The collaboration with Bullet marks ZEE5’s initial venture into ultra-short content. “We have never produced episodes lasting 90 seconds to two minutes,” Goenka admits. “This will be our first exploration into this format, and we hope that the insights and capabilities brought in by this partnership will help us navigate this new territory successfully.”
Goenka candidly shares his personal perspective on the format: “I’m not part of that generation, so I don’t fully grasp its appeal. However, as an organization, we have never ventured into this domain before. Therefore, I believe it will be experimental, and we will learn what resonates with our audience.”
A significant UI/UX overhaul is slated for later this year — the first in seven years — featuring enhanced recommendation and personalization capabilities powered by AI technology. This revamp aims to improve user engagement and satisfaction by making content discovery more intuitive and tailored to individual preferences.
“Technology is a major focus for the company overall,” Goenka explains. “By the end of this year, you will witness a variety of personalized recommendation features that have not been a significant priority for us until now. We have primarily focused on delivering high-quality content, but we plan to shift our focus more towards enhancing the overall user experience.”
This shift reflects the changing expectations of consumers. “In the past, the emphasis was solely on delivering high-quality video content. Now, consumers demand an enriched experience. They expect the ability to search for content easily. Content discovery will become increasingly vital moving forward to ensure user retention and satisfaction.”
ZEE5 is accelerating its partnership integrations after resolving previous technical challenges. “Previously, our main issue was integrating with various partners effectively,” Goenka notes. “Due to our focus on technology, we categorize our partners: there’s the telco ISP category, which is substantial. Then we have other online players, or OTT providers, and e-commerce partners, along with other marketing collaborations with banks and financial institutions.”
The improved infrastructure is yielding fruitful results. “We’ve developed the capability to integrate much more quickly with these partners. You will see us launching significantly more partnerships in the near future at a much faster pace. Closing commercial agreements has become easier, while technical integrations remain challenging. However, we believe we have largely resolved those issues.”
ZEE5’s global strategy is heavily reliant on partnerships out of necessity. “Marketing, particularly outside of India, can be very expensive, and since these markets are mostly fragmented, reaching the audience is quite challenging,” Goenka explains. “Hence, forming strategic partnerships is the most effective approach to penetrate these markets.”
“Our focus cannot be on the entire world — we have to be selective,” Goenka articulates regarding ZEE5’s direct-to-consumer expansion strategy. “We are strategically choosing large, concentrated markets where there is a significant presence of the Indian diaspora or South Asian communities.”
With profitability established globally and plans to double content production, ZEE5’s return to its multilingual roots signifies a strategic bet that authentic, localized storytelling combined with technological innovation will set it apart in an increasingly crowded streaming industry.
Clara Hastings
Ivy Caldwell
