Zee5 Global takes India to the US with its new Add-on service

Zee5 Global, the OTT platform which has emerged as the leader in South Asian content in USA and other parts of the world, has brought India to the world with its new Add-ons feature. In a star studded event in Mumbai on Tuesday, the platform announced a strategic move to aggregate multiple South Asian streaming platforms within the ZEE5 Global platform 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, with Add-ons pricing starting from just $1.49 onwards.

ZEE5 Global Add-ons was unveiled by Amit Goenka, President, Digital Businesses and Platforms and Archana Anand, Chief Business Officer, ZEE5 Global at the event.  

“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 Archana Anand, “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.”

So subscribers will ideally have to only pay for one streaming app and get to watch regional content from various other apps under one roof. 

ZEE5 Global Add-ons currently offers content across languages 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 more being 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 over 250,000 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.”

Strategic move to expand user base

In addition to Add-ons, ZEE5 Global also will launch the largest consumer giveback program. Titled as the Great ZEE5 GiveAway, for its US consumers over the next few weeks, it will encourage users to win 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.

Not just that the referral program also lets users in India earn money with every reference for the app. 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.

The mega event also saw an insightful panel discussion on the growing influence of South Asian content on the global stage. Titled as Coming of Age of South Asian Entertainment: The Time is Now, the panel discussion, moderated by noted journalist and film critic Anupama Chopra, featured actor Manoj Bajpayee, Guneet Monga, Vishal Bhardwaj, Pratik Gandhi, and Archana Anand from ZEE5 Global. 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.