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Forbes
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Forbes
The Impact Of ZEE5 Recording 70% Non-Hindi Consumption In 2025
A poster of the Indian film 'Sankranthiki Vasthunam' which earned nearly $35 million worldwide when ... More it released in January this year. After its digital debut on ZEE5, it is among the top most-viewed films on the platform. The Indian streaming platform ZEE5, 70 percent of its content consumption was in non-Hindi languages, President of Digital Businesses and Platforms at Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd, Amit Goenka, says in an exclusive interview. Given the significant rise in non-Hindi content consumption, not just in India but worldwide, ZEE5 introduced an interesting subscription plan - based on language interests. The plans are currently running in India, but Goenka asserts they are soon bringing it to the US markets as well. Currently, the plans vary from $10 to $25 depending on the number of languages included in the plan. The changing language dynamics on ZEE5 Mr. Amit Goenka, President - Digital Businesses & Platforms, ZEE (1) - Copy In an era when the public has crossed the language barrier — thanks to subtitles on digital platforms - why would someone go for a specific language-based subscription alone? Goenka believes that while subtitling makes cross-language viewing easier, comfort viewing is eventually about watching content in your own language, every day. 'Our move to become a language-first platform comes from a very simple insight: language isn't just about communication, it's about identity, culture, and belonging. This shift cuts across everything – our content strategy, how the platform looks and feels, and even how we price our plans. It's aimed at India's next wave of digital users, especially in Tier 2 and Tier 3 markets, where this connection to language is even stronger. This approach was also guided by clear consumption patterns on our platform. Today, nearly half of our viewership in India comes from non-Hindi content.' 'At this point, the language-specific subscription plans are live exclusively in India, where the diversity and depth of linguistic preferences are most pronounced. That said, language content consumption is growing rapidly in international markets as well. These markets remain strategically important, and while current offers are India-focused, we may evaluate the opportunity to launch similar language-led propositions in international markets as well,' he says about introducing the plan in the US markets. Elaborating on the year-over-year performance of Hindi content versus non-Hindi (other Indian languages such as Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, etc.), Goenka says, 'While year-over-year figures vary, one consistent trend we've seen is the rapid rise of non-Hindi content consumption on the platform." He adds that almost 50 percent of the total viewership that ZEE5 registers comes from content in non-Hindi languages. "We see an even more pronounced pattern internationally among diaspora audiences, with non-Hindi consumption growing from 63% in 2023 to nearly 70% in the first half of 2025.' Revealing that Sankranthiki Vasthunam and Ayyana Mane rank on top among standout performers on the platform this year so far, Goenka says, 'Both logged record-breaking openings for Telugu language on our platform. Other strong performers include Identity (Malayalam), Kudumbasthan (Tamil), Max (Kannada), and Hanu-Man (Telugu). These trends reinforce our belief that hyperlocal and culturally relevant stories drive deeper audience engagement and platform loyalty.' Goenka adds that the development is also reshaping the commission, development and production of content—almost like operating seven different studios for the seven key languages 'tailored to the cultural and emotional contexts of their specific audiences.' He insists that the language-led commissioning approach allows them to greenlight projects with a 'sharper audience alignment and creative conviction'. Confirming that the technology in ZEE5 app ensures language is customized as per location, Goenka tells us that the app interface defaults to Tamil if someone logs in from Chennai, with an option to choose the language as well. 'The transformation also goes well beyond content curation. We're now building the platform so that the overall experience in each region is different. The way ZEE5 looks and feels in Maharashtra won't be the same as it does in West Bengal or Tamil Nadu. It's a shift that touches UI, discovery and navigation. We also plan to launch a major user interface/user experience revamp later this year which will bring in much stronger AI-led recommendation and personalization," Goenka concludes. (This conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity.)
Irish Times
21-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Times
YouTube could be forced to promote British public service TV content
Digital platforms such as YouTube could be forced to make programmes from UK public service television channels 'prominent' to protect 'endangered' networks such as BBC and Channel 4 , according to the British media watchdog, the Office of Communications (ofcom) Ofcom on Monday said there needed to be 'prominence and discoverability' for content from public service broadcasters (PSBs) on the online platforms that audiences increasingly use. It added that in particular it was 'critical that the public service broadcasters and YouTube ... work together to ensure that PSB content is prominent on its service, and on fair commercial terms'. Ofcom said the government should consider whether this needs to be underpinned by legislation to give statutory backing to PSB content on YouTube, especially news and children's programmes. READ MORE Britain's existing Media Act already guarantees PSBs prominence on connected TVs and other devices, which means being seen among the first viewing options on the home screen 'carousel'. With more audiences watching online, the PSBs have developed on-demand services such as BBC's iPlayer. However, this has not fully offset declines in viewing to traditional linear channels, with younger audiences in particular more likely to watch YouTube, Netflix and TikTok. David McWilliams on how 'big incentives' to build could save Dublin city Listen | 36:51 PSBs are now increasingly placing their shows on third-party platforms to follow their audiences but are competing with vast libraries of rival content. Public service companies' video-on-demand players only account for 9 per cent of all viewing, according to Ofcom data. Ofcom said that viewers now spend less than half of their in-home viewing on traditional linear TV channels, and that this was still declining. Last year, fewer than half of 16-24-year-olds tuned into broadcast TV in an average week, while younger children spent far more time watching YouTube. 'If no action is taken, the very existence of the PSBs will be threatened. Time is running out to save this pillar of UK culture and way of life,' the regulator said. YouTube and the UK government did not respond immediately to requests for comment. In a wide-ranging review designed to ensure the future of the UK's public broadcasters, Ofcom has launched an assessment of the regulation of broadcast TV and radio. It recommended a bonfire of red tape to strip away outdated and unnecessary restrictions given much of the existing legislative and regulatory framework was designed for traditional linear TV. Ofcom also urged broadcasters to be more ambitious in pursuing strategic and technological partnerships with each other. It said less commercially viable genres, such as news, local news and children's content, should be prioritised if the government was to decide to allocate additional public funding. – Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2025
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
NextGen Digital Appoints Matt Zahab to Board, Completes Final Tranche of Private Placement
NextGen Digital Platforms ( announced Monday the appointment of Matt Zahab to the board of di Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
