By:Yohan P Chawla
Mumbai: Zoom Studios, the original content arm of Zoom completed its first year. The content studio has registered over 80 million views and 1 Million+ subscribers on its YouTube channel and Facebook page. With 4 original shows in the year, viewers have clocked in a total of 414.8 million minutes of total watch time.
The Zoom studios which was mainly a B2C content studio and focused on creating content for the youth, has now entered the B2B arena by creating shows for other OTT, content platforms and YouTube channels.
On the successful completion of the first year of Zoom Studios, Nikhil Gandhi, President – Revenue, Times Network, said, “Last year we announced the partnership with Myntra and Zoom studios was one of the elements of that partnership. During the year and after the success of the first show The Reunion. We went off on a journey of developing this into a whole new standalone division of content creation under the Zoom brand umbrella, and it’s done very well for us. We have successfully executed 4 shows.”
The studio is aiming for 100% growth and doubling the subscriber basein the next year.It has announced its plans of 6 new originals for FY 19-20.
On further plans, Gandhi said, “For the next year we want to branch out to two different sets under Zoom Studios. We are largely now a B2C model where we are going after our consumers and viewers and there is increased amount of appetite for content consumption, with the whole advent of the OTT space which is completely backed by the data consumption in our country is exploding. Thanks to the internet service providers and Jio who have taken the data consumption to a whole new level.”
On Going the B2B route, Gandhi said, “Many of the OTT players and content platforms have approached us to create content for them and that essentially gave us the idea of launching our own separate B2B division, which will focus on building content for other OTT players and content platforms. We are going to lend our brand and our brand of story-telling to them in a very completely different manner. We wither produce for them and retain the IP or co-own the IP so the Zoom studios brand also goes to these platforms. We have inked a big deal with a prominent OTT player for three shows to begin with, and I am not at the liberty to talk about this at the moment.”
The Zoom Studios will launch 6 new originals in the coming year, starting with ‘Holiday’. The original is ajourney of 4 friends and their crazy holiday in in Bali. Ascertaining its status as a premium entertainment content company, The Zoom Studios will also expand its content dominanceby teaming up with digital platforms to create original shows.
4 successful shows by Zoom Studios
The maiden show ‘The Reunion… Jab They Met Again’ marked the directorial debut ofKarishmaKohli and featured popular faces on television including SapnaPabbi, AnujSachdeva, Veer Rajwant and ShreyaDhanwanthary.
The second show ‘Ready 2 Mingle’ starring AhaanaKumra and AmolParashar immediately struck a chord with the audience for its young, fresh, quirky take on modern-day relationships. Encouraging and nurturing new talent.
The Zoom Studio’s third show, ‘Imperfect’ marked the directorial debut ofIndia’s first female director duo, VidhiGulati and Ruchi Joshiand uncovered the very talentedSamridhiDewan. Produced by AnandTiwari and Amritpal Singh Bindra, Imperfect with its unconventional and humorous storytelling and treatment explored a fresh take on the concept of perfection.
The fourth show ‘Mom & Co.’ marked the digital debut of veteran actor NeliimaAzeem. Depicting the nuances of a mother-son relationship, the show resonated with viewers across age groups bringing them together on this universal emotion. The powerful narrative of the show also inspired celebrities including SaqibSaleem, AparshaktiKhurana and Terrence Lewis to pen an emotional letter to their mother.
