Mumbai: ZEE5, the largest streaming platform for South Asian content, has announced that the platform will launch in the United States on June 22. The platform is currently under beta testing in the market.
The U.S. is the final and largest launch for ZEE5, setting the stage for its rapid growth in a market with a ready 5.4 million diaspora audience that has a deep cultural and language connect to this content.
This direct-to-consumer service launch is especially significant at a time when Indians in the U.S., many of whom remain deeply connected to their roots, are unable to travel home.
ZEE5 will officially announce its launch in the U.S. on 22nd June at a virtual event where its platform and content will be unveiled. The company will share key details about its plans for the market and its local partnerships, launch the brand campaign and more.
With this launch, the streaming platform will open up access to the largest catalogue of South Asian i.e., Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi content to diaspora and even mainstream content consumers in the U.S. who have been eagerly waiting to access ZEE5’s massive content library.
With 130,000 hours of content across 18 languages, ZEE5 will offer a premium, highly accessible, and affordable option for viewers to engage with the best of South Asian stories.
With “language of your comfort” being a key promise across Content, Navigation and even Voice Search, ZEE5’s content library is tailor-made for the diverse cultures and languages of Indian and South Asian communities in the U.S. The languages include Hindi, Bengali, Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Marathi, Oriya, Bhojpuri, Gujarati, Punjabi, as well as Malay, Thai, Bahasa, Arabic, Urdu and Bangla (Bangladeshi). Key titles are also subtitled or dubbed in English.
“The United States represents our most significant market and the last bastion in our global journey as we launch an ad-free subscription service. As a Global Media Conglomerate, we have had a very deep connection with our diaspora audiences here, so it is a rather happy moment for me to now be bringing this audience the largest aggregation of South Asian content on a single platform through ZEE5,” said Amit Goenka, President, Digital Businesses & Platforms, ZEE Entertainment.
“The United States is home to millions of people whose families have strong connects with South Asia, and we are glad to bring them the largest and most diverse catalogue of culturally relevant entertainment across Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi stories. These stories have the power to engage deeply and go well beyond the South Asian audience to entertain and delight even mainstream audiences with their authenticity and allure. I am confident that ZEE5 will become the go to platform for all Americans who love great storytelling,” said Archana Anand, Chief Business Officer, ZEE5 Global.
ZEE5’s Annual pack, priced at $84 USD will be available across all major devices at a limited launch offer price of $49.99.
