iWorld
Zee5 partners with Sahaj to go deeper into rural India
KOLKATA: With the aim of strengthening its focus on Bharat, OTT platform Zee5 has struck a strategic partnership with Sahaj Rural Development Foundation to bring financial and digital inclusion to rural India.
Through this first-of-a-kind association, Zee5 becomes the first OTT player to cater to the country’s underserved rural market at scale, through the retail network established by Sahaj. Zee5 will design a special ‘Chhota’ pack for Sahaj customers offering 10 per cent discount on its premium subscription, thereby leveraging the massive untapped opportunity of over 300 million rural internet subscribers in the country.
Zee5 will now get access to more than 76,000 gram panchayats, and over 96,000 tier-3 and tier-4 rural locations in 24 states and union territories. With a robust portfolio of purposeful, compelling, diverse, and multi-lingual content in over 12 Indian languages, Zee5 continues to take eventful strides in enticing the masses to subscribe to the platform and consume entertainment anytime, anywhere, and in the language of their choice.
Zee5 India chief business officer Manish Kalra said the move comes at crucial time, when rural India is on the cusp of driving a robust wave of digitisation in the next 12 months.
“We want to fuel this change by democratising access to diverse content across genres and languages. Our partnership with Sahaj is one such step towards strengthening our connection with the entertainment-loving audience from Bharat, providing them with an unlimited and instant access to our premium content library, thereby unlocking unparalleled scale and reach across 24 states and union territories of India,” he added.
On its part, Sahaj has been breaking boundaries to accelerate digital transformation in rural India ‘Bharat’ for more than 12 years and has access to 500 million+ rural customers through its wide network of over 100,000 retail outlets, 'Sahaj Mitr', said CEO Amit Kumar Singh.
“The limited awareness about digital transactions beyond urban centers has restricted the popularity of OTT content in rural India. The partnership between Sahaj and Zee5 will bridge this urban-rural digital divide and offer rural customers an opportunity to enjoy premium OTT content just like their urban counterparts. With this partnership, Sahaj further strengthens its focus on staying at the forefront of identifying consumer trends in the rural market,” he explained.
Since its inception, Zee5 has successfully struck a chord with many Indians within the country. As of December 2020, the platform recorded 65.9 million MAUs and 5.4 million DAUs. Zee5’s repertoire of content includes Indian and global movies, catch-up content, and live TV, shows, news, music, live events, and much more. With a rich library of over 120+ originals, Zee5 offers content in 12 Indian languages and in the last three years, it has had 85+ regional launches: 55+ web series, 5 short films, and 25+ movies in Tamil, Telugu, Marathi, Kannada, and Bengali, across genres. Additionally, the platform offers content in – Hindi, English, Punjabi, Bhojpuri, Gujarati, and Odia.
iWorld
Anirudh Ravichander and Universal Music India join forces to take South India’s sound to the world
The composer behind 13 billion streams launches Albuquerque Records with UMI as its exclusive global partner
MUMBAI: Universal Music India has struck an exclusive partnership with Albuquerque Records, the freshly minted independent label of singer-composer Anirudh Ravichander, in a deal that bets big on South India’s booming pop and hip-hop scene going global.
The arrangement, announced on 17 March, will see Universal Music India handle future pop and hip-hop releases by Anirudh himself, as well as artists signed to the new label. A first release is already in the pipeline for April, featuring Anirudh.
The numbers behind the man are hard to ignore. Debuting in 2012 with the viral sensation “Why This Kolaveri Di”, Anirudh has since clocked over 13 billion audio streams across more than 770 tracks, cementing his position as the No.1 South Indian artist on Spotify by total streams. His fingerprints are all over some of the Tamil film industry’s biggest musical moments, from Hukum and Vaathi Coming to Arabic Kuthu and the A23 Theme.
But Albuquerque Records is a different beast. Built for the non-film space, it is designed to nurture independent talent and champion the next wave of Indian pop voices. “Universal Music India’s leadership in pop and hip-hop made them the natural partner,” said Anirudh. “I’m excited to take independent voices to audiences around the world.”
Universal Music India’s chairman and CEO Devraj Sanyal was equally effusive. “Anirudh represents the future of Indian music, bold, original, and with enormous potential,” he said. “Identifying transformative talent is our superpower, and this partnership reflects that belief.”
Sanujeet Bhujabal, managing director of Universal Music India, framed the deal as more than a distribution play. “Albuquerque Records represents Anirudh’s bold artistic vision in the world of pop and hip-hop,” he said. “True to his legacy of innovation, this partnership is set to establish yet another landmark creative space, this time for the emerging world of iPop and beyond.”
For Universal Music India, the deal deepens a long-running push into South India’s four key language markets: Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada and Telugu. The label already has regional imprints, film partnerships with Maddock Films and Excel Entertainment, and a growing non-film roster. Landing Anirudh, arguably the south’s most bankable music brand, is a statement of intent. South Indian music has the streams. Now it is coming for the world.
