iWorld
Zeel embraces technology solutions to create fresh content amidst lockdown
MUMBAI: Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (Zeel) has embraced and optimally utilised technology solutions amidst lockdown, in order to create and offer fresh content for its consumers.
The company has leveraged technology and implemented various solutions across its key functions, swiftly and collaboratively, creating the bedrock for creative innovation in the content offering. The teams have enabled innovations through remote production of content over mobile and professional cameras by using video and audio production technologies to support broadcast, digital and social platforms.
On the television front, it is ready with an array of new shows in multiple languages across its regions. To begin with, Zeel is all set to bring together the entire music industry across ten states with celebrities, music stalwarts, best of SRGMP singers and judges to deliver the SRGMP 25year – Silver Jubilee Concert for a Golden cause. This 25-hour Live Music Marathon, ‘Ek Desh Ek Raag’ will raise funds for India ‘COVID Response Fund’ by GiveIndia. As a first of its kind TV + Digital Musical initiative, the show is all set for a 25 hour Digital Live-athon on 23 May and the Mega Finale TV Concert on 24 May on Zee TV and our other leading channels. The popular SRGMP title song is being rendered in 10 languages with the contribution of musical stalwarts like Pandit Jasraj, Ronu Majumdar, Selva Ganesh, Himesh Reshammiya, Shaan, Udit Narayan and more.
Keeping the consumer need at the fore, we will bring exciting new offerings across non-fiction with Zee Kannada launching ‘Lockdown Diaries’ and ‘Coffee with Anu’, where the former is a fun filled game-chat show with its own artists. Zee Marathi is geared up to launch three non-fiction shows, titled as Vedh Bhavishyacha – a spiritual chat show, Gharchya Ghari Home Minister – a virtual format of the popular show Home Minister and Gharat Basle Saare – a first-of-its-kind standup comedy puppet show by Ramdas Pandhye.
Zee Marathi is also set to offer four new fiction shows shot locally in Maharashtra under the new social distancing guidelines. Zee Sarthak has been airing ‘Lockdown Challenge’, a unique non-fiction show, showcasing lives of their leading celebrities during the lockdown. Zee Sarthak is also ready with a two-hour original movie, titled as ‘Mu Tame Lockdown’ to be launched this June 2020. Both, the pieces of content have been shot at the homes of the respective celebrities using mobile phones.
Zee Bangla has launched three shows Priyo Tarakar Andarmanal, Abol Tabol – a comedy show and Lockdown Diaries inspired by true human stories. Completely shot on mobile, Lockdown Stories is a tribute to the human spirit of fighting through short stories that aim to portray the human bonding, family strength and positivity this time has allowed us to re-establish. Airing for 6 days, the stories are inspired by real life and includes frontline health workers, young couples, a kid trying to explore his imagination and middle-class inhabitants in a city landscape represented by renowned artists like Gaurav, Debolina, Arunodoy, Tanima Sen and more. With each story, Zee Bangla and its artists intend to take a pledge to be more respectful, more patient, more empathetic and more humane.
&TV, spearheaded innovation through two special initiatives and brought alive the festive spirit with an interactive episode on Hanuman Jayanti, enabling viewers to sing along Hanuman Chalisa on TV. Ek Desh Ek Awaaz, was a yet another special initiative undertaken on Ambedkar Jayanti.
Gaming
Sony raises PS5 prices for second time in under a year
US disc edition jumps $100 to $649.99 as memory costs surge.
MUMBAI: Sony just hit the pause button on affordable gaming because when memory prices skyrocket, even the Playstation has to pay the premium. Sony has announced its second price increase for the Playstation 5 range in less than a year, citing pressures in the global economic landscape and a sharp rise in memory component costs driven by AI demand.
In the US, the PS5 disc edition will rise from $549.99 to $649.99, a $100 hike while the digital edition increases to $599.99. The more powerful PS5 Pro will jump $150 to $899.99. The Playstation Portal remote player will also rise by $50 to $249.99. The new prices take effect on 2 April 2026.
Similar increases have been applied in the UK (£90 per model), Europe and Japan. Sony last raised PS5 prices in the US in August 2025.
“We know that price changes impact our community, and after careful evaluation, we found this was a necessary step to ensure we can continue delivering innovative, high-quality gaming experiences to players worldwide,” Sony said in a blog post.
The hikes come amid an unprecedented surge in memory prices, as manufacturers prioritise supply for AI data centres. Analysts say Sony had likely secured price protections for components that have now expired, forcing the company to protect its hardware margins.
Ampere Analysis research director of games Piers Harding-Rolls told CNBC that further increases from Microsoft and Nintendo would not be surprising, though Nintendo may hesitate to raise the price of its recently launched Switch 2 while establishing the new platform.
The increases arrive eight months before the highly anticipated release of GTA 6, which is expected to drive strong console sales. However, early reactions online have been a mix of disappointment and resignation, with growing concern that premium gaming is increasingly becoming a hobby for higher-income players.
In a sector already grappling with tariffs, inflation and component shortages, Sony’s move underscores a tough reality: even the most popular consoles are not immune to the rising cost of keeping up with the latest technology.
