iWorld
ZEE5 partners with Lebara Australia to bring the largest library of content for South Asians to its subscribers
MUMBAI: ZEE5, the digital entertainmentplatform from ZEE Entertainment Enterprises Ltd.,today announced a new partnership with LebaraAustralia to bring the largest library of entertainment content for South Asians to Lebara customers down under.
Available in 17 different languages, ZEE5 offers subscribers 100,000 hours of on demand movies, Originals, TV programs, videos and news content. From September, Lebara Australia customers will be able to get a six-month ZEE5 subscription bundled with select prepaid plans.
ZEE5’s entertainment content includes leading Hindi TV shows (e.g. Kum Kum Bhagya and Jodhaa Akbar); the latest ZEE5 Originals (e.g. The Final Call with Arjun Rampal, Kaafir with Dia Mirza) and 2000+ movies (e.g. Simba with Ranveer Singh, Kedarnath with Sara Ali Khan and Sushant Singh Rajput, and Veere Di Wedding with Kareena Kapoor Khan).
Popular Tamil TV shows (e.g. Sembaruthi, Yaaradi Nee Mohini and Poove Poochoodava), blockbuster Tamil films (e.g. Mapla Singam, Mersaland Kalavu) and ZEE5 Originals (e.g. Auto Shankar and Thiravam) are also available to subscribers, along with 60+ live streaming TV channels including India’s largest news stations.
Archana Anand, Chief Business Officer, ZEE5 Global, said that Australia is a key market for ZEE5 as the digital entertainment destination continues to expand globally.
“Australia is an extremely important market for us as we expand across the globe and we’re extremely excited to announce our very first partnership with local telecom operator, Lebara Australia.”
“With this partnership, we’re looking to increase our presence in Australia using Lebara Australia’s subscriber base which will now have access to the best of Indian entertainment on any device of their choice,” continues Anand.
Ash Saini, General Manager, Lebara Australia, said “We are thrilled to have partnered with ZEE5 in Australia and we cannot wait for all our users to sample the huge library of content that ZEE5 has to offer.”
“With a huge appetite for Indian entertainment amongst our ethnic market, we are very excited to launch our bundles with ZEE5 subscriptions and we aim to ensure that every individual on the go uses ZEE5 as a one stop destination to consume the best of Indian entertainment,” continues Saini.
ZEE5 is available using Samsung Smart TVs, Apple TV, Android TVs and Amazon Fire TV, and via Google Play Store, iOS App Store andwww.zee5.com.
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.
