Zee 5 adds Hostel Hadsa and Blind Game to Free 5 line-up

MUMBAI: Ghosts and a missing Rs 5 crore. Zee 5 is bulking up its free, ad-supported streaming service, Free 5, with the supernatural series Hostel Hadsa: Bhoot Ya Bhram and the Hindi suspense thriller Blind Game, starring Arjun Rampal and Priyamani. The announcement was made in Mumbai on 29 October 2026.

The timing is brisk. Hostel Hadsa: Bhoot Ya Bhram premiered on 27 October 2026, exclusively on Free 5. Blind Game follows on 4 November 2026. Together they stretch the content offering across genres, adding horror and suspense to a shelf that already holds a lot.

That shelf is the point. Free 5 brings together catch-up television, movies, English, Korean and Chinese dramas, anime, microdramas, news, creator-led content and newer formats, giving audiences several ways to discover and sample entertainment on Zee 5. With Originals and films across genres, the platform aims to create more viewing occasions, encourage repeat engagement and strengthen its standing as a free entertainment destination.

Advertisers are the second audience, and the pitch to them is plain. A growing slate offers a wider range of audience interests and content environments, alongside advertising, content-led integrations and customised brand associations. In a free service, more variety means more reasons to return, and more places for a brand to appear.

Start with the series. Hostel Hadsa: Bhoot Ya Bhram is directed by Tabrez Khan and produced by Banijay Entertainment. It is set in a convent school in Shimla, where Priyal Basu, played by Sukirti Kandpal, a writer and staunch sceptic, investigates the legend of a headless horseman said to appear on Friday the 13th carrying a rose for a young girl. When a video of an alleged supernatural encounter goes viral and a schoolgirl disappears, her investigation begins to challenge her rational worldview. The series stars Priyal Basu and Vineet Raina, and combines folklore, suspense and supernatural horror in a contemporary retelling of a familiar franchise.

Then the film. Blind Game is produced by Deepak Mukut, Hunar Mukut, Kushagra Sharma and Shristi Sharma under Soham Rockstar Entertainment, and is written and directed by the late Sangeeth Sivan. A Hindi remake of the Malayalam thriller 7th Day, it follows an IPS officer drawn into a series of suspicious events involving a group of friends and a missing sum of Rs 5 crore. As he investigates, a seemingly straightforward case becomes a dangerous web of secrets, deception and unexpected revelations, where nothing is quite as it seems.

Alisha Coelho, senior vice president, platform management and AVOD business head, Zee 5, sees a broader opportunity. “We see an opportunity to make free entertainment a more meaningful part of the streaming experience,” she said. “Our focus is on bringing together compelling content across genres, giving audiences more reasons to discover stories, explore different formats and return to Zee 5. With Hostel Hadsa: Bhoot Ya Bhram and Blind Game, we are adding distinctive stories to the platform and catering to varied audience interests.”

She added: “For advertisers, this growing content offering creates opportunities to connect with audiences across different viewing environments and interests. Beyond advertising inventory, Free 5 explores contextual associations, content-led integrations and customised brand opportunities. Our focus is on building a destination where audience engagement and a diverse content offering come together to create greater value for both viewers and advertisers.”

The strategy is easy to read. A free tier lives on reach and repeat visits, and a mixed menu of horror, suspense, dramas, anime and news gives it both. With a growing mix of original programming and films, Zee 5 says it will keep building depth across Free 5, strengthening its role within the platform’s wider entertainment and advertising ecosystem. Genre variety for viewers and brand-friendly formats for advertisers: the two halves of the pitch fit together neatly.

Zee 5 describes itself as India’s largest homegrown video streaming platform and the global window for South Asian content, reaching viewers across 190+ countries. As the digital entertainment destination of Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd., it follows a language-first philosophy, with hyper-local content, language-specific packs and personalised experiences across seven languages: Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Bengali, Malayalam, Kannada and Marathi. Its library spans movies, series, live sports, AI-powered storytelling, animation and kids’ entertainment, with live sport including the FIFA World Cup 2026 and 2030, Bundesliga, Serie A and Coppa Italia.