iWorld
ZEE5 and Gaana partner to offer free subscriptions to users entertainment
MUMBAI: In an industry-first initiative, ZEE5, India’s largest multi-lingual OTT platform, and Gaana, the country’s favorite music streaming service will be offering each other’s users free access to their platforms. Users of both the platforms will benefit from the rich content library of ZEE5 comprising movies, original shows, and tv shows and the vast of Gaana’s music library of more than 30 million songs.
ZEE5 will bundle a month’s subscription of Gaana with its own monthly subscription and Gaana’s subscribers can also avail ZEE5 for free. Zee5 and Gaana would be promoting this limited-period offer on their platforms as a part of a joint campaign.
Manish Aggarwal, Business Head, ZEE5 India, said, “OTT as an entertainment option is mostly consumed by people on the go. This, combined with seamless music experience, will make the subscriber’s travel experience just perfect. We are establishing ZEE5 as the go-to destination for digital entertainment and associating with Gaana will give audiences yet another reason to subscribe to the platform.”
Prashan Agarwal, CEO, Gaana, “We have always strived to add incremental value to the lives of our subscribers. Associating with ZEE5 is a win-win for our 80 million strong user-base and Zee5’s rapidly increasing viewership as they’ll now be able to experience double entertainment while subscribing to a single service.“
With over 3500 films, 500+ TV shows, 4000+ music videos, 35+ theatre plays and 90+ LIVE TV Channels across 12 languages, ZEE5 truly presents a blend of unrivaled content offering for its viewers across the nation and worldwide. With ZEE5, the global content of Zindagi as a brand, which was widely appreciated across the country, has also been brought back for its loyal viewers.
Availability: The ZEE5 App can be downloaded from Google Play Store http://bit.ly/zee5 and iOS App Store http://bit.ly/zee5ios. Also available at www.zee5.com, as a Progressive Web App (PWA), and on Apple TV and Amazon Fire TV Stick. ZEE5 also supports Chromecast.
ZEE5 offers a freemium pricing model with both free and paid premium content (including Originals) to cater to a mix of audiences. Viewers who subscribe to the ZEE5 subscription pack will get access to the entire library of content with Rs.99/- for 1 month and Rs.999/- for a year. Gaana’s premium plan ‘Gaana+’ offers subscribers ad-free access to India’s largest collection of songs on their Android and iOS devices in HD quality. It is available at Rs. 99 for 1 month and Rs. 499 for a year.
e-commerce
American Express to acquire AI startup Hyper to boost automation
Deal targets expense management as AI reshapes corporate spending tools.
MUMBAI: From receipts to robots, the expense sheet is getting a brain upgrade as American Express moves to bring artificial intelligence into the heart of corporate spending. The company has announced plans to acquire Hyper, a relatively young but fast-rising startup founded in 2022 that builds AI-powered agents capable of organising expenses, generating reports, verifying compliance with budgets and policies, and nudging users with timely reminders. The deal, expected to close in the second quarter of 2026, underscores a growing shift among financial institutions to automate traditionally manual, time-heavy workflows.
Hyper counts Sam Altman among its backers, adding a layer of Silicon Valley credibility to the acquisition. While financial details remain undisclosed, the strategic intent is clear: deepen automation capabilities and sharpen American Express’s position in the competitive corporate spending ecosystem.
The two companies are not strangers. They previously collaborated in 2024 on a co-branded credit card product, suggesting that the acquisition is less a cold buy and more an extension of an existing relationship. With this move, American Express is effectively bringing that capability in-house, aiming to embed AI directly into its commercial services stack.
Chief executive Stephen Squeri had already signalled the direction of travel in a recent shareholder letter, describing AI as a “structural shift” in how businesses operate. The Hyper acquisition appears to be a direct response to that shift, particularly in expense management, where processes such as approvals, compliance checks and reporting remain ripe for automation.
Alongside the acquisition, the company is also expanding its product suite. A recently launched business credit card offers cashback and benefits at an annual fee of $295, with another card expected later this year moves that complement its broader push into commercial services.
Taken together, the strategy points to a future where managing expenses may require fewer spreadsheets and more algorithms. For American Express, the bet is simple, if businesses are rethinking how work gets done, the tools that power that work need to evolve just as quickly.
