iWorld
ZEE5 revenue rises 53 per cent to Rs 1,489 crore in FY26
Digital business turns profitable as ZEE5 expands into micro dramas, FAST channels and kids content
MUMBAI: ZEE5 has found a profitable plot twist. The streaming platform’s revenue jumped 53 per cent to Rs 1,488.8 crore in FY26, while its digital business reached EBITDA breakeven and turned profitable on a comparable basis, according to Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd’s annual report.
The growth was driven by an expanded content offering, subscriber growth, an improved pricing strategy and higher contribution from syndication. The platform also used the year to broaden its content playbook, moving beyond conventional streaming into newer formats and audiences.
One of the biggest additions was micro drama and short-form, bingeable storytelling, aimed particularly at Gen Z and millennial audiences. ZEE5 also expanded its KidZ offering as it sought to deepen its reach among children and family viewers.
The platform introduced language packs to improve accessibility and affordability across priority language markets, while its FAST channel offering was expanded to create additional monetisation opportunities for its content library, particularly across connected TV environments.
The digital performance stands out against a more mixed picture for ZEEL’s wider entertainment business. The company’s movies business recorded a 3 per cent increase in revenue to Rs 456.1 crore in FY26, helped by an increase in the number of films released and produced.
Profitability in the movies business, however, was affected by lower advertising revenue, strategic growth investments and one-off expenses, including higher legal costs.
At the company level, ZEEL’s profit before tax fell 72.4 per cent to Rs 283 crore in FY26, compared with Rs 1,024.7 crore in FY25.
For ZEE5, meanwhile, the year marked a shift from simply chasing scale to showing that digital growth can also translate into profitability. With micro dramas, kids’ content, language packs and FAST channels now part of the mix, the platform is widening its content net while looking for more ways to monetise the library it already owns.
