iWorld
Times Prime offers complimentary ZEE5 subscription to entertain during COVID-19 social distancing
MUMBAI: As more and more people stay home following state-imposed lockdowns or self-quarantine due to rising cases of COVID-19, Times Prime has partnered with ZEE5 to offer digital entertainment to all those who are confined to their home during this unprecedented situation. As part of this initiative, Times Prime is offering new users complimentary access to six months of ZEE5 subscription worth Rs 599 as a part of the membership experience.
ZEE5 offers an exhaustive array of digital content with 100+ live TV channels and 1.25 lakh+ hours of viewing across the languages of English, Hindi, Bengali, Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Marathi, Oriya, Bhojpuri, Gujarati and Punjabis, making it one of the most comprehensive video destinations for OTT viewers. The platform is also set to host a large bouquet of blockbuster movies, new exclusives, binge-worthy ZEE5 Originals, and bespoke premium content to cater to this burgeoning new audience.
Times Prime business head Vivek Jain said, "The world is currently fighting a battle with the COVID-19 pandemic, with hundreds of millions of Indians having to be confined to their homes to be safe. Social distancing is surely the need of the hour. We want our members to stay home, stay safe and stay entertained. To enable this we are adding many partners that can help Prime patrons workout from home, get access to nutritionists and digital diet passes and most importantly get online consultation from doctors. I am very pleased to share that ZEE5, a leading OTT platform in India, will now be available on Times Prime keeping all our users entertained 24×7 across devices.”
ZEE5 India business development and commercial vice president Manpreet Bumrah said, “We are fully committed to undertake any preventive measures necessary to help the media ecosystem curb this unprecedented situation caused due to the COVID-19 crisis. With our partnership with Times Prime, we want to reach out to all the audiences across the country and help them enjoy responsibly by staying home whilst, catching up on their favourite shows/movies uninterrupted across 12 languages – only on ZEE5.”
At an introductory price of Rs 999, Times Prime’s premium lifestyle membership now offers exclusive access to nine premium memberships that include Zee5 subscription worth Rs 599, Gourmet Passport by Dineout worth Rs 1499, Grofers membership worth Rs 249, Gaana+ by Gaana worth Rs 399, exclusive access to TOI+ the ad-free online version of the world’s largest circulating newspaper, ETPrime membership worth Rs 399, FitCoach membership worth Rs 999, FreshClub subscription worth Rs 399, and OYO Wizard Blue worth Rs 499. Additionally, Times Prime’s exclusive payment partnerships with HDFC Payzapp and HDFC Times Card can be used to purchase the Times Prime membership at up to 30 per cent discount. Customers can easily recover their membership fee within the first week and save up to Rs 60,000 every year, making Times Prime the most comprehensive and cost-effective premium subscription service available in India.
iWorld
Meta plans 8,000 layoffs in new AI-led restructuring wave
First phase from May 20 may cut 10 per cent workforce amid AI pivot.
MUMBAI: At Meta, the future may be artificial but the cuts are very real. The social media giant is reportedly preparing a fresh round of layoffs, with an initial wave expected to impact around 8,000 employees as it doubles down on its artificial intelligence ambitions. According to a Reuters report, the first phase of job cuts is slated to begin on May 20, targeting roughly 10 per cent of Meta’s global workforce. With nearly 79,000 employees on its rolls as of December 31, the move marks one of the company’s most significant workforce reductions in recent years.
And this may only be the beginning. Sources indicate that additional layoffs are being planned for the second half of the year, although the scale and timing remain fluid, likely to be shaped by how Meta’s AI capabilities evolve in the coming months. Earlier reports had suggested that total cuts in 2026 could reach 20 per cent or more of its workforce.
The restructuring comes as chief executive Mark Zuckerberg continues to steer the company towards an AI-first operating model, committing hundreds of billions of dollars to the transition. Internally, this shift is already visible: teams within Reality Labs have been reorganised, engineers have been moved into a newly formed Applied AI unit, and a Meta Small Business division has been created to align with broader structural changes.
The trend is hardly isolated. Across the tech sector, companies are trimming headcount while investing aggressively in automation. Amazon, for instance, has reportedly cut around 30,000 corporate roles nearly 10 per cent of its white-collar workforce citing efficiency gains driven by AI. Data from Layoffs.fyi shows over 73,000 tech employees have already lost jobs this year, compared with 153,000 in all of 2024.
For Meta, the move echoes its earlier “year of efficiency” in 2022–23, when about 21,000 roles were eliminated amid slowing growth and market pressures. This time, however, the backdrop is different. The company is financially stronger, generating over $200 billion in revenue and $60 billion in profit last year, with shares up 3.68 per cent year-to-date though still below last summer’s peak.
That contrast underlines the shift underway. These layoffs are less about survival and more about reinvention. As Meta restructures itself around AI from autonomous coding agents to advanced machine learning systems, the question is no longer whether the company will change, but how many roles will be left unchanged when it does.
