iWorld
ZEE5 Global elevates US presence, unites top South Asian streaming platforms in one hub
Mumbai: ZEE5 Global, a streaming service for South Asian content, today announced a strategic move to aggregate multiple South Asian streaming platforms within the ZEE5 Global platform with the launch of add-ons in the US. ZEE5 Global add-ons will offer subscribers in the US a single window to access their favorite South Asian entertainment platforms on the ZEE5 Global platform itself, with add-on pricing starting from just $1.49 onwards.
ZEE5 Global add-ons were unveiled by ZEE5 Global president, digital businesses and platforms Amit Goenka and chief business officer Archana Anand at a mega event in Mumbai, India attended by Bollywood and regional celebrities, industry stalwarts and others.
“The launch of add-ons on ZEE5 Global is a significant milestone, further cementing our leadership position as the No.1 South Asian streaming platform in the US market,” said ZEE5 Global chief business officer Archana Anand “Add-ons will bring the best of South Asian content from multiple streaming platforms within ZEE5 Global for the diaspora in the US and soon globally, and at the best possible value.”
ZEE5 Global add-ons currently offer content across languages from streaming platforms like Simply South (all South Indian languages), Oho Gujarati (Gujarati), Chaupal (Punjabi, Bhojpuri, Haryanvi), NammaFlix (Kannada), EPIC ON (Hindi) and iStream (Malayalam) with at least six more being onboarded.
As a first for ZEE5 Global, Gujarati content will be available on the platform to delight the huge Gujarati-speaking diaspora in the US.
ZEE5 Global add-ons partner titles will further add to the platform’s huge catalogue of over 250,000 hours of movies, TV shows, and originals across languages.
ZEE Entertainment Enterprises Ltd president of digital businesses & platforms Amit Goenka said, “As digital entertainment consumption and delivery models evolve in the global landscape, addressing the growing consumer demand for engaging content and a seamless, personalized experience that combines accessibility and affordability is the need of the hour. With the launch of our aggregator platform ZEE5 Add-ons, we aim to unite the entertainment ecosystem for the discerning viewer to build a robust monetization opportunity for multiple players in the global markets. We are pleased to have on board some of the most renowned names offering South Asian content to the diaspora audience, and we look forward to building a healthy partnership by enhancing capabilities in the realm of content creation and distribution by establishing ZEE5 Global Add-ons as the single destination for all South Asian content.”
Sharing her vision for ZEE5 Global Add-ons, ZEE5 Global chief business officer Archana Anand added, “As the foremost South Asian streaming platform in the United States, ZEE5 Global has played a crucial role in connecting the South Asian diaspora with their cultural roots. Building on our leadership, the natural progression was to evolve into the premier aggregator for South Asian entertainment. Add-ons will help address challenges such as content and consumer fragmentation and empower subscribers to effortlessly access their preferred content at one destination. It also benefits our partners, who can bank on our extensive reach in the US and save on customer acquisition and marketing costs.”
With Add-ons, users will now have just one app to download, only one login and a single password to remember. Billing and payment is also simplified through a single platform for all streaming subscriptions. Personalized recommendations across languages, unified user interface and search across platforms, and an ad-free viewing experience are just some of the other key benefits for consumers in the US.
In addition to Add-ons, ZEE5 Global is set to launch the largest consumer giveback program, the Great ZEE5 GiveAway, for its US consumers over the next few weeks in association with multiple partners like Quicklly, the leading online South Asian marketplace in the US, wherein with every purchase of ZEE5 or any Add-On pack, all new or existing subscribers will stand to win guaranteed gifts and sweepstakes ranging from gift cards to all-expenses-paid trips to destinations like Hawaii, Las Vegas, and more.
A unique India-to-US referral program will also be rolled out shortly. Subscribers in India will be able to share their unique referral link with friends or family in the US and earn Rs.500 for each successful referral. The best part is no capping on the number of referrals, so there is no upper limit to how much one can get.
Speaking at the event, Archana Anand also announced a massive campaign against global piracy to be launched soon with ZEE5 Global offering a logical and legitimate option for consumers tempted by the content variety and low costs offered by pirate platforms.
Tied in with her aspiration around ZEE5 Global being at the forefront of taking South Asian entertainment larger on the global stage, the launch event also featured a panel discussion titled the Coming of Age of South Asian Entertainment: The Time is Now. The panel discussion, moderated by Anupama Chopra, featured actor Manoj Bajpayee, Guneet Monga, Vishal Bhardwaj, Pratik Gandhi, and Archana Anand from ZEE5 Global. The panellists discussed a range of topics around the subject covering how South Asian content is finally taking centre stage, their own perspectives about the South Asian diaspora audience, how storytelling has evolved and whether crossing over was a personal aspiration for them.
ZEE5 Global add-ons is available across platforms like Android, iOS, www.zee5.com, Fire TV, Apple TV, Roku, and Samsung TVs.
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.
