iWorld
ZEE5 lines up 72 new originals till March 2020; continues focus on regional market
MUMBAI: Ushering in its first anniversary, ZEE5 announced an extensive line-up of 72 new Originals on the platform till March 2020. Staying true to ZEE5’s founding philosophy of focusing on regional content, this includes shows across multiple genres and languages including Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Marathi, Bengali and Malayalam. The fastest growing OTT platform in the country also announced an anniversary offer where subscribers can avail a 30 per cent discount on both annual subscriptions – all access and regional, as well as an additional 50 per cent cashback on Paytm.
The extravaganza was attended by some of the biggest names from showbiz across regions including Arjun Rampal, Saqib Saleem, Pooja Bhatt, Mahesh Bhatt, Goldie Behl, Guneet Monga, S Sreesanth and many more from the Bollywood industry, Parambrata Chatterjee and Raima Sen, Payel Sarkar, Riddhi Sen from Kolkata, Kathir from Chennai, Sujay Dahake, Vikram Gokhale from the Marathi entertainment industry, and so on.
“It is a very proud moment indeed for us as we celebrate the first anniversary of ZEE5. A year in, we have seen how ZEE5 has, in fact, bolstered the network channels’ fanbase through its Before TV and catch-up content offerings. With its strong content library, the platform has established a niche for itself in the regional markets of our country – a space that has always remained a focus for us as a group. In the next few years, we will be investing in ZEE5 to make it the most widely subscribed and viewed Indian entertainment app globally, ” international broadcast business and Z5 global CEO Amit Goenka commented.
“This past year has been an enriching journey for each one of us who have been a part of it and being the fastest growing OTT platform in the country is testimony to the continual efforts of the team and support from our partners. Since our launch in February 2018, we have achieved milestones not just on the content front, but under multiple pillars including partnerships and technology. Our aim through all our initiatives has been to bring a seamless viewing experience for our subscribers, no matter where they are or what their preference is. The learnings have been immense, and from it we have emerged – stronger and bigger. In 2019, our aim is to outdo ourselves in terms of the concepts & shows and technology we drive through ZEE5 and the announcements today are proof that we are fully poised to take this on,” ZEE5 India CEO tarun Katial said.
“The regional markets is where the future of entertainment lies – our next viewers will come from there. We are cognizant of this and building an ecosystem to add more value to our stakeholders in these markets. To celebrate our first anniversary, we have a special offer for our subscribers as well,” he added.
At the star-studded event, ZEE5 unveiled the logos of the following shows:
• Hindi – Rangbaaz Season 2, Karenjit Kaur Season 3 (with Sunny Leone), High Priestess (Amala Akkineni’s digital debut), Skyfire, The Final Call (starring Arjun Rampal and Sakshi Tanwar), Mystic Rose, The Sholay Girl (starring Bidita Baig), Mirror (a short film), 377 (starring Maanvi Gangroo and others), Poison (starring Arbaaz Khan, Freddy Daruwala, Tanuj Virwani), Bandit Queen
• Telugu – Ms Subbulakshmi (starring Lakshmi Manchu), G.O.D. – Gangs of Dharmapuri (starring Aditya)
• Tamil – Postman
• Bengali – Sharate Aaj (starring Parambrata Chatterjee, Payal Sarkar and Riddhi Sen)
• Marathi – Sex, Drugs and Theatre, Hutatma (starring Anjali Patil, Vaibhav Tatvavadi & Abhay Mahajan)
• Malayalam – Aarpoo, Porn Ok Please
To celebrate the anniversary, ZEE5 has launched a special 30 per cent discount on both annual packs – all access at Rs 999/- and regional at Rs 499/-. This is applicable from 14 February to 31 March; in case subscribers pay via their Paytm account, they will get an additional 50 per cent cashback on these rates.
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.
