iWorld
Zee5 partners with BBC to expand its premium content offerings
Mumbai: Video streaming platform Zee5 has announced a partnership with BBC Studios India. The two top entertainment companies will work to build a robust content slate of new Zee5 originals in Hindi across genres exclusively for Zee5 viewers.
With this partnership, Zee5 aims to further bolster its existing premium content offerings with captivating and diverse stories based on successful British formats.
The first Hindi project introduced as part of this ongoing partnership is an original drama series titled “The Broken News,” which also marks actor Sonali Bendre’s debut on OTT.
In line with the theme of the new series; to generate excitement amongst the news viewers, Zee5 will announce the release of “The Broken News” in the primetime slot across prominent news channels on 11 May.
It is an adaptation of the popular British series “Press,” directed by award-winning director Vinay Waikul with a stellar star cast featuring theatrical favourites like Jaideep Ahlawat, Shriya Pilgaonkar, Indraneil Sengupta, Taaruk Raina, Aakash Khurana, Kiran Kumar, amongst others. The plot of the show features two rival news channels based in Mumbai – Awaaz Bharati, an independent, ethical news channel, and Josh 24/7 News, which offers sensationalist and invasive journalism, and what transpires between the main characters in their quest for news.
Commenting on the partnership, Zee5 India chief business officer Manish Kalra said, “This year we have a fantastic line-up with many big titles announced in the first quarter of the year.”
“The focus for 2022 is to bring premium quality content across genres and languages. Zee5, in addition to bolstering its portfolio of Hindi originals, is simultaneously working on curating a list of unique stories across formats and languages to build a platform of varied choices for its viewers,” he explained.
“With ‘The Broken News’ we are marking the beginning of another partnership with a reputed content studio to bring interesting and unique story narratives for our audiences. This partnership is in line with Zee5’s strategy to build a portfolio of unique and compelling content for an enhanced value from the services. We are sure our audiences will enjoy and love it as much as they have loved our content so far. Zee5 has been working with the best talent in the creative ecosystem to create a riveting slate of originals, in line with our content strategy of keeping the viewers at the centre of the business,” added Kalra.
On the announcement of the new title, Zee5 Hindi originals chief content officer Nimisha Pandey said, “’The Broken News’ is an extremely relevant story for the times we live in. We are glad to partner with BBC Studios India and director Vinay Waikul to bring this story to life.”
“It is a riveting drama depicting the nuances of the media houses and the daily hustle-bustle of a newsroom. The story revolves around the ideological differences of the protagonists, beautifully played by Shriya Pilgaonkar and Jaideep Ahlawat. The story has a strong, contemporary and compelling narrative making it a perfect addition to our content bouquet,” she added.
Speaking on the partnership, BBC Studios India general manager Sameer Gogate commented, “We are thrilled to join forces with Zee5 as part of this partnership to produce this riveting BBC Studios format, set in the fascinating world of TV news journalism. The strength of our formats lies in their ability to transcend across cultural boundaries and languages. We are honoured that Jaideep Alhawat, Sonali Bendre and Shriya Pilgaonkar will be a part of this journey directed by Vinay Wiakul and we hope Zee5’s Hindi audience will enjoy the gripping personal and professional dramas facing the characters under the pressure of a 24-hour news cycle.”
e-commerce
Google rolls out new AI shopping tools for Indian users
Gemini, AI Mode in Search, and Circle to Search get smarter upgrades to simplify online buying.
MUMBAI: Google is making online shopping in India a lot less “add to cart” and a lot more “ask and discover”. The tech giant has announced a fresh set of artificial intelligence-powered updates designed to make finding and buying products more intuitive and efficient. By integrating its Gemini models with the Shopping Graph, a massive dataset of over 50 billion product listings that sees nearly 2 billion updates every hour, Google is bringing smarter, more conversational shopping experiences across its platforms.
Users can now move seamlessly from idea generation to product discovery within the Gemini app. Whether planning a festive outfit or building a gift list, shoppers can receive product listings, comparison tables, pricing from across the web, and direct purchase links, all through natural conversation. The feature is currently available in English and Hindi.
Google has upgraded its AI Mode in Search, turning it into a more natural shopping assistant. Instead of relying on traditional filters and keywords, users can ask questions in plain language and receive structured responses with visuals, pricing, reviews, and inventory details. Comparison tables highlighting key differences are also included. While currently available in English, a Hindi version is expected soon.
The popular Circle to Search feature has been enhanced on devices such as the Pixel 10 and Samsung Galaxy S26 series. Users can now identify and explore multiple objects in a single image at once. In fashion-related queries, the tool can break down entire outfits and suggest similar products, making style replication or discovery much easier.
Google stated that these updates build on last year’s successful rollout of the Virtual Try-On tool in India, which helped users visualise apparel before purchase.
In a market where shopping decisions often happen in seconds, Google is betting that smarter AI will turn casual browsing into confident buying. From festive shopping lists to spotting the perfect outfit in a photo, these new tools aim to make every scroll feel a little more rewarding and a lot less overwhelming.
