iWorld
Zee5 set to launch in US on 22 June
Kolkata: In what could be its biggest launch till date, Indian streaming platform Zee5 is all set to enter the United States market on 22 June.
With this, the platform has set the stage for its rapid growth in a market that has over 5.4 million diaspora audiences with a deep cultural and language connection to its content. Zee5 is currently under beta testing in the US. This direct-to-consumer service launch is especially significant at a time when Indians settled in the US, many of whom remain deeply connected to their roots, are unable to travel home.
The official announcement will be made at a virtual event where its platform and content will be unveiled. The company will also share key details about its plans for the market and its local partnerships, launch the brand campaign, and more.
“The United States represents our most significant market and the last bastion in our global journey as we launch an ad-free subscription service. As a Global Media conglomerate, we have had a very deep connection with our diaspora audiences here, so it is a rather happy moment for me to now be bringing this audience the largest aggregation of South Asian content on a single platform through Zee5,” Zee Entertainment Digital Businesses & Platforms president Amit Goenka said.
With this launch, the streaming platform will also open up access to the largest catalogue of content from South Asia including India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh to diaspora and even mainstream content consumers in the US who have been eagerly waiting to access Zee5’s massive content library. With 1,30,000 hours of content across 18 languages, Zee5 said it plans to offer a premium, highly accessible, and affordable option for viewers to engage with the best of South Asian stories.
“The United States is home to millions of people whose families have a strong connect with South Asia, and we are glad to bring them the largest and most diverse catalogue of culturally relevant entertainment across Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi stories. These stories have the power to engage deeply and go well beyond the South Asian audience to entertain and delight even mainstream audiences with their authenticity and allure. I am confident that ZEE5 will become the go-to platform for all Americans who love great storytelling,” Zee5 Global chief business officer Archana Anand said.
With ‘language of your comfort’ being a key promise across Content, Navigation, and even Voice Search, Zee5’s content library promises to be tailor-made for the diverse cultures and languages of Indian and South Asian communities in the US. The languages include Hindi, Bengali, Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Marathi, Oriya, Bhojpuri, Gujarati, Punjabi, as well as Malay, Thai, Bahasa, Arabic, Urdu, and Bangla (Bangladeshi). Key titles are also subtitled or dubbed in English.
Zee5’s Annual pack, priced at $84 will be available across all major devices at a limited launch offer price of $49.99. Zee5 subscribers in the U.S. will also be the first to stream Salman Khan’s Radhe: Your Most Wanted Bhai.
iWorld
Schmooze launches AI matchmaker Riya to personalise dating
300,000 users try feature as retention doubles on Gen Z dating app.
MUMBAI: Love might be blind, but now it’s also algorithmically curated and apparently quite chatty. Schmooze has introduced an AI-powered personal matchmaker named Riya, marking its latest push to move beyond swipe-led dating into deeper, personality-driven matchmaking. Unlike traditional matching systems, Riya interacts directly with users through conversations asking about everything from lifestyle and humour to relationship goals and family values. The idea is simple but ambitious: understand users beyond surface-level preferences and recommend matches that actually fit.
The feature builds on a pattern Schmooze had already observed. Its earlier AI tool, People Finder, allowed users to describe their ideal partner in detail and users did exactly that. Requests ranged from “an extrovert who works in tech and likes to cook” to hyper-specific traits, signalling a clear shift towards intent-driven dating.
That insight exposed a gap. While dating apps typically rely on probability-based algorithms, many users already know what they want they just lack a system that can interpret it meaningfully.
Riya attempts to fill that gap using a conversational approach. Instead of rigid inputs, it gathers signals organically sometimes through casual questions about weekend plans or social habits while mapping deeper compatibility markers in the background.
To support this, Schmooze has built its own end-to-end voice AI stack and large language model, rather than relying on third-party systems. The move is aimed at keeping costs in check while handling scale, and ensuring tighter control over user data and privacy.
The early numbers suggest traction. More than 300,000 users have already interacted with Riya, with those users showing 2× higher retention compared to others on the platform. While the system is designed for short interactions, some users are spending up to 40–50 minutes in conversation occasionally even asking for date ideas, prompting the company to add personalised recommendations.
The launch is the latest step in Schmooze’s broader attempt to rethink dating for Gen Z. Founded by Vidya Madhavan and Abhinav Anurag, the platform initially stood out by using memes as a proxy for personality tracking over 3.5 billion meme swipes across its base of more than 5 million users.
In a market dominated by global players like Tinder, Bumble and Hinge, Schmooze’s approach signals a shift from visual-first discovery to interaction-led compatibility. And with AI now stepping in as a digital wingman, the dating game may be moving from swipe right to speak right.
