iWorld
#ZEE5Rewind: 2023 in a flashback!
Mumbai: ZEE5, India and Bharat’s largest home-grown video streaming platform, and the OTT arm of ZEEL, releases #ZEE5Rewind 2023, highlighting a year filled with groundbreaking content across languages. With a paying subscriber in each leading city of the country, the platform experienced an extraordinary surge in streaming hours, across SVOD, AVOD and TVOD offerings. ZEE5’s biggest hits of the year, spanning heartwarming dramas, family entertainers, to adrenaline-pumping thrillers, is a testament to its commitment to build a platform that caters to every audience with entertainment of their choice.
Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Bangla, Marathi, Punjabi, and Kannada emerged as the top languages. The West and the South markets led the race for SVOD, closely followed by the East and the North. Titles across Direct-to-Digitals and originals which were undisputed chart-toppers were ‘Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hain’, ‘Mrs. Undercover’, ‘Taj’ in Hindi, ‘Ayali’, ‘Sengalam’, ‘Oru Kodai Murder Mystery’ in Tamil, ‘Vyavastha’, ‘Puli Meka’, ‘Maya Bazaar For Sale’ in Telugu, and ‘Abar Proloy’, ‘Swetkali’, ‘Roktokorobi’ in Bangla. In an industry-first development, ‘Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hain’ went for a theatrical release following its digital launch owing to massive audience support. It is now a part of IMDB’s coveted Top 250 titles list and a recipient of multiple awards.
Coming to post-theatricals, the movies which enjoyed significant audience favour were ‘Unchaai’, ‘Gadar 2’ in Hindi, ‘Vidhuthalai – Part I’, ‘The Great Indian Kitchen’ in Tamil, ‘Writer Padmabhushan’, ‘Karthikeya 2’ in Telugu, ‘Vedha’ in Kannada, ‘Babe Bhangra Paunde Ne’, ‘Maurh’ in Punjabi, ‘Pranaya Vilasam’ in Malayalam, ‘Vaalvi’, ‘Ghar Banduk Biryani’ in Marathi, and ‘Projapoti’, ‘Shabash Feluda” in Bangla. ZEE5 also became a leading name in showcasing socially relevant stories and narratives featuring real-life personas. Titles like ‘Lost’, ‘Tarla’, ‘Ayali’, ‘Abar Proloy’, ‘Chhatriwali’, ‘Haddi’, ‘Koose Munisamy Veerappan’ and several others received positive audience reactions, further cementing ZEE5’s position as the country’s OTT platform of choice.
Top five streaming titles of 2023:
ZEE5’s AVOD content triumphed in 2023, captivating audiences and bolstering the platform’s commitment to providing accessible and engaging entertainment for all. West and South dominated here too, closely followed by the North and East markets. The ad-supported roster featured an extensive line-up of movies and web shows in Hindi and regional languages, along with Korean drama series dubbed in local languages. Exclusive films like ‘Country Mafia with Ravi Kishan, ‘Am I Next’ with Anushka Sen, Anshuman Jha’s ‘Lakadbaggha’, and Priyamani’s ‘Sarvam Shakti Mayam’ enjoyed strong audience reception, alongside rising popularity for devotional content, and cricket and e-sports streaming. The past year has also solidified ZEE5’s dedication to innovation, with a continued focus on pushing boundaries, making a meaningful impact, and delivering compelling content that resonates with audiences worldwide.
Establishing a stronger connect with the diverse audience base, ZEE5 introduced socially relevant and creative campaigns for content promotions in line with the vision of #ZEE5GameChangers. For instance, for the film ‘Tarla’, ZEE5 expressed appreciation for the dabbawalla community in Mumbai with a surprise lunch, accompanied by a meet and greet with actors Huma Qureshi and Sharib Hashmi. On the occasions of National Girl Child Day and International Education Day, ZEE5 organized screenings of ‘Ayali’ across Tamil Nadu, reinforcing its commitment to meaningful engagement. For the launch of ‘Duranga’ S2, ZEE5 organised a dialogue between the cast and the female police force at the New Delhi Headquarters. The discussion shed light on the challenges and triumphs of women in law enforcement, contributing to a broader societal dialogue. Additionally, leading up to the launch of ZEE5’s popular Bangla series, ‘Shabash Feluda,’ a vibrant two-day Feluda-themed event was organized in Kolkata. Drawing inspiration from the iconic characters in the novels, the Feluda Fair led to much fanfare and excitement among audiences in the city. Further to acknowledge the love from our viewers, a content wrap-up chart featuring individual consumption highlights is shared with top ZEE5 bingers at year-end.
Going forward, 2024 promises to be an exhilarating year for ZEE5 with multiple power-packed releases, like Guneet Monga’s highly anticipated ‘Gyarah Gyarah’, the Telugu spy-thriller series ‘Mission Tashafi’, and return of popular titles like ‘Sunflower S2’ and ‘Broken News S2’.
iWorld
JioHotstar to launch micro dramas during IPL
Streaming giant plans free, ad-supported bite-sized stories during IPL to engage mobile-first audiences
JioHotstar is gearing up to launch a wave of micro dramas, eyeing India’s fast-growing appetite for bite-sized storytelling and new revenue opportunities. According to sources close to the matter, the streaming platform is expected to go live with the content during the Indian Premier League, which runs from 28 March to 31 May.
The move comes as the micro-drama market in India surges, with Redseer Strategy Consultants projecting the overall interactive media segment could reach $3.1–3.4 billion by FY2030, with micro dramas leading the growth. The format has already proven commercially viable abroad — China’s micro-drama sector generated $360 million in 2023, up 267 per cent year-on-year.
Micro dramas are designed for rapid consumption on mobile devices. Episodes typically run 60–90 seconds, shot in vertical 9:16 format, and rely on fast-paced plots and cliffhangers to keep viewers glued. Stories tend to revolve around high-stakes drama, from romance and revenge to corporate intrigue, blending social-media immediacy with professional production values.
Sources said the IPL provides the perfect launchpad, with millions tuning in to the platform for live cricket, creating a ready audience for short-form narrative experiments. The content will initially be free and accessible to all.
JioHotstar, which already boasts over 300 million subscribers, plans to roll out more than 100 micro dramas across multiple genres and languages, including Hindi and South Indian languages. The move is expected to strengthen its regional content strategy and appeal to mobile-first viewers, particularly in metro and Tier-1 cities where the format is currently most popular.
“The timing is perfect,” said a source close to the project, requesting anonymity. “With micro dramas on the rise, this is a chance for JioHotstar to experiment with new formats and engage audiences in a way traditional series cannot.”
The platform is not the first in India to test the format. ALTBalaji, StoryTV and Zee Bullet have all dabbled in short episodic storytelling. But JioHotstar’s scale — and its ability to pair content with one of the country’s biggest sporting events — could make it a defining moment for micro dramas in India.
With mobile consumption and vernacular content on the rise, the gamble seems clear: capture attention fast, keep it longer, and turn bite-sized narratives into a robust revenue engine.
Note: The cover image used is AI-generated.
