ALTBalaji and ZEE5 announce content alliance to grow SVoD business

ALTBalaji and ZEE5 said on Monday they have collaborated to co-create original content which will be available only on both platforms.

The content-sharing arrangement includes co-creation of more than 60 original content series in Hindi which will be available exclusively to subscription-based video-on-demand (SVoD) subscribers of both platforms. The association is a collaborative process of co-understanding consumer insights and co-marketing to serve the viewer better and resulting in improved monetisation for both.

ZEE5 and ALTBalaji have established their content strength globally, and the synergy will result in two of the largest homegrown video streaming platforms coming together to expand their subscription base and grow the binge-watching culture globally.

In two years of commercial launch, ALTBalaji has one of the largest libraries of Hindi original and exclusive shows. "This collaboration strengthens the 25-year-old fruitful relationship between Zee Group and Balaji Telefilms, from television content to movie monetisation and now to digital video streaming," said Balaji Telefilms' Managing Director Shobha Kapoor.

In 2019 itself, ZEE5 has rolled out 25 original shows across genres and the platform is committed to launching over 72 shows by March 2020. It has crossed 50 million gross downloads since launch on the Play Store and had 7.64 crore monthly active users globally in June 2019.

"I truly cherish the bond between Balaji and ZEE which has been nurtured and built over the last two decades," said Zee Entertainment's Managing Director and CEO Punit Goenka. "I am most certain that this association will enable both the brands to re-create the magic, this time in the digital space," he said in a statement.