Zee5 to launch in USA to cater to South Asian audiences in America

Zee5 is on a journey of expansion. The OTT platform is all set to launch in the USA in a virtual event on June 22. The platform is currently in it's final phases of beta testing in the market. Apparently,  the USA will be the final country where ZEE5 will be launched.

The virtual launch event later this month is expected to display the content line-up, share details about local partnerships and brand campaigns and more. The vision of the streaming platform in its expansion to the USA is rooted in the wanting to provide content for the diaspora of South Asian viewers.

Explaining Zee5's discussion to enter the market of USA, Amit Goenka, President, digital business and platforms, Zee Entertainment, said in a statement, "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."

The USA is home to over 5.4 million diaspora audiences. Zee5 will be tapping into this demographic by streaming South Asian content that helps the viewers connect to their culture and language. The launch of Zee5 is especially important for those viewers who are unable to travel back home.

Zee5 currently boasts of over 130,000 hours of content in 18 languages, including Indian, Pakistani and Bangaldeshi content. The languages that Zee5 features titles in are Hindi, Bengali, Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Marathi, Oriya, Bhojpuri, Gujarati, Punjabi, as well as Malay, Thai, Bahasa, Arabic, Urdu and Bangla (Bangladeshi). Some movies and shows are also dubbed in English.

"The United States is home to millions of people whose families have strong connections 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," Archana Anand, chief business officer, Zee5 Global, said in a statement.

The annual pack subscription for Zee5 in the USA will be priced at 84$. A promotional price of 49.99$ will also be offered for a limited time, starting June 22.