Inching closer to its ultimate goal of ‘entertainment inclusion’, the platform has witnessed a massive upswing in active subscription numbers witnessing 2X growth in the region, with the highest contribution from Punjab and neighbouring states like, Haryana Delhi NCR and Uttar Pradesh.
This surge is on the back of power packed Punjabi releases like Puaada, Jinne Jamme Saare Nikamme and Qismat 2 starring popular Pollywood names Ammy Virk, Sonam Bajwa, Sargun Mehta, Binnu Dhillon, Gurnam Bhullar, and many more, all available at an all-inclusive annual subscription plan priced at INR 499/- only.
Furthering its focus on ‘Deeper Regionalization’, the average watch time per viewer per month as on September 2021 is 186 minutes on the platform. Comedy and romance are the most preferred genres in the market, with the viewership split between 77% male and 23% female audience.
With Ludhiana, Delhi and Chandigarh leading the chart, ZEE5 is warming the hearts of the Punjabi speaking audience and strengthening its position as the one-stop destination to watch high quality Punjabi content.
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Commenting on the initiative, Manish Kalra, Chief Business Officer, ZEE5 India, said, “Our foray in Punjabi speaking markets was a crucial step in our larger objective of ‘entertainment inclusion’, especially for newer and underserved markets across India. We penetrated the greenfield market with a power-packed content slate of stories from the heartland that have worked well with the audience who were on the look-out for quality entertainment in their own language.
“We are thrilled to have received an overwhelming response of a 100%+ growth, and we will continue to deliver and curate the best of Punjabi titles ensuring an unhindered entertainment supply. Our ability to bring real, relevant, and resonant content using a hyperlocal and hyperpersonalized approach will help us strengthen our position as a one-stop destination for users to watch high quality Punjabi content,” Kalra said.
With high internet penetration and strong telecom infrastructure density, Punjab stands as one of the key markets in northern India, albeit with limited content options in the local language. As a result, while intent among the audience was high, the availability of options was low, and ZEE5 addressed this unmet content demand of 3cr+ Punjabi native speakers in India, by offering a robust library of Punjabi entertainment at the tap of a button.
At present, ZEE5 is home to over 2 lakhs+ hours of on-demand content and 100+ live TV channels. With a rich library of over 140+ original shows, ZEE5 offers content in 12 Indian languages: English, Hindi, Bengali, Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Marathi, Oriya, Bhojpuri, Gujarati, and Punjabi.
The platform curated an exciting line-up of 50+ theatricals and 40+ web series in 2021 that added to its extensive library of content, offering a wider array of catalogue to entertainment seekers.