Bollywood has dominated Indian cinema for years. But one thing that shook the industry recently is the rise of regional cinema. With Tamil and Telugu cinema gaining more prominence than Bollywood movies, it is high time for the film industry to reinvent itself. With the OTT race becoming more competitive, players are coming forward with unique narratives, catching the eye of audiences nationwide. One trend persisting in the OTT space is ‘Genre Mashup’. Video streaming platforms like ZEE5 have built a library of Bollywood movies with experiential filmmaking that explore unique themes. Let’s explore how ‘Genre Mashup’ has helped the streaming platform make a difference.
The New Wave of Content on ZEE5 Appeals to Mass Audience
The new wave of content churned out by ZEE5 has proven its ability to satiate the entertainment demands of a diverse audience. With viewers pouring in from Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities, it is obvious that formulaic storylines won’t work anymore. The streaming platform has identified that viewers want relatable content that they can enjoy with their families. By creating relatable stories that showcase India’s diverse culture uniquely and engagingly, ZEE5 has mastered the art of storytelling. From Abhishek Bachchan starrer ‘Bob Biswas’ combining suspense, thriller, and crime to family entertainer ‘Rashmi Rocket’, a story showcasing a small-town girl overcoming societal barriers to achieve her dreams, ZEE5 has experimented with various unique storylines.
The streaming platform has also experimented with horror movies, ditching excessive jump scares for something less monstrous and more human. ZEE5 Originals ‘Barot House’ is a suspense-horror movie inspired by true events and features a psychological twist.The streaming giant also has an exclusive line-up of Bollywood movies that include ‘Love Hostel’, a story of two-crossed lovers willing to fight for their fairy-tale ending in a world tainted by corruption and power. Besides full-length feature films, ZEE5 Originals also have short films and titles from creators globally to encourage varied filmmaking methods and genre crossovers.
An Increased Focus on Storytelling
The growth of connected devices has fuelled the need for quality content. With so many streaming options available to viewers, the one with a gripping plot and an engaging mix of entertainment elements will win. Although Bollywood has a treasure trove of stories from varied genres, there still exists a demand for more exploration.To bridge this gap, ZEE5 has attained significant scale and size on the back of the volume and variety of content. With more than 4500+ blockbusters movies, 140+ original shows, the entertainment platform has content libraries with significant depth. ZEE5 has also built different taste clusters for audiences like genre and languages to enable specific audience targeting. With language and geography no longer a boundary, audiences can enjoy varied content offerings from Bollywood and regional cinema at their fingertips on ZEE5.
The Tide is Turning for OTT Players
Although the OTT space experienced phenomenal growth during the pandemic, retaining the user base can be challenging. But one trend that stands out is that audiences are willing to seek new experiences. Another thing is that audiences are vocal about their opinions, and they want to be challenged with varied narratives. By capitalising on this, ZEE5 made waves in the streaming industry with its original content.
With a new appetite for quality content consumption, ZEE5 is also stacking up its libraries with regional programming. Furthermore, the entertainment platform has planned to add more than original movies to its burgeoning movie library in 2022 that the audiences can stream in the language of their choice. From grisly horror movies to socially-relevant content, ZEE5 has over two lakh+ hours of on-demand content for viewers nationwide.