ZEE5, a home-grown video streaming platform and a multilingual storyteller, has revealed viewership trends from July 2023 – July 2024 citing increase in watch-time from regional languages, non-metros and a growing preference to watch content in premium quality. The data highlights a major shift in content viewership across India with varied genre preferences, and rapid adoption of connected TV devices, especially in metro cities.
Citing data, Hyderabad has recorded the highest audience base for 4K streaming in India in 2024. ZEE5 reports a 278% surge in 4K viewership in South India and a 310% increase in North India, with Uttar Pradesh and Delhi leading the race. Additionally, ZEE5’s content viewership shows that 40% of audiences are from tier 2 and 3 cities, while Hyderabad, Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Delhi lead the charts for content consumption in metro cities. Additionally, ZEE5 has recorded a 25% annual growth in time spent per user, and non-Hindi languages like Tamil, Telugu, and Kannada contribute to 50% of the total consumption.
Here are the key highlights of the data from July 2023 – July 2024:
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ZEE5 Streaming on Connected Devices Soars in Indian Metros with 65% of users watching movies on connected devices
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2024 sees significant rise in 4k streaming; ZEE5 reports 278% surge in South India and 310% in North India, with Uttar Pradesh and Delhi leading the race
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ZEE5 recorded a 25% annual growth in time spent per user
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Drama and Romance lead with 105M Watch-Time Hours, followed by Action and Thriller’s 32M Watch-Time Hours
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Tier 2 cities prefer a mix of Romance and Drama, while 6 Out of 9 Indian Metros cited Dramas as their preferred genre
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South Indian viewers contribute most significantly to Drama’s popularity: Malayalam, Telugu, Tamil, and Kannada Viewers see exponential watch-time increase for the genre on ZEE5
Commenting on the trends observed, Manish Kalra, Chief Business Officer at ZEE5 stated, “In the last one year, we have released several titles within our post-theatrical and original content library. The audience has spent a total of 85 billion minutes from July 2023 – July 2024 on the platform, with viewership coming in from multiple audience cohorts and geographies. With the vision of being the portal of choice for billions of viewers, we will continue to bring diverse and engaging content, with a prime focus on quality storytelling. It has been a good year for us. Our titles have received great reception from audiences not just in India but also from the global diaspora. Staying true to our commitment to bring best-in-class entertainment to our viewers, ZEE5 will continue to partner with the best talents in the creative ecosystem, enhance viewing experience further, and bring forth stories that delight, engage, and entertain.”
The ZEE5 report also revealed the chart toppers from the last one year. According to the data, Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai received the highest watch time in direct-to-digital movies while Taj is the most-watched original series for the year.
