ZEE5 Clocks 105 Billion Watch Minutes in FY25 Amid Renewed Regional Push

ZEE5 has unveiled its latest viewership report revealing significant trends in audience behaviour, content preferences, and language content growth across its platform.

In FY25, ZEE5 clocked a staggering 105 billion minutes of total watch time, with audiences gravitating towards immersive drama narratives and high-definition experiences. Drama content emerged as the most-watched genre, engaging users for over 40 billion minutes, clear evidence that high-emotion storytelling still dominates Indian OTT consumption. 64% of premium content watch time came from smart TVs, underscoring the growing trend of lean-back, high-intent viewing on ZEE5.

South India spearheads the 4K revolution on ZEE5, contributing to 46% of total 4K content consumption. Languages like Tamil, Telugu, and Kannada emerged as top performers, with titles like Aindham Vedham, Paruvu, Thalaimai Seyalagam, and Vikkatakavi making it to the region’s most-watched list. Top-performing movies in the South include Sankranthiki Vasthunam, Hanu-Man, and Identity. Bengali content viewership also continues to surge, emerging among the Top 3 languages across all Hindi-speaking markets (HSMs).

ZEE5 Original Mrs., launched in February 2025, starring Sanya Malhotra broke all records and received an overwhelming response. The film achieved the platform’s biggest opening weekend ever, clocking over 150 million streaming minutes. A compelling narrative that sparked significant conversation around gender roles, individual agency, and societal expectations, Mrs resonated deeply with both urban and heartland audiences indicating viewer interest in content around social themes.

Raghavendra Hunsur, Chief Content Officer, Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd., said “Truly impactful content is the result of deep cultural intelligence and a granular understanding of audience behavior. Our strategy is driven by robust data and consumer insights that reveal not just what people are watching, but why. Across India, viewers consistently seek stories that reflect their lived realities-their language, values, and evolving aspirations. With regional drama and culturally grounded narratives emerging as the strongest drivers of engagement, especially on Connected TV, our platform strategy is well-aligned with how India actually consumes content, and accordingly curating titles that deliver emotional resonance, linguistic authenticity, and high production value.”

Other Key Insights:

Gyaarah Gyaarah (Hindi) emerged as the most-watched web series across all regions except South India, where Aindham Vedham and Thalaimai Seyalagam led.

64% of Premium content Watch Time was on Connected Devices

Evening hours between 5 PM and 11 PM saw a sharp rise in binge-watching, accounting for 50% of total prime-time viewership post 7 PM.

4K Pack Adoption Doubled in FY26

This data reinforces the strategic relevance of ZEE5’s language-first approach and the timely introduction of multi-language packs. With content across languages such as Tamil, Telugu, Bangla, Marathi, Malayalam, Kannada driving strong engagement, it’s evident that audiences across India prefer immersive stories in the languages they connect with. ZEE5’s content strategy anchored in high-quality production, regional storytelling, and consumer-centric innovation is clearly resonating, further strengthening its leadership in India’s fast-evolving OTT landscape.