Mumbai: Streaming platform Zee5 has witnessed an upswing in active subscription numbers witnessing two times growth, with the highest contribution from Punjab and neighbouring states like Haryana, Delhi NCR, and Uttar Pradesh.

According to the OTT platform, the surge is on the back of Punjabi releases like "Puaada," "Jinne Jamme Saare Nikamme," and "Qismat 2" starring Pollywood names Ammy Virk, Sonam Bajwa, Sargun Mehta, Binnu Dhillon, Gurnam Bhullar, and more.

The platform reported that the average watch time per viewer per month as on September is 186 minutes. Comedy and romance are the most preferred genres in the market, with the viewership split between 77 per cent male and 23 per cent female audiences. Ludhiana, Delhi and Chandigarh are top markets that are watching high-quality Punjabi content.

“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,” said Zee5 India chief business officer Manish Kalra. “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 lookout for quality entertainment in their own language. We are thrilled to have received an overwhelming response of a 100+ per cent growth, and we will continue to deliver and curate the best of Punjabi titles ensuring an unhindered entertainment supply.”

Punjab stands as one of the key markets in northern India with high internet penetration and strong telecom infrastructure density. With limited content options in their local language, Zee5 addressed the unmet content demand of three core plus Punjabi native speakers in India by offering a robust library of Punjabi entertainment.