Zee5, a video streaming platform plan on launching a short video platform inspired by Chinese app Tik-Tok by August this year. Though the name of the new service has not been confirmed yet but according to people in the known, it is expected to be called HiPi.
The company aims for developing a super app for entertainment and a one-stop destination for digital videos. Hypershots will have ad-supported content and they also look into making it a subscription-based service in long run, as told by Rajneel Kumar, Business Head of Expansion Projects & Head Products at Zee5 India.
Zee5 has taken Tik-Tok’s example of getting into legal feuds and to ensure content moderation on its website, it will be using both artificial intelligence and human moderators for double check. Kumar stated that all the content will have to be approved first before going live.
One of the biggest challenges for the firm though will be to moderate content in regional language which is quite tough with the help of AI. “The AI is still learning; therefore, we have decided to put a proper structure in place,” Kumar added. Zee5 said that they will store the data locally to combat cyber attacks and even Zee5 partners will not be given access to the data.
Due to the tension between India and China, consumers have condemned the use of Chinese products and services which can give boon to Zee5’s new platform. The company on the other hand believes that anti-Chinese feelings won’t be the sole driving force for their product. Kumar said, “there are ecosystem influences that impact consumer behavior, that is not the only way the company would be gaining traction among its users.”
The firm has been developing the platform for almost 18 months now and they view their app as much bigger than the ongoing tension. The app is expected to be rolled out for beta testing in a few days. The platform will focus on a young user base across India going beyond Tier I and Tier II regions. Zee5 already has an audience of 80 million active users per months who will benefit from their new service.