On 13th September 2019, Zomato’s Senior Vice-President Durga Raghunath announced their plans to launch 18 original shows along with 2000+ videos of short duration on 16th September.
She said “We combined all things food with binge-worthy genres and came up with a diverse range of shows.”
This is the new business model many companies are considering to increase their user base. Earlier in the year Flipkart and Paytm’s decision to make web content also made news.
In the market that’s already populated with giants like Netflix, Hotstar, Amazon can Zomato make a name for itself like it did in the food industry?
Streaming Wars
With the recent announcement of Apple TV Plus being launched on November 1 and Disney+ with its amazing line-up, many are gearing up to become streaming giants. But this may lead to over-saturation of content and the customers could become frustrated to choose what to watch and opt for which subscriptions. I can’t even keep up with Netflix, so this could be overwhelming.
Free Service
Sensing the customer’s reluctance to pay for anything unfamiliar and their affinity towards anything free, Zomato made an intelligent move by keeping their video library free. So you can browse the next great eat and your next great watch simultaneously.
User-Friendly Format
The videos are all shot with the vertical frame to make it easier to be watched on mobile phones where millennials do their primary binging. The videos are just 3-15 minutes long which will help retain the audience’s attention. So, you can relish in seeing the onions turning golden as you stand on a bus stand dreaming about the food you ordered.
Millennial Generation’s Taste
The videos will provide sneak-peaks about various restaurants and delicious recipes that align with the youth interest.
I believe this is an interesting idea to amalgamate the 2 binging things people enjoy the most. I can’t watch without eating something so one will be tempted to order food as they watch fluffy cakes being baked. I start salivating just by seeing food images. It’s like porn to me, so, this was a smart move which will increase Zomato’s food orders too.
Also Read : Zomato Makes ‘Infinity Dining’ Available For Its Non-Zomato Gold Members!
Humorous Content
Sahil Shah has conceived an image of having a childish personality that goes well with his new show “Grandmasterchef”. Seeing grandmothers cook in their modest middle-class kitchens, revealing their special ingredients is something very relatable and endearing.
Sng Comedy fame Neville Shah, Aadar Malik, and Kautuk Srivastava try to beat the clock to win in the show “Race against the App” as they sing proclaiming pizza to be better than true love.
Comedian Sumukhi Deshmukh peppers her show “Banake Dikha” with sarcasm and advises on food basics.
Another interesting show in Zomato’s quiver is “Dude, Where’s the Food” with ‘JordIndian’, whose laziness resonates with every tired and bored millennial.
Celebrity Attraction
Zomato has already roped in popular public personalities to feature on their shows.
Chef Sanjeev Kapoor is coming with his show “Food&You” enlightening the ignorant with the essentials of cooking and health.
If you ever wondered how the kitchens of your favorite celebrities look, and if they even eat, then social media star Janice Sequeira is here to answer your speculations. She takes the audience through the kitchens of Diana Penty, Taapsee Pannu, Aditi Rao Hydari and Rajkumar Rao.
These names are enough to make anyone press play.
Focus On Food
Zomato chose to concentrate on the niche they know well i.e. food. It is the prevalent theme in all their content. I enjoy my fair share of depressing and hallowing shows but these light-hearted shows could serve as a palate-cleanser to wash off the taste of sadness.
Other Challenges
YouTube could prove to be a rival. It already has established channels such as Serious Eats, Hebbars Kitchen and Cooking Shooking. It’s the most utilized app when anyone wants to learn how to make something. Shifting the preference to Zomato videos is going to be tough maybe.
It will be interesting to see whether Zomato can compete with other OTT platforms and survive and what other fascinating shows they come up with. I am curious and await the launch.
But the most important question I have is can they come up with anything even close to the culinary masterpiece “Ratatouille”?
Are you excited by Zomato’s announcement?
Image Credits: Google Images
Sources: Zomato.com, The Economic Times, The Hindu
Find The Blogger: @ishitabajpai6
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