Priyanka Chopra on how OTT has brought the world closer

The actress was speaking at the US launch of streaming service ZEE5.

by Enid Grace Parker

Published: Thu 24 Jun 2021, 5:01 PM

The growth of digital platforms in recent years have revolutionised the way people consume content. Especially in the past one year, with the onset of the pandemic, OTT has seen a boom, as evident by the deluge of quality content across the globe.

At the recent US launch of a prominent streaming service, Bollywood/Hollywood actress Priyanka Chopra opened up on the OTT boom and how digital content is creating awareness of different cultures, as well as entertaining and educating people.

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The White Tiger actress was speaking at the US Launch of streaming service ZEE5 on June 22. OTT has globalized content and South Asians who have migrated to countries like the United Arab Emirates and the United States have a greater sense of connection now to the stories they can relate to and do not have to rely on movies from their native lands making to the big screens of their new home. As someone who shuttles across the globe for her projects, Khaleej Times asked the actress her thoughts on how OTT has brought the world closer today.

She responded: “I love streaming. Of course, I love theatres as well and there’s no world in which I am not going back to the theatres as soon as it opens because that experience is very special and I don’t think theatrical is going anywhere. But I think the freedom that streaming or OTT has provided to the audiences around the world, being able to watch a movie in the comfort of your home on your own couch with your family and put your feet up in your pajamas and have the experience you want while watching a movie that may be would had been in that one theatre in one part of America where you would had to drive many hours to go see. Now there’s such a freedom and I think that’s amazing, it’s spreading culture, it’s teaching people, it’s educating people. There’s such a large new audience that is also being exposed to all kinds of Indian cinema. I think it’s a really exciting time and we should embrace streaming as much as we can. It’s not the future, it’s the present.”

Priyanka was joined at the event by Archana Anand, Chief Business Officer, ZEE5 Global, in unveiling ZEE5’s upcoming content slate and its new global brand campaign “Welcome to South Asia: Stories from our world.”