The Broken News: ZEE5 announces new original in collaboration with BBC Studios India, featuring Sonali Bendre

The streaming giant ZEE5 has announced a new original, titled The Broken News. The project is announced in partnership with BBC Studios India, the production and distribution arm of the British media conglomerate, the British Broadcasting Company (BBC). The two entertainment companies will work to build a robust content slate of new ZEE5 originals in Hindi across genres with captivating and diverse stories based on successful British formats.

The two makers have announced their first Hindi project as part of this ongoing partnership. Titled The Broken News, the series will mark actor Sonali Bendre’s debut on OTT. The series, directed by Vinay Waikul, will also feature Jaideep Ahlawat, Shriya Pilgaonkar, Indraneil Sengupta, Taaruk Raina, Aakash Khurana, Kiran Kumar, amongst others. The show is adapted from the popular British series ‘Press’. 

The OTT player released a video, announcing the project, and sharing a glimpse of what's in store for us. The plot of the show features two rival news channels based in Mumbai - Awaaz Bharati, an independent, ethical news channel, and Josh 24/7 News, which offers sensationalist and invasive journalism, and what transpires between the main characters in their quest for news.

Check out the video here:

Commenting on the partnership, Manish Kalra, Chief Business Officer, ZEE5 India said in his statement that they have a fantastic line-up with many big titles announced in the first quarter of the year. "With ‘The Broken News’, we are marking the beginning of another partnership with a reputed content studio to bring interesting and unique story narratives for our audiences. This partnership is in line with ZEE5’s strategy to build a portfolio of unique and compelling content for an enhanced value from the services," he said adding that he is confident that audiences will enjoy and love it as much as they have loved their content so far. 

Nimisha Pandey, chief content officer, Hindi originals, ZEE5, added that the story of the series is 'extremely relevant.' "It is a riveting drama depicting the nuances of the media houses and the daily hustle-bustle of a newsroom. The story revolves around the ideological differences of the protagonists, beautifully played by Shriya Pilgaonkar and Jaideep Ahlawat. The story has a strong, contemporary and compelling narrative making it a perfect addition to our content bouquet,” she said.

Sameer Gogate, general manager, BBC Studios India, also shared that he is thrilled to have associated with ZEE5 to produce this riveting BBC Studios format, set in the 'fascinating world of TV news journalism'. He further spoke about the format and said that the strength of their formats lies in their ability to transcend across cultural boundaries and languages. "We are honoured that Jaideep Alhawat, Sonali Bendre and Shriya Pilgaonkar will be a part of this journey directed by Vinay Wiakul and we hope ZEE5’s Hindi audience will enjoy the gripping personal and professional dramas facing the characters under the pressure of a 24-hour news cycle,” he said. 

Meanwhile, the original UK series, Press, was created and written by award-winning writer Mike Bartlett (Doctor Foster, King Charles III). It aired on both BBC One in the UK and on PBS Masterpiece in the US in 2018, with the original series set in a print newsroom rather than a TV newsroom.

The series will add to the to its extensive library of content of ZEE5 that includes over 3,500 films; 1,750 TV shows, 700 originals, ZEE5 offers content in 12 Indian languages: English, Hindi, Bengali, Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Marathi, Oriya, Bhojpuri, Gujarati, and Punjabi.