HiPi: Zee5's indigenous short-video platform set to unlock potential talent

With HiPi's launch, Zee5 has joined more than a dozen of homegrown TikTok alternatives such as Chingari, Mitron, Roposo, Dubmash, Instagram Reels, among others that are aiming to become a new digital haven for people to showcase their talent and creativity.

India's video-on-demand service Zee5 on Friday announced the launch of HiPi, a fully homegrown TikTok-like short video platform that allows users to create short-videos and slow-motion videos with multiple filters, visual and sound effects.

With HiPi's launch, Zee5 has joined more than a dozen of homegrown TikTok alternatives such as Chingari, Mitron, Roposo, Dubmash, Instagram Reels, among others that are aiming to become a new digital haven for people to showcase their talent and creativity. TikTok which had over 200 million users in India, along with 58 other Chinese apps was banned by the Indian government in June 2020 over national security concerns.

"ZEE5's HiPi is driven by the vision to encourage self-expression and it aims to unlock the potential talent that this country has by inviting talented and diverse content creators who are seeking a platform that encourages creativity and paves the way to Stardom," the popular OTT platform said in a statement early last month while announcing the platform.

HiPi is not available as a standalone app, instead, it is a part of the Zee5 app. It is currently available in the Beta version for Android users only while the iOS version will be reportedly rolled out in the coming weeks.

Commenting on the launch, Tarun Katial, CEO, Zee5 India said, "Continuing with a focus on customer-centricity, HiPi will help Indians to connect with their millions of fans and stand a chance to step into the real Fandom world. A platform that will be the official Home of Entertainment and entertainers! As we go live today, HiPi takes Zee5 one step closer to its ambition of becoming India's Entertainment Super-App."

The online OTT platform which was launched in India back in February 2018 is home to 100+ live TV channels and delivers content across 12 languages including English, Hindi, Bengali, Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Marathi, Oriya, Bhojpuri, Gujarati and Punjabi.