TikTok Rival Zee5 HiPi Short Video App Launching On July 15

Following the ban on 59 Chinese apps, various homegrown apps are hitting the market as alternatives. The latest one is Zee5's HiPi, a short video app to replace the now-banned TikTok. The new social media is said to be "made for an Atmanirbhar Bharat" (self-reliant India) and is aimed at content creators in India.

Zee5 HiPi Launch

The HiPi app by Zee5 is set to debut on July 15 and aims to attract users from TikTok. For now, there's not much information regarding the HiPi app. Zee5, however, has shared a couple of screenshots that tell us a few details about the HiPi app. Interested users will need to register to view, create, and share videos.

Zee5 is already a popular OTT platform in India and is said to have over 1.25 lakh hours of on-demand content. "The name HiPi comes from the vision of a youthful and carefree planet where everyone can express themselves with freedom and confidence," the company said in a press note.

With the HiPi platform, Zee5 aims to further expand its base in India. However, HiPi isn't the only alternative that's rising in popularity following the ban on TikTok. Other short-form video platforms that are developed in India are sprouting, including the Roposo, Chingari, Mitron, and others.

Zee5 HiPi: Indian Alternative

Ever since the ban on 59 Chinese apps, people have been looking for alternatives, preferably Indian-made apps. Zee5 is an already popular platform, taking on other international OTTs like Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, and others.

Bringing in the HiPi will further up Zee5's game in the Indian market. From the looks of it, the HiPi app is going to be quite different from TikTok. For one, HiPi will require users to register to view videos, unlike TikTok, which didn't ask for anything to simply view videos.

Zee5 is also offered free for customers of Jio Fibre, Airtel, Vodafone Idea with select plans. As an India-centric platform, Zee5 offers OTT in various Indian languages, including Hindi, Telugu, Kannada, Marathi, Bengali, and so on. We can expect to see language-support in the HiPi app as well.

Nevertheless, Zee5 HiPi will surely have some competition from other apps, including multinational enterprises like YouTube, Facebook, and others, who have also been working on TikTok alternatives.