Comment
Acting on its mandate
The NBSA has been cracking the whip on certain complaints filed with the standards body. Here is a example of three cases which were censured by it. Several other examples can be found on the nbanewdelhi.com.
1. Decision dated 20.12.2012 passed by NBSA regarding complaint dated 14 September 2011 filed by the Rajiv Gandhi Charitable Trust against TV18 Broadcast Limited in respect of broadcast dated 1.8.2011 and subsequent broadcasts in relation to the RGCT – Channels: CNN IBN & IBN7
The NBSA, accordingly, directed that the Broadcaster be visited with the following consequences:
(a) The Broadcasters be directed to carry an apology by running the following text (static) on full screen in large font size with voice over (in slow speed) expressing regret for the said telecast on their channels for 5 consecutive days at 9.00 pm sharp on 24.12.202, 25.12.2012, 26.12.2012, 27.12.2012 & 28.12.2012 respectively (IBN7 will carry the apology in Hindi):
(b) The Broadcaster is issued a “censure” by the NBSA for wilful violation of NBA Code of Ethics & Broadcasting Standards and norms of ethical journalism;
(c) A fine of Rs one lakh is imposed upon the broadcaster, to be paid to NBA within one week of receipt of this order.
2. Decision dated 25.10.2012 passed by NBSA regarding complaint dated 21.06.2012 filed by Dr. Kalind Prashar against broadcasts made on Aaj Tak (on 10.6.12) & on IBN7 (on 11.6.12) of a one sided story of a matrimonial dispute – Channels: Aaj Tak
Insofar as Aaj Tak is concerned, the NBSA held that the channel was clearly in breach of the NBA Code of Ethics & Broadcasting Standards, Specific Guidelines and committed wilful violation of the NBSA Advisory on Reportage of Family/Matrimonial Matters dated 16.9.2011, for the reasons recorded above. The NBSA therefore directs that TV Today Network Ltd. / Aajtak be visited with the following consequences:
(a)The channel must carry the unedited version of the complainant, prominently for a duration of three minutes at the same time that the first broadcast was made on 10.6.12 i.e. at 6.00 pm for three consecutive days i.e. on 30.10.12, 31.10.12 & 1.11.12 respectively. The complainant’s version must also be preceded by an apology to be tendered by the channel, by running the following text (static) on full screen in large font size with voice over (in slow speed) expressing regret for the said telecast on their channel Aaj Tak.
(b) Directed the broadcaster to pay a fine of Rs 1,00,000 to the NBA within seven days of receipt of this Order for wilful violation of NBA Advisory dated 16.9.11 on reportage of family/matrimonial matters.
3 . Decision dated 16.7.2009 passed by NBSA on complaint filed by Eye Bank Co-ordination & Research Centre & Arpan Eye Bank, Mumbai – Channel: NDTV India for breach of the principle of impartiality and objectivity in reporting and (ii) of not ensuring neutrality in reporting.
Decision:
a) To run an announcement, expressing regret for the said telecast prominently on their channel NDTV India prior to the commencement of the telecast of the program Mumbai Central stating the following (text to be translated in Hindi).
b) To also run the apology text on NDTV India on following three consecutive days, an apology/regret as a scroll in legible font and at normal speed between 8.00 pm. and 9.00 pm, five times with a space of 12 minutes each.
c) To grant to EBCRC and Arpan an opportunity to express their version on the subject matter of the said telecast, by broadcasting EBCRC’s and Arpan’s un-edited version on the subject matter of the said telecast of a duration not exceeding an aggregate of five minutes on the channel NDTV India in the program Mumbai Central.
d) Proof of compliance of this Order by NDTV by submitting a Compact Disc containing the telecast/apology/regret with particulars of the time and date of the telecast be submitted to the News Broadcasters Association within 15 days of receipt the Order passed by the Authority.
4. Decision dated 19.10.2011 passed by NBSA on suo motu action regarding telecast of a programme “Will Kanimozhi turn approver” – Channel: Times Now for “conjecture and speculation” in its Prime time debate show News Hour.
The Authority issued to the said Broadcaster a “censure” for the breaches committed by it and made it clear that any further transgression by the said Broadcaster would be dealt with more severely. 13. The Authority further directed the NBA:
(a) to send a copy of this Order to the said Broadcaster for noting and for future compliance;
(b) to circulate this Order to all Members/Editors of NBA;
(c) to host a summary of these proceedings and of the present Order on the NBA website and to include such summary in the NBA’s Annual Report.
MUMBAI: 2025 will be remembered as the year India’s OTT industry stopped chasing scale for its own sake and began reckoning with how audiences actually consume content. Completion rates fell, patience wore thin and the limits of long-form excess became impossible to ignore. In this guest column, Pratap Jain, founder and CEO of ChanaJor, traces how micro-drama moved from the fringes to the centre of viewing behaviour, why short-form fiction emerged as a retention engine rather than a trend, and how platforms that respected time, habit and emotional payoff were the ones that truly grew up in 2025.
If there is one thing 2025 will be remembered for in the Indian OTT industry, it’s this: the industry finally stopped pretending.
Stopped pretending that bigger automatically meant better.
Stopped pretending that viewers had endless time.
Stopped pretending that scale without retention was success.
What began as a quiet reset in 2023 and a cautious correction in 2024 turned into a very visible shift in 2025. Business models matured. Content strategies tightened. And most importantly, platforms started aligning themselves with how Indians actually watch content, not how the industry wished they would.
At the centre of this shift was micro-drama—not as a trend, but as a behavioural inevitability.
When OTT finally understood the time problem
For years, long episodes were treated as a marker of seriousness. A 45–60 minute runtime was almost a badge of credibility. Shorter formats were pushed to the margins, labelled as “snack content” or “mobile-only.”
That belief quietly collapsed in 2025.
What platform data showed very clearly was not a drop in interest—but a drop in patience. Viewers weren’t rejecting stories. They were rejecting commitment.
Across platforms, the same patterns appeared:
* First-episode drop-offs on long-form shows kept increasing
* Completion rates continued to slide
* Viewers were sampling more titles but finishing fewer
At the same time, shows with episodes in the six to 10 minute range started showing the opposite behaviour: higher completion, higher repeat viewing, and stronger daily habit formation.
Micro-drama didn’t win because it was short. It won because it respected time.
Micro-Drama didn’t arrive loudly. It took over quietly.
There was no single moment when micro-drama “launched” in India. It crept in through dashboards and retention charts.
By mid-2025, it was clear that viewers were happy watching four, five, sometimes six short episodes in one sitting—even when they wouldn’t finish a single long episode. Romance, relationship drama, slice-of-life conflict, and grounded comedy worked especially well.
This wasn’t disposable content. It was compressed storytelling.
In shorter formats, there was no room for indulgence. Every episode had to move the story forward. Weak writing was punished faster. Strong writing was rewarded immediately.
Micro-drama raised the bar instead of lowering it.
Where ChanaJor naturally fit into this shift
ChanaJor didn’t pivot to micro-drama in 2025 because the market demanded it. In many ways, the platform was already built around the same viewing behaviour.
From the beginning, ChanaJor focused on short-to-mid-length fictional stories that felt close to everyday Indian life—hostels, rented flats, office romances, small-town relationships, young people figuring things out. Stories that didn’t need heavy context or cinematic scale to connect.
What worked in ChanaJor’s favour in 2025 was clarity:
* A clearly defined audience
* Tight episode lengths
* Storytelling that prioritised emotion and pace over spectacle
While several platforms rushed to copy global micro-drama formats, ChanaJor stayed rooted in familiar Indian settings and conflicts. That familiarity mattered. Viewers didn’t have to “enter” the world of the show—it already felt like theirs.
Why audiences started responding differently
One of the biggest misconceptions going into 2025 was that audiences wanted shorter content because their attention spans had reduced. That wasn’t entirely true.
What viewers actually wanted was meaningful payoff per minute.
On platforms like ChanaJor, episodes didn’t waste time setting the mood for ten minutes. Conflicts arrived early. Characters were recognisable within moments. Emotional hooks landed fast.
A typical consumption pattern looked like real life:
* One episode during a break
* Two more before sleeping
* A few the next day
This is how viewing habits are built—not through marketing spends, but through comfort and consistency.
Viewers came back not because every show was a blockbuster, but because they knew what kind of experience to expect.
2025 was also the year OTT faced business reality
The other big change in 2025 was on the business side. Subscriber growth slowed. Discounts stopped hiding churn. Customer acquisition costs rose.
Platforms were forced to ask harder questions:
* Are viewers finishing what they start?
* Are they returning without reminders?
* Is this content worth what we’re spending on it?
This is where micro-drama began outperforming expectations. A well-written short series could deliver sustained engagement without massive budgets. It didn’t peak for one weekend and disappear—it stayed alive through repeat viewing.
Platforms like ChanaJor benefited because they weren’t chasing inflated launch numbers. The focus was on consistency and retention, not noise.
Failures Became Visible Faster
2025 also exposed weaknesses brutally.
Several platforms assumed micro-drama was a shortcut—short episodes, quick shoots, instant traction. What they discovered was that bad writing fails faster in short formats than in long ones.
Viewers dropped off within minutes. Episodes were abandoned mid-way. Weak stories had nowhere to hide.
Micro-drama didn’t forgive laziness. It amplified it.
The platforms that survived were the ones that treated short storytelling with the same seriousness as long-form—sometimes more.
OTT Stopped Chasing Prestige and Started Chasing Habit
Perhaps the most important shift in 2025 wasn’t technical or creative—it was psychological.
OTT stopped trying to look like cinema. It stopped chasing validation through scale and awards alone. It began behaving like what it actually is in people’s lives: a daily companion.
Platforms like ChanaJor found their space here because that mindset was already baked in. The goal wasn’t to dominate a weekend launch. It was to quietly become part of someone’s everyday viewing routine.
That shift changed everything—from release strategies to how success was measured.
What 2025 Ultimately Taught the Industry
By the end of the year, three truths were impossible to ignore:
* Time is the most valuable thing a viewer gives you
* Retention matters more than reach
* Format must follow behaviour, not ego
Micro-drama didn’t take over because it was fashionable. It took over because it fit real life.
Looking Ahead
Micro-drama is not replacing long-form storytelling. It is redefining the baseline of engagement.
Longer shows will survive—but only when they earn their length. Short-form fiction will continue to evolve, becoming sharper, more emotionally confident, and better written.
Platforms like ChanaJor have shown that it’s possible to grow without shouting—by understanding the audience, respecting their time, and telling stories that feel real.
2025 wasn’t the year OTT became smaller. It was the year it became smarter.
Note: The views expressed in this article are solely the author’s and do not necessarily reflect our own.
