iWorld
Netflix faces DOJ scrutiny over $82.7bn Warner Bros acquisition
WASHINGTON/NEW YORK: The US Department of Justice is probing whether Netflix deployed anti-competitive tactics around its proposed $82.7bn acquisition of Warner Bros Discovery’s studios and streaming business, the Wall Street Journal reported, signalling early antitrust unease over a deal that could redraw Hollywood’s power map.
In a civil subpoena reviewed by the paper, the department asked another entertainment company to detail “any other exclusionary conduct” by Netflix that could plausibly entrench market or monopoly power. Regulators also sought views on whether rival bids, most notably from Paramount Skydance, could harm competition, and how past studio or distributor mergers have affected bargaining power for creative talent, including variations in talent contracts across studios.
Warner Bros’ appeal is obvious: marquee film and television studios, a deep content vault, and franchises spanning Game of Thrones, Harry Potter and DC Comics’ Batman and Superman. But the scale is precisely what has caught regulators’ attention. The DOJ’s review, the WSJ said, is at an early stage.
The spotlight is not limited to Netflix. The DOJ is also reviewing Paramount’s proposed bid, which Warner Bros’ board has unanimously rejected as “inadequate” and “not in the best interests” of shareholders. Paramount is pressing to wrap up the government’s review within weeks, Bloomberg News reported, citing people familiar with the matter. Once information requests are satisfied, a 10-day waiting period will begin for the DOJ to decide whether to challenge the offer on competition grounds.
Politics is adding heat. Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos faced sharp questioning from US senators this week over how the deal might affect competition across entertainment. Overseas, scrutiny is building too: British politicians and former policymakers have urged the UK’s competition watchdog to open a full review, while EU antitrust regulators are expected to examine rival bids by Netflix and Paramount Skydance in parallel.
Markets, for now, shrugged. The S&P 500 rose about 2 per cent and the Nasdaq gained more than 2 per cent.
iWorld
Micro-Dramas Surge in India, Redefining Mobile Content Habits
Meta-Ormax study maps rapid rise of short-form storytelling among 18–44 audiences.
MUMBAI: Micro-dramas aren’t just short, they’re the snack that ate Indian entertainment, and now everyone’s bingeing between the sofa cushions. Meta, in partnership with Ormax Media, has released ‘Micro Dramas: The India Story’, a comprehensive study unveiled at the inaugural Meta Marketing Summit: Micro-Drama Edition. The report maps how the vertical, bite-sized format is reshaping content consumption for mobile-first audiences aged 18–44 across 14 states.
Conducted between November 2025 and January 2026 through 50 in-depth interviews and 2,000 personal surveys, the research reveals that 65 per cent of viewers discovered micro-dramas within the last year proof of explosive adoption. Nearly 89 per cent encounter the format through social feeds and recommendations, making algorithm-driven discovery the primary engine rather than active search.
Key viewing patterns show a median of 3.5 hours per week (about 30 minutes daily) spread across 7–8 short sessions. Consumption peaks between 8 pm and midnight, with additional spikes during commutes and work breaks classic “in-between moments” that the format fills perfectly. Around 57 per cent of viewing happens in ambient mode (while doing something else), and 90 per cent is solo, enabling more intimate, personal storytelling.
Romance, family drama and comedy lead genre preferences. Audiences show growing openness to AI-generated content, 47 per cent find it unique and creative, while only 6 per cent say they would avoid it entirely. Regional languages are surging after Hindi and English, Tamil, Telugu and Kannada dominate consumption.
Meta, director, media & entertainment (India) Shweta Bajpai said, “Micro-drama isn’t a passing trend, it’s rewriting the rules of Indian entertainment. In under a year, an entirely new category of platforms has emerged, built audience habits from scratch, and created a business vertical that is scaling fast.”
Ormax Media founder-CEO Shailesh Kapoor added, “Micro-dramas are beginning to show the early signs of becoming a distinct content category in India’s digital entertainment landscape. When a format aligns closely with how audiences naturally engage with their devices, it has the potential to scale very quickly.”
The study proposes ecosystem-wide responsibility, universal signposting of commercial intent, shared accountability among advertisers, platforms, creators, schools and parents, built-in safeguards, and formal media literacy in schools.
In a feed that never sleeps and a day that never stops, micro-dramas have slipped into the cracks of every spare minute turning 30-second stories into the new national pastime, one vertical swipe at a time.
