iWorld
Chingari ties up with TPZ Records for music licensing
Mumbai: TPZ Records, the music label vertical of Talentpromoterz, has partnered with Chingari to promote its original songs on the short-video sharing platform.
The partnership will allow Chingari users to legally access the Indian music catalogue for creating short videos. At the same time, TPZ Records will be able to reach a larger audience in the smaller town through this association, said the statement.
Commenting on the development, TPZ Records’ owner and head of digital marketing, Pinkeesh Deveda said, “TPZ Records’ tie-up with Chingari will be a great opportunity for promoting our songs through the short videos format and for entertaining and motivating our audience as well. It will also enable us to reach out to a much larger audience.”
“The Indian short-video market has seen a steep new user spike in the last few months. Chingari has managed to get its fair share too. Our objective is to ensure new users keep increasing in numbers while maintaining the current user base. This partnership with TPZ Records will be the deal-breaker for both of us in reaching out to the masses and keeping them engaged,” added Chingari app, co-founder and CEO, Sumit Ghosh.
“Chingari is keen on exploring the engagement factor legally and entertainingly. Amidst increasing competition, such tie-ups will be engaging and offer options that are safe for us and our users,” remarked Chingari app, co-founder and COO, Deepak Salvi. “In the last few years, TPZ Records has created music videos in various Indian languages with mass appeal. And Chingari is a short-video sharing platform meant for the masses. We had to come together.”
iWorld
JioHotstar to launch micro dramas during IPL
Streaming giant plans free, ad-supported bite-sized stories during IPL to engage mobile-first audiences
JioHotstar is gearing up to launch a wave of micro dramas, eyeing India’s fast-growing appetite for bite-sized storytelling and new revenue opportunities. According to sources close to the matter, the streaming platform is expected to go live with the content during the Indian Premier League, which runs from 28 March to 31 May.
The move comes as the micro-drama market in India surges, with Redseer Strategy Consultants projecting the overall interactive media segment could reach $3.1–3.4 billion by FY2030, with micro dramas leading the growth. The format has already proven commercially viable abroad — China’s micro-drama sector generated $360 million in 2023, up 267 per cent year-on-year.
Micro dramas are designed for rapid consumption on mobile devices. Episodes typically run 60–90 seconds, shot in vertical 9:16 format, and rely on fast-paced plots and cliffhangers to keep viewers glued. Stories tend to revolve around high-stakes drama, from romance and revenge to corporate intrigue, blending social-media immediacy with professional production values.
Sources said the IPL provides the perfect launchpad, with millions tuning in to the platform for live cricket, creating a ready audience for short-form narrative experiments. The content will initially be free and accessible to all.
JioHotstar, which already boasts over 300 million subscribers, plans to roll out more than 100 micro dramas across multiple genres and languages, including Hindi and South Indian languages. The move is expected to strengthen its regional content strategy and appeal to mobile-first viewers, particularly in metro and Tier-1 cities where the format is currently most popular.
“The timing is perfect,” said a source close to the project, requesting anonymity. “With micro dramas on the rise, this is a chance for JioHotstar to experiment with new formats and engage audiences in a way traditional series cannot.”
The platform is not the first in India to test the format. ALTBalaji, StoryTV and Zee Bullet have all dabbled in short episodic storytelling. But JioHotstar’s scale — and its ability to pair content with one of the country’s biggest sporting events — could make it a defining moment for micro dramas in India.
With mobile consumption and vernacular content on the rise, the gamble seems clear: capture attention fast, keep it longer, and turn bite-sized narratives into a robust revenue engine.
Note: The cover image used is AI-generated.
