iWorld
Raj Malik joins Miraj Group as business head
MUMBAI: Raj Malik, the producer of the acclaimed film Madaari has now joined Miraj Group as film production and acquisition business head.
Miraj Group’s recent release was Pati Patni Aur Woh starring Riya Sen. The show was launched on MX Player. The organisation wants to accelerate its efforts towards producing engaging content that would find resonance with audiences across revenue streams. Malik will be leading the film production business for Miraj Group and build a slate of films, and OTT offerings.
With a career spanning over 22 years in the M&E sector, Malik in his earlier assignments has held senior positions at Rhiti Group, Cinestaan, Krian Media, Walt Disney, Eros and Warner Bros.
Miraj Group is a 34-year-old organisation with a diverse portfolio of businesses like food snacks, printing, and packaging, pipes and fittings, engineering, hospitality, retail, real estate and film production besides the award-winning “Miraj Cinemas”, India’s fifth-largest multiplex chain with 121 Screens across 33 cities.
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.
