iWorld
Kuku FM partners with HubHopper; adds 21,000 new shows to its library
MUMBAI: If you are an audiophile and you prefer listening to podcasts and shows rather than holidaying and partying, then come 1 January 2025, you should grab your headset and your phone and lean back and sign into KukuFM.
The audio hosting and distribution platform has partnered with another audio platform HubHopper and is offering its three million subscribers the latter’s 21,000 new shows across 30,000 plus hours of premium content at no extra cost (in a dedicated section featuring the new shows).
A press release issued by Kuku FM mentions that this integration means its library rivals even leading OTTs operating in India and is the largest audio catalogue in the country.
Listeners can chose from spirituality (Sadhguru, Osho and Jay Alani) to fiction to history to business in various languages including English, Arabic, Hindi, Tamil Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam. Shows from NDTV are also available on the platform.
Kuku FM co-founder Lal Chand Bisu pointed out that Indians prefer getting unmatched value for the money they are spending. He added: “As our revenues doubled last year, driven by subscriptions, we’re poised to continue this momentum into 2025 with this enriched offering. By adding the shows, we’re not just growing our library but building a platform that resonates with diverse audiences—from native speakers across India to Indians abroad seeking high-quality content in their languages. This collaboration elevates our reach and engagement to new heights.”
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.
