iWorld
PNC Digital makes entertainment ‘Only Much Louder’
MUMBAI: PNC Digital, today announced an exclusive collaboration with Only Much Louder (OML). Through this partnership, global subscribers of Ogle, PNC Digital’s proprietary streaming platform can now watch, the country’s most awaited music event, Bacardi NH7 Weekender, live on-demand. This three-day multi-artist music festival Bacardi NH7 Weekender will be held in Delhi, Bangalore, Kolkata and Pune this November.
Ogle global subscribers are free to choose whichever artistes they wish to see and watch them perform on devices of their choice. This exclusive collaboration between Ogle and OML will widen the range of entertainment available on Ogle. Commenting on this collaboration, Pritish Nandy, Chairman, PNC Digital said: “This is the beginning of change. Viewers can now watch whatever they want, wherever and whenever they want. The power is shifting from those who deliver entertainment to those who view it. That is the future.”
Harshawardhan Sabale, CEO, Ogle said: “Ogle has been built ground up to become the digital platform of choice for viewers who are not interested in being slaves to entertainment intermediaries. Our partnership with OML will provide our subscribers access to some of the best local content and bleeding edge digital interaction technology which, till now, was out of reach of most Indian consumers given the sub-optimal data networks in India.”
Ogle constantly promises to provide anytime-anywhere entertainment to its viewers, establishing the power of choice for entertainment scripted and non-scripted. With this association PNC Digital has taken entertainment to the next level, allowing consumers an option, till now non-existent, to catch exciting new niche events and live performances in real time. Ogle strives to introduce an entire lifestyle shift for those who are pushed for time and simply cannot afford appointment viewing.
Vijay Nair, CEO, OML, said: “We are excited about partnering with Ogle and providing our fans a chance to watch some of the properties we have built and content we have produced through this platform. Ogle’s bouquet of content is quite exciting and we feel that the service is a natural fit for the content we create.”
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.
