MAM
AiM to bring Asian media professionals together
Mumbai: Asians in Media (AiM) will launch a new discussion forum next week in London to promote greater interaction between Asian media professionals in the UK.
AiM, celebrating their 1st anniversary this week, is the only magazine in the UK to cover the Asian professionals in particular and the media industry in general.
As part of the initiative, a regular series of events will be held at London Westminster’s prestigious Cinnamon Club. The aim of these programmes, the first of their kind in the UK, is to help Asian media professionals to work closer and raise issues that affect them.
Asians in Media Editor-in-chief Sunny Hundal, says: “I think its time that Indians, along with the rest of those from the sub-continent, took charge of what is being written and made about them in British media. We want to provide an opportunity for Asians here in all levels of the media to meet and discuss the important issues, as well as how we can take ourselves forward as a community. By having these debates we can raise our voices collectively.”
“There are also a lot of other issues such as immigration, outsourcing, and portrayal of the sub-continent, which regularly come up in discussions. Plus we would like to encourage the mainstream to invest in Asian media and target Asian consumers more actively. This will be a platform for them to meet, develop ideas and form business partnerships,” said Hundal.
The announcement coincides with a new report by the British government agency COI, to be released on Monday, encouraging mainstream British media companies to work closer with specialist Asian press in order to target younger and older members of the community.
“Our aim, through the online magazine, has always been to inform readers about the Asian media so that mainstream media can target the Asian community better. These events come at a time when the mainstream media find our radio, TV and publishing companies coming off age and getting economically attractive. That speaks for the recent investments made by heavyweights such as Sky and Express newspapers,” Sunny Hundal adds.
Moving forward, the Asians in Media endeavours to initiate more focused and wide-ranging dialogues on key current issues within the industry by organising bigger industry events.
MAM
Microdrama Specialist COL Group International Builds Out With Narativ, Rock Networks & BlingWood Deals
MUMBAI: Microdrama powerhouse COL Group International is building out its distribution network, with its CEO saying vertical video is about to enter its “next competitive chapter.”
The microdrama arm of publicly-listed Chinese company COL Group appointed Narativ Media as its official distributor in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) and CIS regions and Africa, and a struck new content deal with a new Dubai-based microdrama platform.
The deals were unveiled this morning at MIP London, and also included Rock Networks as its exclusive Southeast Asia telco distribution partner for its app, FlareFlow. MIP London is now into its second day at the Savoy Hotel and adjoining IET London complex.
The deals come soon after COL appointed Harbour Rights to represent its titles in Europe and Latin America, as we reported yesterday in our extended feature on microdrama distribution.
COL’s Singapore-based microdrama unit says its “coordinated global distribution architecture and significantly expanded international content slate” would help to scale its catalogue to more than 1,700 microdrama titles worldwide. These hail from South Korea, Japan, Africa, the Middle East, Southeast Asia and the UK and roll out across Sereal+, FlareFlow and 17K.
A deal with Dubai-based BlingWood, which recently launched as an OTT platform, will expand COL’s access to Middle Eastern and Indian microdramas, and includes a broader pipeline of Indian series from storytelling platform Pratilipi, Korean titles from BeLive Studios and British reality-led formats from Tattle TV — the UK’s first dedicated microdrama app, including titles such as Dog Dates.
“Microdrama is entering its next competitive chapter, where quality, retention and monetization standards are increasingly shaped by data and operational discipline,” said Timothy Oh, General Manager of COL Group International.
“As pioneers in both China and the U.S., scaling some of the world’s leading platforms in this space, we understand what it truly takes to win sustainably. Our role is not simply to offer catalogue volume, but to help partners select, position and scale the right content for their platform and audience. By bringing together a broad, constantly refreshed slate from across regions, we enable smarter curation, clearer differentiation and long-term growth for serious industry players.”
Narativ deal
COL and UAE-based Narativ described their deal as a “strategic expansion of premium vertical content distribution across high-growth emerging markets,” and comes as the microdrama continues to boom financially. The growth of the medium will be among the key topics of conversation today at MIP London, where COL chief Oh will be speaking.
The pact extends beyond content representation and is being billed as part of a more “structured micro-drama distribution infrastructure.”
Narativ will spearhead market development, platform alliances, broadcaster relationships and digital monetization frameworks across the MENA and CIS regions and Africa, where they have identified “rapid mobile-first consumption growth and strong demand for short-form, high-engagement storytelling formats.”
“Micro-dramas are reshaping global viewing habits, particularly across mobile-first markets like MENA, Africa and CIS,” said Manjyot Sandhu, CEO and co-founder of Narativ. “Our appointment as official distributor for COL Group in these territories reflects Narativ’s strategy to build sustainable distribution architecture.
“A key pillar of the collaboration includes integration with FlareFlow, enabling strategic telco partnerships, bundled carrier offerings, and alternative monetization pathways designed to accelerate scale across mobile ecosystems and OTT platforms.”
Oh added: “We are building more than a content slate – we are building the global infrastructure for microdrama. With hundreds of new titles launching every quarter, scale and regional strength are critical. Narativ with its deep foothold in MENA, Africa CIS and other key markets makes them a natural strategic partner as we expand FlareFlow and bring microdrama to new platforms, telcos and audiences.
Narativ, which is joint venture Sandhu operates with Copyright Capital, manages around 7,000 hours of content and has a digital network spanning 150 million subscribers across 21 language.
COL Group has emerged as one of the biggest microdrama platforms, running platforms such as FlareFow. It is also a part-owner of ReelShort.
