iWorld
36% Netflix originals to be non-English
MUMBAI: Netflix has realised that if it wants to be a global leader, it can't do so by expecting just it's English content to fly high. According to the latest report from Ampere Analysis, the company is eying local content highly in Europe and Asia with a focus on non-English originals.
The streaming platform has added eight and nine million subscribers respectively between 2017 and 2018 in these markets. Encouraged by the success of hits like Dark from Germany and Sacred Games from India, Netflix announced 24 new titles for Europe in Q4 2018.
Investment in local language content not only helps subscriber growth but also throws competition to homegrown rival fight by captivating users with high-quality international productions. Elite, Narcos and Sacred Games – all these series have been adored in both native and English language audiences which shows how the international productions serve double purpose. The report says 36 per cent of Netflix’s upcoming originals will be non-English, and 46 per cent will originate from outside the US and Canada.
The streaming giant is currently producing new content in 25 countries, with 133 titles originating outside of its home market North America. Netflix is heavily focused on specific markets, with the top two international producers of the UK and India accounting for 32 per cent of international productions, and the top five accounting for 56 per cent.
Moreover, it is rapidly increasing production in key markets across Asia and Europe and the markets with past hits are getting more importance. The UK has added 10 titles so far in Q4 2018 followed by eight in India.
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.
