iWorld
360 million Airtel customers get free access to Adobe Express Premium
NEW DELHI: Bharti Airtel is sweetening the telecom bundle, handing its entire customer base free access to Adobe Express Premium as telcos race to add value beyond data and voice.
Under the partnership, all 360 million Airtel customers across mobile, Wi-Fi and DTH will get Adobe Express Premium worth Rs 4,000 free for one year. The subscription can be activated through the Airtel Thanks app, with no credit card required, lowering the barrier for mass adoption.
The move puts professional-grade creative tools into the hands of users regardless of design experience, allowing them to create resumes, posters, videos and social media content using Adobe’s AI-powered features.
“This partnership is about more than technology. It is about empowering millions of Indians with cutting-edge AI tools to create and innovate,” said Siddharth Sharma, ceo, connected homes and director, marketing at Bharti Airtel. “From a student crafting their first resume to a small business owner designing a poster or a creator editing videos for followers, we want to empower every Airtel customer with the tools for self-expression. With Adobe Express, world-class creative tools are no longer a luxury. They are a reality for every Indian.”
Adobe Express Premium offers access to thousands of professional templates, including designs tailored for Indian festivals, weddings and local businesses. The subscription also includes AI features such as instant background removal, custom image generation, one-tap video editing, premium Adobe Stock assets, more than 30,000 professional fonts, 100GB of cloud storage, auto captions, instant resize and watermark-free exports, with seamless syncing across devices.
“We are committed to empowering everyone to create and stand out with Adobe Express, the quick and easy create-anything app,” said David Wadhwani, president, digital media at Adobe. “We are excited to partner with Airtel to bring Adobe Express Premium to millions of people across India for free, accelerating the growth of India’s vibrant creator economy and enabling people to easily produce standout content, whether boosting their careers, growing their businesses or promoting their passions.”
The app is available in English, Hindi, Tamil and Bengali, allowing users to create content in their preferred language. From festival greetings and wedding invitations to promotional material for local shops or WhatsApp status updates, the platform is designed to make creative expression widely accessible.
The partnership also gives Airtel customers access to Adobe Express’s generative AI capabilities, enabling faster creation and higher-quality output across formats.
As competition tightens, Airtel’s Adobe tie-up underlines a broader shift. Indian telcos are no longer just selling connectivity but stacking AI tools, cloud services and content to keep customers locked in.
iWorld
JioHotstar enters micro-drama space with 100 shows under Tadka banner
Short-form push targets 300M users as content meets commerce in new format
MUMBAI: JioStar has made a bold play in India’s fast-growing micro-drama space, rolling out over 100 short-form shows under its new Tadka banner on JioHotstar, timed with the massive viewership surge of the Indian Premier League 2026.
The scale of the launch signals clear intent. Rather than testing the waters, the company has dived in headfirst, releasing a wide slate of content on day one. Each show is designed for quick consumption, with episodes running 60 to 90 seconds in a vertical format tailored for mobile-first audiences.
The move comes as India’s micro-drama market, currently valued at around $300 million, is projected to grow tenfold to over $3 billion by 2030. Globally, the format has already proven its mettle, with China’s micro-drama sector recording explosive growth in recent years.
What sets this rollout apart is its built-in monetisation strategy. The shows are free to watch and ad-supported, with brand integrations woven directly into storylines from the outset. It reflects a broader shift where content and commerce are increasingly intertwined, rather than operating in silos.
The timing is equally strategic. With more than 300 million users already tuning in for IPL action, JioHotstar is effectively turning cricket’s biggest stage into a discovery engine for its new format.
The company is not entering an empty arena. Early movers like Kuku TV, MX Player and platforms backed by Zee Entertainment Enterprises have already laid the groundwork, building audiences and validating demand for snackable storytelling.
Now, with scale, distribution and advertiser interest aligning, the big players are stepping in. For JioStar, Tadka may well serve as a proving ground for the next evolution of digital entertainment, where every minute counts and every second sells.
If the bet pays off, India’s next big content wave might just arrive in under 90 seconds.
