iWorld
Agra police arrest IIT engineer for uploading Disney Star content illegally
Mumbai: Agra police arrested an IIT engineer for illegally uploading content from Disney Hotstar on his OTT platform, Supermat. Star India Pvt. Ltd. had complained to the Agra police commissioner on 11 January against the illegal practices of the Supermat application.
Since December 2020, the Agra Cyber Cell has been looking for the main accused, Ashish Dixit, who has been running the Supermat application with his brother, co-accused Akash Dixit.
Both accused registered their company, Dream Stake Pvt. Ltd., in 2020, where both of them are directors.
According to Agra police, Supermat has 17,000 subscribers, and they have partnered with a Netherlands-based cloud server with a Rs 10 lakh contract under which they used to take downloaded content from the Torrent and Telegram applications. Supermat, a third-party app, was running on a subscription-based model with VIP and gold subscription packages for Rs 478 and Rs 978, respectively.
The accused had collected Rs 67 lakh in the last two years from its customers, and currently, they have Rs 6 lakh in their bank, which has been seized by police.
Shahaganj Agra Police have arrested Ashish Dixit under IPC Act 420, IT Act 68 C & D, and the Copyright Act 1957. Ashish Dixit is an alumnus of IIT Jodhpur, where he completed his bachelor of technology studies.
As of now, Disney Hotstar has declined to comment on the matter.
iWorld
YRF, Red Chillies explore micro dramas as format gains ground
Short-format boom grows, 71 per cent users rely on UPI autopay.
MUMBAI: Big stories are getting shorter and Bollywood’s biggest studios are starting to think small to stay big. Yash Raj Films and Red Chillies Entertainment are independently evaluating entry into the micro drama space in 2026, signalling a strategic pivot as legacy players chase the fast-growing demand for bite-sized storytelling.
At YRF, the recent appointment of Saugata Mukherjee is being read as more than just a leadership shuffle. Industry insiders view the move as a deliberate step towards building a sharper, digital-first content pipeline. Mukherjee, who previously played a key role in shaping premium originals at SonyLiv, is known for backing narrative-led shows that helped the platform stand out in an increasingly crowded OTT market. His experience in scaling differentiated content is now expected to anchor YRF’s next phase of expansion.
While YRF’s plans appear relatively advanced, conversations around micro dramas are also picking up at Red Chillies, albeit at an earlier stage. Insiders suggest the studio is exploring the format as part of a broader rethink of content strategy in a market where attention spans and distribution formats are rapidly evolving.
The timing is hardly accidental. India’s micro drama ecosystem is already taking shape, with platforms such as JioHotstar (“Tadka”), Zee5 (“Bullet”), Amazon MX Player (“Fatafat”) and Tata Play (“Shots”) experimenting with mobile-first, episodic formats designed for binge consumption. Alongside these, niche players like Kuku TV, QuickTV and StoryTV are also building early traction.
What is driving this surge is not just format novelty but consumption behaviour. Data from Redseer indicates that content velocity and freshness are emerging as key engagement drivers, with users responding strongly to frequent releases and evolving story arcs. Interestingly, pricing is not a major friction point audiences are willing to pay, provided the content offers novelty and quality.
User feedback also points to a shift in taste. There is growing appetite for genre diversity beyond familiar tropes, opening up space for experimentation in storytelling formats. This creates an opportunity for both incumbents and new entrants to differentiate in what is quickly becoming a crowded segment.
Monetisation, however, remains tightly linked to ease of access. Around 71 per cent of users rely on UPI autopay for subscriptions, underlining the importance of seamless payment systems even as platforms explore diversified revenue models.
The rise of micro dramas is part of a larger shift in India’s digital entertainment landscape, where interactive media including audio streaming, social discovery and niche formats such as devotional and astrology-led content is gaining momentum. This broader segment is projected to grow into a $3.1–3.4 billion market by FY30, with micro dramas expected to be among the fastest-growing categories, outpacing traditional short-form video.
For studios like YRF and Red Chillies, the message is becoming clear: in a market where attention is fragmented, storytelling may need to shrink in size but not in ambition.
