iWorld
Bobbles DTH/OTT offers top Indian TV channels in Europe
MUMBAI: Bobbles.tv, the German provider of pay-TV packages for expats in Europe, has launched an entertainment platform for Indian viewers. The platform currently offers 16 TV channels from both, Hindi and English languages.
It includes Bollywood blockbuster channels B4U Movies, B4U Music, Star Gold, Sony Max, Zoom as well as news channels NDTV India, NDTV 24×7, Times Now and Aaj Tak. Colors, Star Plus, NDTV Good Times, NDTV Spice, Sony Entertainment Television (SET), Sony Sab, Life Ok and Rishtey Europe will deliver general entertainment, comedy, drama, lifestyle, reality TV and made-for-TV movies.
Bubbles Media CEO Arnold C. Kulbatzki is very optimistic with this offering. He said that as many as 1.5 million Indian people living in mainland Europe now have a convenient way to receive their favourite TV shows from home, via satellite or OTT, live or on catch-up.
Launched in August 2016, bobbles.tv distributes channels from around the globe, aiming to reach a potential audience of around 14 million people originating from Asia, Latin America and Africa, but currently living and working in Europe.
In addition to its new offering for Indian viewers, bobbles.tv also delivers programming to Chinese, Indonesian and Vietnamese expat communities, with further language packages to follow.
The DTH platform is available in Europe via Astra. Supported by MX1, the technical services subsidiary of Astra satellite operator SES, it also offers an OTT service for online viewing through connected TV sets or mobile devices.
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.
