iWorld
Chimp&z Inc bags digital mandate for ALTBalaji’s Metaverse game ‘Lock Upp’
Mumbai: Chimp&z Inc, from the aegis of Merge Infinity Network has bagged the digital mandate for ALTBalaji’s “Lock Upp,” a first-of-its-kind reality show-based fantasy metaverse game. This establishes a strategic partnership for the game’s launch on seven popular social media platforms.
With this partnership, the agency forays into a metaverse market that offers in-game cards of the celebrity contestants which players can own, buy, sell, and trade and earn points through skilled gameplay and contributions to the ecosystem, said the statement.
As per the mandate, the agency will amplify enrollment in the game with creative communications across social platforms such as Discord, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and Telegram. The digital duties further extend to online reputation management and influencer collaborations.
https://www.instagram.com/lockuppgame/
“As we embark on a first-of-its-kind journey for an innovation like the Lock Upp Game, we are delighted to have Chimp&z Inc on board to support us in this unique project which will break barriers and open paths for future content innovation,” commented Balaji Telefilms group COO Zulfiqar Khan.
“We’re thrilled to partner with Zulfiqar and his team on delivering a surreal experience to the audience with a Metaverse-based game,” stated Chimp&z Inc VP- growth and operations Ashish Duggal. “The game plan is to develop identifiable social and digital solutions that will assist in supporting the brand’s thrust area of being the first fantasy game based on a reality show. We put together a team of gaming enthusiasts for this project who formulated a digital strategy that will appeal to the target audience, which includes gamers, metaverse wizards, and NFT buffs. This innovative intellectual property has manifested a bridge between virtual reality and entertainment, making the audience a part of the content they are consuming.”
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.
