iWorld
Disney inks massive deal with Sony to stream ‘Spiderman’ & other films
NEW DELHI: After months of see-sawing and multiple rounds of negotiations, Disney has signed a deal with Sony Pictures that will allow Disney+ to stream Spiderman and other Marvel properties in the United States after they play on Netflix. Disney revealed that it will also add a significant number of Sony films to Hulu, the subscription video-on-demand service fully controlled and majority-owned by The Walt Disney Company.
Apart from Spiderman, Disney has also acquired streaming rights of hundreds of Sony Pictures movies including Jumanji and Hotel Transylvania. Some other movies that will be included in the deal are Marvel's Morbius, Brad Pitt's action thriller Bullet Train, and the new instalment in the Bad Boys series.
According to the new arrangement, Disney will be able to stream Sony movies that include Spiderman and Venom beginning 2022. After the theatrical screening, these films will be streamed on Netflix for an 18-month period and will be later streamed on Disney+ or any other Disney platforms.
The development comes close on the heels of Netflix inking a deal with Sony Pictures earlier this month to stream the latter’s movies after the first window of theatrical release. Similar to the Netflix deal, the new pact between Sony and Disney covers only the US market.
The deal between Sony Pictures and Disney was wrangled by Disney Media and Entertainment Distribution head of business operations for ABC, Freeform, FX Networks, and acquisitions Chuck Saftler, and Sony Pictures Entertainment president of worldwide distribution and networks Keith Le Goy.
"This landmark multi-year, platform-agnostic agreement guarantees the team at Disney Media and Entertainment Distribution a tremendous amount of flexibility and breadth of programming possibilities to leverage Sony’s rich slate of award-winning action and family films across our direct-to-consumer services and linear channels. This is a win for fans, who will benefit from the ability to access the very best content from two of Hollywood’s most prolific studios across a multitude of viewing platforms and experiences," said Saftler in a recent statement.
Keith Le Goy said, "We are thrilled to team up with Disney on delivering our titles to their viewers and subscribers. This agreement cements a key piece of our film distribution strategy, which is to maximise the value of each of our films, by making them available to consumers across all windows with a wide range of key partners.''
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.
