iWorld
Eros Now partners SpeedPay, bundled with BSNL
MUMBAI: Over-the-top (OTT) Bollywood entertainment platform Eros Now has partnered with SpeedPay, a multi-purpose offline wallet and Indian state owned telecommunications provider, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL). With these partnerships, the OTT platform will now be bundled across all the existing and new data pack users of the telco provider.
The tie-up also enables Eros Now’ premium content including old and new Bollywood movies, music videos, TV shows, originals, etc available to the data pack users.
Eros International president business development Kumar Ahuja is extremely hopeful about the two strategic partnerships. He believes that this tie up will boast their customer base across non-metros and tier 2 cities. Associating with SpeedPay will reaffirm the platform’s philosophy and will provide premium and unparalleled entertainment services on the go.
The partnership further strengthens Eros Now’s presence across BSNL’s SpeedPay outlets.
Pyro CEO Paritosh Reddy expects the partnership to enhance their customer experience and hopes that it will make the unbanked sector enjoy the benefits of OTT service. For them, this alliance clearly brings more business looking at the subscribers of the digital video streaming platform.
SpeedPay is a multi-purpose offline wallet that is used to purchase various service on-mobile from affiliated merchants based on ‘anywhere-anytime’ concept and provide safety and convenience for the customer. It claims to have approximately 1.2 million unique visitors transacting every month in the Middle East, and approximately 4 million transactions per day in India.
Eros Now will be able reach out to a large database of over 1.3 million retailers and approximately over 2 million unique users in India through SpeedPay.
Also Read:
Eros Now partners Paytm, Mobikwik & Freecharge
Eros Now to premiere original series ‘Salute Siachen’ on 15 Jan
Eros International raises $30 million for Eros Now
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.
