iWorld
Guest column: Winning over audience in post lockdown world
My neighbour is an ardent Ronit Roy fan. Having not seen him for a while in any Indian serial or film, top that with a glum lockdown mood made her grumpy. One should have seen the look on her face when I told her about him featuring in ALTBalaji’s Kehne Ko Humsafar Hain. And behold, the platform had its latest subscriber.
Like her, millions of us have been hooked to Indian OTT platforms over the past few months. With more time in hand, they’re now open to consuming content digitally, and watching shows that they wouldn’t have watched pre-lockdown. OTT platforms have increased their subscription base by offering diverse shows with relatable characters and topics. Hence, making their service a value-for-money proposition to the viewers.
Today, viewers have access to more content than they ever could consume. The continued increase in the range and breadth of content libraries has created a paradox of choice — too many content choices often paralyze viewers’ decision of what to watch. A consumer’s subscription journey starts with an intent to experiment, a platform to explore, and concludes with a demand for premium content. Making quality, ease in operation, affordability, and accessibility a key factor in driving subscription plans.
The Post Lockdown Plan
The lockdown phase has acted as a catalyst in transforming the content consumption habit of the audience and bringing the Indian viewer to their screens like never before. The KPMG report titled ‘COVID-19: The many shades of a crisis’, reveals that the penetration of subscription-based digital models is set to accelerate.
There has been a significant rise in the viewers’ appetite for online content. Moreover, streaming platforms are giving viewers fresh and new content, thereby increasing the amount of time spent on the service. Add to that, the growing apprehension that exists amongst viewers will see them embrace entertainment experiences in the ease of their home.
Nailing Nuances
In recent times, the Indian streaming industry has grown from strength to strength giving rise to an unprecedented transformation in content creation and consumption. This has seen leading content providers take deep dive into the viewer's preferences and demand to curate engaging content and enticing subscription packages. What leading platforms have got absolutely spot-on is their increased focus towards personalization and adapting seamless technology.
In the race to drive subscriptions, content creators and providers are presenting stories filled with local flavour and global relevance spanning genres and languages. Most are deploying and experimenting with technology-driven services. This allows them to offer a more personalized catalogue of content, in a manner that sees the viewers coming back for more.
Taking Your Content to the Users
There will never be a dearth of content in the Indian OTT space. In such a scenario, relevance makes the biggest difference between these leading players. The platform that delivers a host of offerings to the right audience makes for a leader in the industry, while the rest follow.
Owing to the large viewership from Tier II and Tier III markets, OTT players like us are tapping into the Bharat audience by associating with micro-influencers. This word-of-mouth advertising has worked its charm across the country. With renowned faces endorsing the content offered by the platforms, there has been an incremental growth towards roping in new audiences.
The shows and their diversity have paved the way towards consumer segmentation as well as streaming players catering to different demographics in their own way. Partnerships with leading telecom providers have also seen the content being amplified to a wider audience who are at the receiving end of clutter-breaking content for the same price.
This is a trend that’s going to stay as it's a win-win situation for both the provider as well as the consumer.
Ease of Consumption
The rise of digital content consumption has made the delivery of enhanced user experience take primacy as one of the key objectives of the streaming platforms. Through adopting innovative and data-driven design approaches – the quality of the user experience has become a deciding factor for a user to choose among the various available services in the market.
Understanding the target group and their challenges have seen streaming platforms today offer a host of payment options and subscription packages that align to their consumption patterns. Going down the platform-agnostic route has paid dividends as they provide users a customized experience leading to an increased level of engagement, thereby resulting in more subscriptions.
From a content segmentation and a garnering subscription point of view, one needs to start looking at expanding, acquiring, and retaining audiences. Rest assured that there will be a content library, that like always will regale audiences, along with subscription models, that assure the viewer a service that is value for money.
The author is SVP marketing, analytics, and direct revenue, ALTBalaji. The views are personal and indiantelevision.com may not subscribe to them.
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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.
