iWorld
Hotstar rolls out Malayalam content with Mohan Lal as brand ambassador
MUMBAI: Indian premium streaming platform, Hotstar reached out to its Malayalam speaking users and fans, accompanied by its new brand ambassador, the superstar of Malayalam cinema yesterday. Hotstar offers more than 4000 hours of Malayalam content including a large collection of the latest and classic Malayalam movies, and popular TV shows.
The launch will be followed by a six-week multi-media campaign featuring iconic Mohan Lal across TV, print, outdoor and digital. Hotstar plans to connect with its strong regional language audiences in the major regional markets of South India.
Speaking at the event, Mohan Lal said, “I feel proud that Kerala not only has the highest literacy rate, but also boasts of a large number of digitally savvy youth. But what is especially gratifying is that these big audiences are watching and enjoying the most popular and loved Malayalam movies and television series on Hotstar. I am really glad to be associated with a brand as vibrant and pioneering as Hotstar, which is changing the way people get entertained. For a creative person like me, it is very satisfying that our works are finding a legitimate way to reach the ever growing audiences on the digital platform and that fans are connecting with the best of Malayalam entertainment on an exciting new, platform like Hotstar. A marketing campaign of this scale targeted at a state is perhaps a first for any digital brand in the country. I wish Hotstar all the best.”
Star India MD South K. Madhavan said, “It is a pleasure to be here with Hotstar today and I am grateful to Mohan Lal the Superstar and a befitting brand ambassador for Hotstar in Kerala. With the changing landscapes of the entertainment industry and digitalization of content and consumption, Hotstar, India’s biggest digital content platform, is consolidating its presence in the Southern markets by providing a superior digital service to both the fans and the eco-system of Malayalam movies and television, along with brands in general.”
Hotstar CEO Ajit Mohan said, “Over the last 15 months, Hotstar has established itself as the primary screen for young India. We are the only platform that showcases and curates the best of Malayam movies and TV shows, all for free to users. We are keen to showcase this extraordinary offering to one of the most extraordinary states in the country. We are grateful that as brand ambassador, Mohan Lal will be helping us showcase our platform to Malayalis across the world in the days to come.”
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.
