iWorld
JioHotstar serves up aces as TPL’s streaming partner for three seasons
MUMBAI: If tennis needed a power shot in India, this one lands right on the line. The Tennis Premier League (TPL) has inked a three-year partnership with JioHotstar, making the country’s largest streaming platform the official digital home of the league starting Season 7.
The multi-season tie-up marks a major leap for TPL’s digital ambitions, tapping into JioHotstar’s expansive reach to bring live matches, highlights, behind-the-scenes access, and exclusive features to fans nationwide. With tennis viewership soaring across India, the partnership aims to accelerate the sport’s rise from niche favourite to mass spectacle.
Founded on a fast-paced 25-point format designed to simplify the game for wider audiences, TPL has steadily built a loyal base backed by tennis icons Leander Paes, Sania Mirza and Mahesh Bhupathi, along with celebrity co-owners Rakul Preet Singh and Sonali Bendre Behl.
Season 7, scheduled from 9 to 14 December 2025 at the Gujarat University Tennis Stadium in Ahmedabad, arrives with star wattage unlike any before. For the first time, the league will feature Top 50 international players, raising the competitive stakes dramatically.
The international line-up includes:
● Luciano Darderi (World No. 26)
● Alexandre Muller (World No. 42)
● Damir Džumhur (World No. 57)
● Dan Evans (former World No. 21)
● Rohan Bopanna, two-time Grand Slam champion
They join a strong roster of leading Indian and global players, setting the stage for TPL’s most electrifying edition yet.
Tennis Premier League co-founder Kunal Thakkur described the partnership as a milestone moment, “TPL has always aimed to revolutionise how tennis is consumed in India. Partnering with JioHotstar ensures fans everywhere can now experience the league in the most engaging and accessible way possible.”
Fellow Tennis Premier League co-founder Mrunal Jain added, “Our vision has always been to make tennis a household sport. JioHotstar gives us the perfect platform to reach millions and bring them courtside to the TPL experience.”
Season 7 powered by Clear Premium Water will feature eight teams, SG Pipers, Gurgaon Grand Slammers, Chennai Smashers, GS Delhi Aces, Yash Mumbai Eagles, Hyderabad Strikers, Gujarat Panthers, and Rajasthan Rangers, with Yonex Sunrise as the Official Equipment Partner.
As India gears up to host the 2030 Commonwealth Games, TPL’s latest partnership signals a sport hitting its stride faster rallies, bigger names, and now, streaming access that ensures tennis fans never miss a point.
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.
