iWorld
JioHotstar to live stream Mahashivratri: The Divine Night
MUMBAI: JioHotstar is accelerating its live event offerings following the success of the Coldplay, concert stream. On 26 March at 6 pm, the platform will launch ‘Mahashivratri: The Divine Night’ – a first-of-its-kind, multi-format, multi-location live event delivering an immersive experience of the festival.
Combining storytelling and technology, the platform will make Lord Shiva celebrations accessible to millions of users. Viewers can witness over 20 aartis from all Jyotirlingas in real time across multiple streams.
JioHotstar has partnered with Isha Foundation to broadcast their rituals and musical performances, including meditations and teachings by Sadhguru. Popular singer-composer Sona Mohapatra will lead performances spanning different genres.
The event will also feature live meditations from The Art of Living, led by spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, who commented: “Mahashivratri is an occasion to align with the cosmos to connect with the Divinity within.”
Additionally, viewers can enjoy a special three-hour episode of ‘Devo Ke Dev… Mahadev’ showcasing the union of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati.
Sadhguru added: “Through JioHotstar, this powerful night becomes even more accessible, where technology bridges distances and spirituality unites us all.”
iWorld
Applause, Story TV team up to push microdrama content
Partnership to create premium short form shows for mobile first viewers
MUMBAI: Applause Entertainment and Story TV are betting on short attention spans with a long-term vision, joining forces to create a slate of premium microdramas for mobile-first audiences.
The partnership brings together Applause’s storytelling pedigree and Story TV’s fast-growing digital reach, with plans to co-produce and distribute bite-sized dramas across genres. As part of the deal, Story TV will also adapt the romantic thriller Hello Mini into a vertical microdrama format, signalling a shift in how stories are being reshaped for smaller screens.
Backed by the Aditya Birla Group, Applause Entertainment has built a reputation for high-quality content with titles like Scam 1992 and Criminal Justice. Story TV, launched in 2025, has quickly scaled up with a library of over 1,000 titles across languages and genres, riding the wave of mobile consumption.
Story TV founder and CEO Saurabh Pandey said, “Phones are now the primary screens for content consumption, and microdramas are evolving into a mainstream format. At Story TV, we are blending storytelling with technology to push this format further.”
He added that the collaboration with Applause Entertainment will help expand the reach of microdramas while introducing a layer of premium storytelling to the space.
Applause Entertainment chief business officer Prasoon Garg said, “At Applause, we have always focused on strong storytelling across formats. As microdramas gain momentum, this partnership allows us to explore the space with a platform that understands both the format and its audience.”
With mobile screens shrinking and content getting sharper, the collaboration hints at a future where storytelling is not just shorter, but smarter, designed to fit neatly into the scroll of everyday life.
