iWorld
Kerala MSO Asianet launches regional OTT service
MUMBAI: This is for those folks who gorge on regional content – especially southern Indian language content. And can’t get enough of it.
Coming up is a mobile app or OTT service that offers them a 50 plus strong bouquet of select popular live TV channels in Malayalam, Tamil and other regional languages besides 100 internet radio channels. And it can be downloaded and played on both Android or iOs devices.
Called Asianet Mobile TV+, the OTT service has been launched by leading Kerala-based cable TV and broadband service provider in Kerala Asianet Satellite Communciations. It can be downloaded from the Google Play store or Apple App Store. Registration and activation can be done at http://asianetmobiletv.com.
The OTT platform’s bouquet consists of a mix of channels offering entertainment, news, travel, lifestyle and spiritual segments channels, company officials were reported as saying. The TV channels that are listed on its web site as being part of the subscription pack include: Asianet, ACV, Kairali, Sakhi, Janam, FlowersTV, Jeevan, Amrita, Kamudy, Kappa, People, Reporter, Shalom, Polimer, Captain TV, Kalaignar, Vasanth, Murasu, Enter10, Sankara, and Music India. Hungama, Pling, Box UK are some of the internet radio streaming channels that subscribers can sign on for.
On offer are various subscription packs ranging from two months to six months and a year. But it is giving away a month’s free subscription of TV and radio channels.
“It’s our endeavour to entertain the non-resident Malayalee community across the world with our bouquet of popular Malayalam channels. We have made use of the latest technology to enable our viewers to experience the best of Malayalam home entertainment, any time, any where and to access content across multiple platforms. We would shortly be extending our services to other Indian languages also. Additional features like Catch-up TV / Movies, TV Shows, video on demand and live events are being incorporated soon into our OTT service,” says the Asianet Mobile website.
The company claims it is the first MSO in the country to launch an OTT service. It has partnered with XperioLabs as the platform for the mobile app service. Its management says it is readying to offer value added services through its OTT play to transform itself into a lifestyle services provider.
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.
