iWorld
Micro content makes a big play at VIDNET 2025
MUMBAI: If stories are shrinking, the excitement certainly is not. At VIDNET 2025, the session on micro content took centre stage as panellists unpacked how two-minute dramas are quietly rewriting India’s viewing habits.
Mautik Tolia set the tone, noting that nearly three-fourths of daily digital viewing now comes from snackable videos. With attention spans dipping to eight seconds for Gen Z, he said micro-dramas are not a fad but a force.
Bullet founder and cbo Azeem Lalani, compared the shift to cricket’s leap from test matches to T20s. He predicted the fledgling category could touch $100 million in its first year, though current projections seem inflated. He argued that India’s diversity and young skew make pay-per-view the more honest model, especially for an audience that only pays when hooked.
Balaji Telefilms group cro Nitin Burman, said micro-dramas will coexist with long-form shows. India’s mobile-first behaviour, he noted, creates fertile ground for brand spends. Balaji, instead of competing as a platform, has pivoted to production and now makes 30 to 35 micro-dramas a month.
Industry veteran, One Take Media founder and ceo Anil Khera, said the format suits viewers who cannot commit to thirty-minute episodes. However, the genre playbook remains fluid. Family sagas may not translate well to vertical screens, while thriller-flavoured romance and relationship dramas currently dominate.
For Pocket Films founder and md Sameer Mody, the format works because it merges India’s love for stories with the ease of vertical scrolling. He believes the audience is not limited by age but by mood and moment, and his platform now offers everything from episodic micro-dramas to horizontal shows in one app.
From a brand perspective, Pocket Aces svp marketing Vishwanath Shetty said the early rush is driven by the urge to be first. While views matter, brands increasingly prioritise perception shifts, especially among Gen Z and Gen Alpha. Campaigns with Myntra, IPL and NPCI have shown that vertical storytelling can build conversations, not just numbers.
As attention fragments and creativity compresses, micro-dramas appear to be carving out a cultural niche. The formats may be tiny, but the ambitions, it seems, are nothing short of cinematic.
iWorld
OneOTT partners with UP govt for Project GANGA broadband rollout
Initiative to connect 2M plus households, empower 8,000–10,000 entrepreneurs in 2–3 years.
MUMBAI: Uttar Pradesh just got a digital Ganga flow because when broadband meets ambition, even villages start streaming faster than city traffic. OneOTT Intertainment Ltd. (OIL), the broadband arm of Hinduja Global Solutions (HGS) under the Hinduja Group, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the State Transformation Commission (STC), Government of Uttar Pradesh, for Project GANGA (Government Assisted Network for Growth & Advancement).
The MoU, signed on 7 March 2026 in the presence of Uttar Pradesh Finance & Parliamentary Affairs Minister Suresh Kumar Khanna, aims to empower 8,000–10,000 local entrepreneurs at the Nyaya Panchayat level as independent Digital Service Providers (DSPs). A significant number of these DSPs are expected to be women. The initiative will deliver high-speed broadband to over 2 million households in the next 2–3 years and create direct and indirect employment for more than 100,000 individuals.
Project GANGA will support government priorities in digital education, healthcare and public services while enabling MSMEs and enterprises with reliable connectivity. DSPs will receive structured training, financing assistance, network build-out support and technology enablement.
STC CEO Manoj Kumar Singh said, “Project GANGA is a significant step toward expanding inclusive digital infrastructure in Uttar Pradesh. By empowering local entrepreneurs, the program will strengthen service delivery and ensure affordable digital access for underserved communities.”
OIL, MD & CEO and HGS whole-time director Vynsley Fernandes added, “This initiative reflects our long-term commitment to enabling digital access and economic opportunity at scale. Project GANGA is structured as a multi-year program focused on entrepreneur onboarding, network deployment and workforce development.”
OIL brings execution strength backed by HGS and NXTDIGITAL’s national footprint, which already connects over 5 million homes across more than 4,500 pin codes in 1,500 cities and towns through 15,000 plus franchise partners and over 2 lakh kilometres of fibre infrastructure. The ecosystem will support broadband, IPTV, OTT, CCTV, satellite internet and cybersecurity solutions for households, businesses and public institutions.
In a state racing toward digital inclusion, Project GANGA isn’t just laying cables, it’s laying the foundation for millions to connect, learn, heal and earn, one Nyaya Panchayat at a time.
