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
Netflix cuts jobs in product division amid restructuring
Layoffs hit creative studio unit as leadership and strategy shifts unfold.
MUMBAI: The streaming wars may be fought on screen, but the latest plot twist is unfolding behind the scenes. Netflix has reportedly begun laying off several dozen employees from its product division as part of an internal reorganisation, according to a report by Variety. The cuts are believed to have primarily affected the company’s creative studio unit, which works on marketing assets such as in app trailers, promotional visuals and live experience content for the streaming platform.
The company has not disclosed the exact number of employees impacted.
According to the report, the layoffs were not tied to employee performance. Instead, the restructuring eliminated certain roles while other employees were reassigned to different teams within the organisation.
The roles affected are understood to include designers, producers and creative specialists responsible for marketing and brand experience initiatives.
The job cuts come as Netflix adjusts its leadership structure and reshapes its product and creative teams. Last month, Elizabeth Stone was promoted from chief technology officer to chief product and technology officer, giving her oversight of product, engineering and data operations across the company.
Earlier, in December 2025, Netflix also appointed Martin Rose as head of creative for global brand and partnerships, a move seen as part of a broader restructuring of the company’s brand and product functions.
Despite the layoffs, Netflix remains one of the largest employers in the streaming sector. The company is estimated to employ around 16,000 people globally, with roughly 70 percent of its workforce based in the United States and Canada. In 2023, the company reported approximately 13,000 employees, indicating that its headcount had grown significantly before the latest restructuring.
The workforce changes arrive at a time when Netflix is navigating a shifting financial and strategic landscape in the global entertainment industry.
The streaming giant recently secured $2.8 billion in additional cash after receiving a breakup fee from Paramount Skydance following its withdrawal from a deal involving Warner Bros. Discovery.
Speaking to Bloomberg, Netflix co chief executive Ted Sarandos explained that the company had evaluated multiple scenarios during the negotiations but chose not to match the competing offer once it learned that a higher bid had been submitted.
Netflix had capped its offer at $27.75 per share and ultimately stepped back rather than pursue Paramount’s $111 billion acquisition deal, which included a personal guarantee.
Sarandos also cautioned that the financing structure behind the Paramount Skydance transaction could have ripple effects across the entertainment industry.
According to him, the debt heavy deal could trigger significant cost cutting, with David Ellison, chief executive of Paramount Skydance, expected to eliminate about $16 billion in costs and potentially cut thousands of jobs as part of the integration process.
For Netflix, the current restructuring appears to be part of a broader attempt to streamline operations while continuing to invest in product, technology and global content even as the streaming industry enters a new phase of consolidation and financial discipline.
