iWorld
Netflix hires Shrishti Behl to build original Indian slate
MUMBAI: For some time now, Netflix has, slowly and steadily, been building its India team. Now the latest to be roped in is veteran content creator Shrishti Behl in the critical position of director for international originals. Both Behl and Netflix were not available for a response but her hiring was confirmed by a source close to the development to Indiantelevision.com.
Behl’s joining date has not been announced but she has been charged with helping creating global quality original content out of India, working closely with Indian producers. It is expected to invest close to $100 million in originals from India to start with over the next couple of years.
She was to the film industry born. Daughter of producer Ramesh Behl and sister of filmmaker Goldie Behl who is married to Bollywood actress Sonali Bendre. Behl has been an independent go-getter since her teenage days when she jumped into the marketing world at the tender age of 15. It was the sudden demise of her father that compelled the young Behl and her brother Goldie Behl to shoulder the responsibility of their production house Rose Movies.
The spunky lady has made a name for herself on the small screen when she floated Rose Audiovisuals in partnership with Goldie. With thousands of hours of programming delivered across all channels namely Star Plus, Life OK (Star One), Sony, SAB TV, Colors, ZeeTV, Zoom, Star Gold, Channel V and EPIC. Behl was the brain behind Star Plus’s mega mythological show, Aarambh.
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.
