iWorld
nexGTV launches kids only app; plans to produce original content
MUMBAI: The OTT space has been growing denser with the mushrooming of more and more players. Players are vying for eyeballs and advertisers are looking to differentiate their content, and shifting focus to unexplored areas. nexGTV has launched its new OTT app that targets kids between 2 to 10 years of age with specially tailored content, with an aim to expand business reach and grow subscriber base.
Explaining the demand for kids’ content in India, nexGTV COO Abhesh Verma says, “I have noticed that despite the fact that there is good kids’ content in the country, it is not easily accessible for them. Moreover we realised that kids content can’t be piled up with everything else. There is a need for a kids’ friendly app that will give proper showcase to the content, and parents can let their kids on it without worrying about insensitive content.”
nexGTV is also playing on the fact that parents and guardians of kids these days are concerned about the ‘freeness’ of the internet and worried about the objectionable content that their child may be exposed to. Therefore curating a library strictly for the little ones was of prime importance when strategizing for the kids’ only OTT app. “Our editorial team has been extremely careful while curating content for this app. Every single content is been screened by our team to keep it kids friendly with the age group in mind. Our content is a blend of learning and entertainment for kids. Whether its craft, art, nursery rhymes and moral science through fun content, parents can be rest assured that through fun and frolic their kids are learning something.” Between Akbar Birbal, Stories of Panchtantra, Vikram & Betal, Ducktales, Malgudi Days and Champak World, the app already has a vibrant library of shows for the tiny tots to enjoy this summer.
The app can downloaded from Google Play Store for Android devices or the Apple store for iPhones or other apple devices. Others can shoot a missed call to 0120-4848222 to get nexGTv Kids app.
As a matter of fact, going by international standards, there is only ‘E’ for ‘everyone’, and ‘G’ for ‘general audience’ rated programming in the content library for nexGTV Kids. “We haven’t kept shows that need parental guidance as we want the kids and parents to have a stress free streaming experience,” says Verma.
Currently available in a ‘freemium’ model with no advertisements to interrupt seamless viewing, the content beyond the subscription wall is priced at Rs 125 a month, which coincides with what it costs to subscribe to nexGTV. “As part of the promotion for this launch we are currently allowing any nexGTV subscriber to access nexGTV Kids content and vice versa. Depending on the nature of consumption, content strategy etc., we will take a call to separate the two apps for subscribers or offer it to them in a bundle for a viable price that works for both – the consumers and us,” said Verma as he explains the pricing.
As a business model, the revenue for the new app will depend highly on the subscription. Kids’ content also opens up a vista of monetising prospects for the OTT player.
For starters, nexgTV has gone the VOOT way and acquired kids content from existing content partners who are regular contributors to nexGTV’s library such as Shemaroo, Rajshri Productions etc. But the OTT player’s ambitious plans for their new kids app doesn’t stop there — from producing branded content for advertisers, to commissioning and featuring content from independent content creators, to licensing and merchandising rights sales — nexGTV is eyeing a big chunk of the kids content pie.
“Currently we are getting content from partners who are working with us for the last four – five years. At the same time we are looking to create original content going forward that will be made by our production team for our app. We are also welcoming everyone who can creating content for kids. We want to showcase their content to our user base provided it goes past our editorial guidelines for the kids’ app. There are many who may not have a platform, but have the right talent, whom we plan to feature through our app as long as the content is within our guidelines,” Abhesh reveals.
Keeping lts options open, nexgTV is ready to explore all kinds of partnerships, whether it allows it to own the content’s full IP or it is commissioning for production or co-owning the IP and sharing its IP rights with another content producer. Verma also hints that the OTT player is already in talks with some major production houses to produce exclusive kids’ content for nexgTV.
With a few deals under discussions already under way, be they for content creation with other production houses or with brands, currently the player is weighing its options carefully for the right content strategy.
“We want to make sure that we have the product out there first and some audience on it. And then based on the consumption pattern we want to invest in the programming. It will be like shooting in the dark if we produce a show which we don’t have an audience for,” Verma states frankly.
Given the fact that the target audience of the content isn’t the device owners who can facilitate the consumption, a smart marketing strategy is needed to reach the guardians first, Verma shares. While kids can be the key to reach the parents, the equation flows the other way round when it comes to marketing for kids.
“We have three key aspects to our marketing initiative for this new app. Firstly, on the digital front we are running targeted campaigns towards parents on Facebook to make the app more visible. Secondly, the current subscribers of nexGTV are getting the new app as part of their package. We have 14 million installs (1.4 crore) and within which we have close to a million (10 lakh) subscribers who will get this app with their regular nexGTV apps.”
Apart from this, the OTT player will promote through radio and few other traditional modes of communication as well. With more on the marketing platter that nexGTV plans to surprise audience with in due time, Verma shared that so far the company hasn’t set an upper ceiling to its marketing spends for the new app.
“Honestly this is our first big launch since the launch of our new app and we are heavily promoting it. We are not restricting it to 20 to 30 per cent of marketing spends but instead going by ‘returns on the hours’ basis. If a particular campaign is giving us the returns we want we are strengthening it,” Verma shares while refraining from commenting on the actual marketing spends on the new project.
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.
