iWorld
Nxtdigital, Thaicom ink strategic partnership to deploy satellite broadband services in India
Mumbai: Nxtdigital and Thaicom have signed a deal to form a strategic partnership to enter broadband-over-satellite (BoS) market and related services in India.
The two companies have signed a binding Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).
The partnership includes deployment of BoS systems on India-focused capacity, which could be enhanced to provide future additional capacity on a state-of-art software define high throughput satellite; augmenting the existing IPSTAR-1 which is the first broadband satellite in the world and operational over India for several years.
Thaicom and Nxtdigital will look to provide BoS services immediately in IPSTAR-1 focusing mainly on the rural footprint in India, comprising 60 per cent of Nxtdigital customers through the only HITS (headend-in-the-sky) platform in India.
“The BoS service will focus on providing cost-effective and quality broadband and will give a tremendous boost to delivering education, information, entertainment, health and other services to these markets,” said the statement.
The details of partnership elements are being discussed and will be documented in definitive agreements between Thaicom and Nxtdigital.
“We are delighted to ink this MoU with Nxtdigital, which is easily one of the best digital platforms groups in India,” said Thaicom Public Company chief executive officer Patompob Suwansiri. “With our global satellite experience spanning nearly three decades and Nxtdigital’s distribution expertise, vast footprint and broadband penetration – we believe that together, we are best suited to delivering broadband over satellite and related services to India, not just at a high level of quality of service, but also cost-effectively. Our engagement and investments reflect our commitment to India, where we have had a presence since 2002, offering broadband over satellite since then.”
“We have always taken our commitment to the government’s digital India mission very seriously,” said Nxtdigital managing director and CEO Vynsley Fernandes. “With HITS, we now cover over 4,500 pin codes across India with a significant presence in not just rural India but also areas where terrain poses challenges to connectivity. Through this engagement with Thaicom, a global leader in satellite technology, we will look to facilitate digital inclusion across education, healthcare, information & entertainment – by extending satellite-based broadband connectivity and services to our customers there and also to the underserved and other poorly connected markets.”
The two companies will also develop and offer digital solutions for the government that Thaicom has already developed and deployed elsewhere in the world including satellite artificial intelligence solutions comprising space-based data technologies for agriculture, disaster relief & natural resource management public WIFI systems and drones for augmenting rural digital solutions.
“With India’s significant dependence on agriculture and the incumbent challenges of crop management – the satellite-based AI will help by providing mission-critical data on tap,” said the statement.
Both companies will also set up a Centre for Excellence to develop new satellite and related digital-based technologies through artificial intelligence and analytics – leveraging deep-tech research and development.
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.
