iWorld
Octro Inc’s TeenPatti sees 800% growth in paying users in 2020
KOLKATA: Octro Inc has reported that its game TeenPatti witnessed 800 per cent growth in paying users in 2020. The virtual card game has held on to its leadership position since its debut. Octro has been creating Made in India leisure options for the world at large, thereby gaining a strong foothold within the Indian gaming industry with a projected user base of more than 700 million gamers in India by 2022.
First released in 2013, the game played with virtual money is enjoyed by a group of three to six people who use a 52-card pack without jokers. The game also comes in variations like 6 Patti, TeenPatti Battle, 3-2-1, Private Table, etc. Private table feature on Octro TeenPatti was most loved in the past few months as it allowed players to connect with their family and friends in leisure hours while dealing with constraints posed by social distancing in Covid times.
The growing popularity of online games has given a whole new boost to the gaming ecosystem, leading to the sector purported to be worth more than $1 billion today, according to a Google-KMPG report.
Octro Inc CEO Saurabh Aggarwal said, “At the intersection of sports and entertainment, Octro, with games like TeenPatti, has created a scalable leisure option for Indians and has taken casual gaming to the next level. We deeply appreciate this love showered on our games and are thankful to these players. This motivates us to aim higher and we at Octro are committed to create more such leisure options that have potential to be loved not only in India but globally.”
Aggarwal further added, ‘In 2021, we do hope that the Indian government creates a favourable regulatory regime for foreign investment to come into India both for online gaming and real money gaming. This will result in significant employment opportunities, Made in India games and tax contribution to exchequer.”
Real money games and skill based gaming are emerging frontiers in India for not only social connect and scalable leisure options but also for the potential to create shareholders in a value chain that comprises a new set of gamers, immersive metaverse, gaming tournaments with prize money and hence, viable career option.
Globally, the e-sports and video gaming market have already outpaced their contemporaries in the film and music businesses with what is expected to be a $300 billion annual industry by 2025 according to industry sources. India with nearly 400+ e-gaming start-ups is a very important market and one that has great potential for growth 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.
