iWorld
Qyuki Digital Media co-founder and managing director Samir Bangara passes away
MUMBAI: Qyuki Digital Media co-founder and managing director Samir Bangara passed away in a car accident on 14 June.
Amidst his colourful multi-dimensional career, he also led digital for the Disney group in India as managing director – digital with the responsibility of integrating and growing the businesses of Indiagames, Disney Interactive and UTV Interactive. He founded Qyuki Digital Media in 2013.
Several Bollywood celebrities have mourned the loss on Twitter.
Just heard that @samirbangara is no more. Horrible, heartbreaking news. Man's been a friend for a long time. Such a good guy, so straight-up. Helped so many people build careers out of nothing! His legacy will remain.
Much love & strength to the family.
2020, enough please!
— VISHAL DADLANI (@VishalDadlani) June 14, 2020
Terrible news RIP @samirbangara – such a sharp mind, ambitious and a gentleman- we worked so well so many years – only the best of memories – so sudden – strength to the family and the children
— Ronnie Screwvala (@RonnieScrewvala) June 14, 2020
I lost my super power today @samirbangara you have been a mentor / friend / business guide and the biggest cheer leader…. you belived in me like no one else in this world.
what happens to our afternoon catch up call today.
Can’t believe this. Please come back 🙁
— Guneet Monga (@guneetm) June 14, 2020
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.
