iWorld
Saregama inks music licensing deal with Chingari
Mumbai: Music label Saregama has inked global music licensing deal with homegrown short-format app Chingari.
As part of the deal, the entire catalogue of the music label will be made available on Chingari, allowing users to create innovative content using the robust music library of over 130K songs in diverse Indian languages like Hindi, Punjabi, Bhojpuri, Bengali, Tamil, Marathi, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, Punjabi and Gujarati among others, said the statement.
The deal will also have the recent slate of new content that the music label has acquired off late. A quick scan of the recent additions include music of the films such as “Bellbottom,” forthcoming projects like “Gangubai Kathiawad,” “Maidaan,” and the next untitled project of Ranveer Singh with director Shankar.
The deal also includes music from forthcoming Telugu films like “Sarkaru Vaari Paata” (starring Telugu superstar Mahesh Babu) and “Shyam Singha Roy” (featuring popular Telugu leading man Nani), hit singles of Badshah, B Praak, Arjun Kanungo, and Shreya Ghoshal among others as well as latest Punjabi tracks of Kaka, Amy Virk, Sukh-E, Parmish Varma and more, songs of Bhojpuri superstars like Khesari Lal Yadav, Pawan Singh and Ritesh Pandey and others, all the new songs of popular Gujarati singers Rakesh Barot and Kajal Meheriya.
“Chingari creators are known for creating out-of-the-box videos. Saregama is a power bank of songs and offers a diverse slate of genres. Our creators can use this to their advantage and develop some fantastic content pieces,” stated Chingari CEO and co-founder Sumit Ghosh.
“Our aim at Saregama is to make our rich music library be made available to the legions of music lovers from all over the world on as many platforms as possible. To that essence, our partnership with Chingari is a natural fit, given the large followership it enjoys,” said Saregama MD Vikram Mehra. “We are in the midst of a content boom, and we are looking forward excitedly at the immense creativity that content creators will bring with our music on the Chingari platform.”
“With the success of short video apps, influencers have gained strategic importance beyond being just content creators,” said Chingari COO and co-founder Deepak Salvi. “Saregama, on the other hand, has been a market disruptor & leader with its refreshing slate of song genres. It will be exciting to see new developments take shape under this collab.”
iWorld
JioHotstar enters micro-drama space with 100 shows under Tadka banner
Short-form push targets 300M users as content meets commerce in new format
MUMBAI: JioStar has made a bold play in India’s fast-growing micro-drama space, rolling out over 100 short-form shows under its new Tadka banner on JioHotstar, timed with the massive viewership surge of the Indian Premier League 2026.
The scale of the launch signals clear intent. Rather than testing the waters, the company has dived in headfirst, releasing a wide slate of content on day one. Each show is designed for quick consumption, with episodes running 60 to 90 seconds in a vertical format tailored for mobile-first audiences.
The move comes as India’s micro-drama market, currently valued at around $300 million, is projected to grow tenfold to over $3 billion by 2030. Globally, the format has already proven its mettle, with China’s micro-drama sector recording explosive growth in recent years.
What sets this rollout apart is its built-in monetisation strategy. The shows are free to watch and ad-supported, with brand integrations woven directly into storylines from the outset. It reflects a broader shift where content and commerce are increasingly intertwined, rather than operating in silos.
The timing is equally strategic. With more than 300 million users already tuning in for IPL action, JioHotstar is effectively turning cricket’s biggest stage into a discovery engine for its new format.
The company is not entering an empty arena. Early movers like Kuku TV, MX Player and platforms backed by Zee Entertainment Enterprises have already laid the groundwork, building audiences and validating demand for snackable storytelling.
Now, with scale, distribution and advertiser interest aligning, the big players are stepping in. For JioStar, Tadka may well serve as a proving ground for the next evolution of digital entertainment, where every minute counts and every second sells.
If the bet pays off, India’s next big content wave might just arrive in under 90 seconds.
