iWorld
The Legend of Hanuman breaks through India’s OTT top 50
MUMBAI: In a streaming universe crowded with gritty thrillers, star-led dramas and global franchises, one animated epic has quietly but decisively crashed the party.
The Legend of Hanuman – Season 6 has ranked at number 11 in Ormax Media’s Top 50 Streaming Originals in India: The 2025 Story, making it the only animated series to feature on the list. With an estimated 16.2 million viewers, it stands shoulder to shoulder with heavyweights such as The Family Man S3, Panchayat S4, Paatal Lok S2, Special Ops S2, and international juggernauts including Squid Game S3 and Stranger Things S5.
That context matters. Ormax’s annual list is widely regarded as the industry’s gold standard, built on independent, nationwide audience research that measures real individuals who actually watched a title. In other words, this is not hype, this is hard viewing data.
Produced by Graphic India and created by Sharad Devarajan, Jeevan J. Kang and Charuvi P. Singhal, The Legend of Hanuman has been rewriting the rules for Indian animation since its debut. Earlier seasons frequently topped Ormax’s weekly charts, with Season 1 holding the number one spot for three straight weeks. It was also the first animated series ever to appear on Ormax rankings, a space long dominated by live action fare.
Six seasons in, the momentum has not slowed. Season 6 marks the franchise’s biggest mainstream breakthrough yet, proving that animation in India is no longer confined to children’s viewing or niche fandoms. The show currently boasts a 4.9 Google audience score and a 9.2 rating on IMDb, rare numbers in the crowded OTT ecosystem.
Available on Jio Hotstar, the series continues to draw audiences across age groups and regions, streaming in multiple languages including Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Marathi, Bengali, Malayalam and Kannada.
Commenting on the milestone, creator, co-writer and producer Sharad Devarajan, said the ranking reflects a broader shift in how Indian audiences view animation. What began as a passion project rooted in mythology has evolved into a cultural mainstay, combining emotional storytelling with cinematic ambition.
Being the sole animated title in Ormax’s Top 50 is more than a win for one show. It signals a turning point for Indian animation itself, where locally rooted stories told at global production standards can now compete, and win, in the mainstream streaming race.
For Graphic India, the achievement reinforces its long-term bet on original Indian animated IP. For the industry at large, The Legend of Hanuman has delivered a clear message. Animation has officially arrived at the grown-ups’ table.
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.
