iWorld
VMate launches #21DaysChallenge to ensure people stay busy at homes during lockdown
MUMBAI: Despite a strict countrywide lockdown enforced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government, the authorities have been struggling to stop people from venturing out of their homes. While some people are moving out only in cases of exigencies, there are many who are doing so out of boredom, triggered by prolonged stays at home. To help such people cope with the situation, short video platform VMate has launched an interesting and innovative #21DaysChallenge, which would aid people in remaining busy while staying at their homes.
As part of the drive, a fresh challenge would be given to the users each day throughout the lockdown period. The users need to create videos on the same and share it on the platform. For instance, on Day 1 the users were asked to create interesting videos using coronavirus-related stickers on the app, and the next day, they were asked to perform a trick wherein they had to pull a piece of cloth from underneath a house made of playing cards, glasses etc. Taking it a notch further, the users were asked to film themselves while drinking water from a glass without using their hands. The creators will be asked to undertake various similar challenges everyday till April 14.
What’s even more interesting is that under each challenge, users are offered rewards in the form of money. VMate has also created an in-app H5 page where the best videos from creators are featured. The page also has a ranking of top users whose videos clocked the maximum response on the platform.
The message behind the #21DaysChallenge is loud and clear – helping people make the most of the ample free time at their disposal. The response by the users further suggests that we must refrain from sulking and complaining, and instead, utilize the lockdown period by adhering to social distancing and engaging ourselves in creative activities.
VMate has emerged as a responsible and outstanding platform since the outbreak of the pandemic. Recently, several doctors and medical professionals converged on the short video app to spread awareness and provide authentic information related to Covid-19 among the users. In addition to this, users from interior parts of the country also took to the platform to showcase how rural India was waging a war against the dreaded virus. Videos shared on the app showed how authorities were disseminating information/government orders through unconventional means like loudspeakers on bicycles and autorickshaws.
While those in urban areas are relishing on streaming services like Netflix, people in smaller towns and rural belts seem to have found a good companion in the trending short video app, which is often referred to as ‘Rural India’s TikTok’.
Link – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VvNDff12QO0&feature=youtu.
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.
