iWorld
Vodafone Idea and ShemarooME announce an exclusive content partnership
MUMBAI: Vodafone Idea, India’s leading telecom operator, today announced a strategic partnership with Shemaroo Entertainment’s newly launched video streaming service – ShemarooMe. As a part of this exclusive partnership, subscribers of Vodafone Play and Idea Movies & TV apps will have full access to Shermaroo’s content library across Bollywood, Devotion, Kids and other such genres and languages.
ShemarooMe has a wide array of content offerings spanning various genres like Movies, shows, music, plays, devotional, kids and similar in Gujarati and many more languages. This partnership will give all the fans of Gujarati content access to over 400+ latest Gujarati nataks, blockbuster movies and much more through ShemarooMe. The ShemarooMe Gujarati content offering includes movies like Chhello Divas, Gujjubhai the Great, Sharto lagu, Natsamrat, Thai Jashe, and plays like Gujjubhai Banya Dabang, Mari wife Mary Kom, Gujjubhai ni Golmaal and many more. All these titles are likely to reach new viewers through this association.
Talking about the partnership, Sashi Shankar, Chief Marketing officer, Vodafone Idea Limited said, “We are excited to partner with Shemaroo Entertainment to provide rich curated content across genres to our customers. Through this partnership our customers will get access to the best quality Gujarati content on the Vodafone Play and Idea Movies and TV apps exclusively. Our endeavor is to provide our customers with authentic entertainment keeping in mind their consumption pattern, culture and language preferences. We believe that video and regional content will be the key differentiator and its consumption will grow rapidly in the coming years, more so in the Gujarat market because of its affinity for watching Gujarati plays. We have been working towards strengthening our content offering and this partnership is a step further towards enriching our content portfolio.”
Commenting on the partnership, Hiren Gada, CEO, Shemaroo Entertainment Limited., said, “We are delighted to partner with Vodafone Idea. ShemarooMe has a huge plethora of content across genres and an unmatched offering of Gujarati content catering to the Asli fan of Indian content. Through partnerships like these, we wish to bring our content to the end-customers, and we are sure that the subscribers of Vodafone Play and Idea Movies & TV apps will thoroughly enjoy our offerings.”
Vodafone Idea customers will get exclusive access on Vodafone Play and Idea Movies and TV apps for a period of one month.
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.
