iWorld
ZEE5 and Apigate announce a landmark partnership at Mobile World Congress
MUMBAI: Multi-lingual digital entertainment platform ZEE5 today announced a strategic partnership with Apigate to deliver the largest bouquet of content across languages and genres to audiences globally.
ZEE5, which is a part of Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (ZEEL) – a global Media and Entertainment powerhouse – offers 100,000 hours of Indian Movies, TV Shows, News, Music, Videos and exclusive Originals, across 12 languages including Hindi, English, Bengali, Punjabi, Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Marathi, Oriya, Bhojpuri and Gujarati. It also offers 60+ popular Live TV channels, including ZEE’s best loved channels.
This collaboration brings the plethora of ZEE5’s exciting content, including top TV Shows like Kumkum Bhagya, Jodhaa Akbar and Sembaruthi, blockbusters like Kedarnath, Veere Di Wedding and Mersal, and Originals like Abhay (Kunal Kemmu), Final Call (Arjun Rampal), Rangbaaz (Saqib Saleem) and Sharate Aaj (Parambrata Chattopadhyay) to audiences in 11 countries globally, and will leverage on Apigate’s next-generation API ecosystem to create innovative value propositions for customers.
Through this partnership, ZEE5 is leveraging not only Direct Carrier Billing which offers consumers a secure and convenient payment solution but also going beyond that to offer bundling, wallets and application to person messaging for all subscribers.
“As content creators, we’re creating rich and engaging content across multiple languages for our viewers across the globe. We have an ambitious growth agenda to expand ZEE5’s reach to a wider audience segment across global markets, and we’re very happy to announce our partnership with Apigate which will enable us to do that, said Amit Goenka, CEO, ZEE International and Z5 Global
“We’ve set out to establish ZEE5 as the clear go-to market destination for language content for South Asians and beyond, in the shortest possible time. We’re thrilled to partner with Apigate for this, given their ability to remove the complexities of multiple contracts which enables us to scale quickly. We look forward to jointly taking our fabulous bouquet of content to markets around the globe.” said Archana Anand, Chief Business Officer- ZEE5 Global
Zoran Vasiljev, Chief Executive Officer, Apigate said, “We are excited to partner with a well-known brand like ZEE5 as this is a testament to the relevance of Apigate’s platform in empowering digital transformation for businesses.”
Raja Mansukhani, Senior Vice President APAC, Apigate added, “Having built a world-class ecosystem of Mobile Network Operators, we are able to give ZEE5 access to customers all around the world by enabling expansion through one connection.”
Apigate’s global network reaches 3.5 billion people, comprising more than 110 mobile network operators across Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Europe and Latin America.
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.
