iWorld
Zee5 looks to drive up subscription with Sunny Leone biopic
MUMBAI: Sunny Leone is back. But this time it’s not her dance moves that will sway you but rather her biopic. Zee5, the over the top (OTT) platform by the zee group, is launching Karenjit Kaur-the untold story of Sunny Leone.
Commenting on the offbeat theme of the biopic Zee5 India CEO Tarun Katial said, “What’s the point of repeating what has been done before?”
The platform has been bullish about original content right from day one. After launching original shows of diverse genres including ZERO Kms, The Story, Babbar ka Tabbar, this platform is set to drive up subscription by adding a biopic. While the biopic is in episodic format, Sunny Leone played her own character.
Zee5 launches 20 originals to drive up subscription
In addition to that, the series will be available in four regional languages including Bengali, Tamil, Telugu and Marathi which can help it garner fans outside metro cities. Other than focusing on digital marketing, there will be heavy promotion on ZEEL’s network as well as outdoor.
Katial said that all the platforms shows are getting the required traction. “In digital, we want to build some robustness in the user data before we take decisions of preferring one genre over the other. We don’t want to get bracketed and clustered just yet,” he said.
Katial believes that there ample opportunities in getting subscription revenue. “There’s definite room for big subscription revenue. I think you should give more credit to Indians. They didn’t want to shop online but e-commerce is such a major business now,” he commented on the future of the SVOD model.
In the six months of Zee5, the earlier users of OZEE and Ditto TV have been integrated successfully and the platform has already rolled out a global launch. The plan is to market to different geographies on user-based segments, language-based segments and tastes and preferences. Rather than going with a very generalised marketing strategy, the platform is opting for user-based marketing strategy.
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.
