Latest news with #FlickTV
Mint
23-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Mint
Micro-drama startups are vying with Reels and Shorts for screen time
Manisha, a 37-year-old domestic worker, boards a local train every morning from Sion to Dadar in Mumbai—her short 10-minute ride serving as a sanctuary removed from the humdrum and chaos of the day. Like many urban Indians, her wait time is also her watch time. On her smartphone screen, between jostling elbows and station stops, she watches short-form videos—sometimes a quick reel, sometimes a bite-sized soap opera on YouTube. While Reels and Shorts dominate screen time during commutes and idle moments, the human pull towards compelling stories remains strong. 'These few minutes are mine, I don't have time for full shows," said Manisha. This behaviour—short bursts of downtime spent snacking content—is precisely what a new wave of Indian startups is trying to tap into. Micro-dramas, 2 to 3-minute serialized episodes packed with plot twists and emotional payoffs, are vying for eyeballs that would otherwise be doomscrolling through Instagram Reels or YouTube Shorts. 'We want to borrow time from Instagram Reels or YouTube Shorts," says Kushal Singhal, founder of Flick TV, which recently raised $2.3 million in a funding round led by Stellaris Venture Partners. 'Storytelling was missing in snackable time. Everyone was consuming reels and shorts, but they weren't remembering them." A Flick TV series packs 50–60 micro-episodes, each 2–3-minute long—designed to fit into commute windows, tea breaks, or lunch lulls. Inspired by China's 3-7-21 content formula—scene changes every 3 seconds, hook every 7, and emotion shifts every 21—these bite-sized sagas aim to turn passive scrolling into active engagement. Also read | Instagram's 'Blend' lets friends share Reels; influencers see audience surge While 70% of India's video consumption now happens on mobile, attention spans have plunged. 'We're adapting storytelling to fit the new attention window," says Singhal. 'The audience hasn't disappeared—they've just changed formats." Unlike traditional user-generated content (UGC), these platforms focus on Professionally Generated Content (PGC) across genres like love, crime, heartbreak, and fantasy. The audience is largely commuters, shopkeepers, and housewives—people with 'wait time," not 'spare time." Another entrant, Bullet, co-founded by Azim Lalani and backed by Zee Entertainment, is going even deeper beyond metros to tier-2 and tier-3 towns. Bullet is preparing to launch in seven regional languages across India. 'This is the same audience that used to watch 30-minute soap operas—now they want that in two minutes," says Lalani. Each Bullet story spans 60–100 minutes, with serialised episodes running between 60 and 120 seconds. Moreover, Lalani emphasised their focus on culturally-resonant content. 'We don't want to show a lot of things which are not acceptable as Indian culture," he said. Read this | Shorts and reels make Netflix to Amazon Prime sweat Gamified mechanics let users unlock episodes via daily check-ins, referrals, and earned tokens. 'It's not just content—it's entertainment layered with game design, affordability, and personalization," Lalani explains. Monetisation remains a challenge Despite the promise that short videos hold, monetization remains the single biggest challenge for micro-drama platforms. 'Advertising is constrained by India's low cost per mille (CPMs), and subscriptions rarely work for short-form content. Micro-payments may hold promise—but they remain unproven at scale," says Ashish Pherwani, partner, media and entertainment at EY India. Advertising revenues alone may not be enough to sustain high-quality micro-drama production, he added. Bullet and Flick TV both plan to experiment with micro-payment models—users can unlock episodes individually or opt into flexible subscription packs. Brand integrations and narrative-based product placements are also being explored as alternative revenue streams. 'There's a belief that good content is platform-agnostic," says Pherwani. 'But short-form alone doesn't guarantee stickiness. You need compelling stories, not just format." Also read | Long-format content consumption growing on YouTube in India as connected TV penetration deepens Newer entrants are building with a tech-first and data-backed approach. 'The real moat is on the supply side: content velocity and hit rate," says Mayank Jain, principal at Stellaris Venture Partners, adding that this category won't be built on branded talent or stars—it'll be built on compelling storylines and high-volume original content. Bullet is already building a Customer Data Platform (CDP) from day one to track viewer behaviour, content preferences, and monetisation trends. 'Once you have this data, it will lead to better personalization and pricing strategies," says Lalani. Format is the wrapper, story is the core According to Tracxn data and Mint research, short-form video platforms in India are surging in 2025. Reel Saga, founded in 2024, has more than 50,000 downloads and raised $2.1M from Picus Capital. Flick TV crossed 50,00,000 downloads, while Reelies has downloads in excess of 500,000, more than 3,000 monthly content hours from 450,000 users, and viral hits like Contract Marriage with 3.5 million views. Kuku TV, launched by Kuku FM in 2025, crossed 5 million beta downloads, offering 2-min vertical dramas powered by its 45,00,000 million paying audio user base. However, industry veterans caution against chasing format fads. 'Micro-dramas are not new—we're just calling them something else," says Pherwani. 'What matters is the story. A strong IP should be adaptable to any format—film, audio, series, or short," he added. And read | Content studios turn to YouTube to launch new originals despite surge in premium streaming platforms But even as platforms fight for seconds of screen time, the goal remains simple: deliver emotional payoff in the least amount of time possible. As Lalani puts it, 'It's not spare time—it's wait time. And that's now becoming entertainment time."
Time of India
17-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Streaming now: Startups, VCs chase India's micro drama content play
Short, binge-worthy dramas of just one-two minutes long, ending on a cliffhanger to keep viewers hooked is the new game in town for India's prolific entertainment industry. Venture capital firms are already lining up with several recent investments made in local content platforms that aim to replicate the success of Chinese players like iQIYI, ReelShort, DramaBox, and Kuaishou. What started as an experiment, inspired by the success of micro-dramas in China, is fast gaining momentum with internet companies also entering the fray. In addition to startups such as Flick TV, Eloelo, Kuku FM, Chai Shots, and ReelSaga digital majors including Amazon, ShareChat and Zee Entertainment Enterprises are tapping into India's growing appetite for micro-dramas. ETtech 'In the last two to three months, around 1.5 crore users have consumed drama shorts on Moj and Quick TV, with over 10 crore micro-drama episodes watched daily,' Manohar Charan, cofounder, and chief financial officer of ShareChat said. Live Events 'The end game is to have the largest user base, it remains to see who can reach the highest number of users and highest amount of engagement,' he added. In contrast to user-generated content on platforms like Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts, micro-dramas are professionally produced with higher production quality, targeting mobile-first audiences looking for serialised, emotionally engaging storytelling. Discover the stories of your interest Blockchain 5 Stories Cyber-safety 7 Stories Fintech 9 Stories E-comm 9 Stories ML 8 Stories Edtech 6 Stories Bengaluru-based Flick TV raised $2.3 million in seed funding from Stellaris Venture Partners earlier this month. In May, mobile entertainment startup ReelSaga raised $2.1 million in a round led by Picus Capital, while Hyderabad-based Chai Shots is reportedly in advanced talks to raise fresh capital of $5 million. 'Over the years, the usage and adoption of short video platforms like YouTube Shorts and Instagram Reels has shot through the roof,' said Mayank Jain, principal at Stellaris Venture Partners. 'However, these are often disconnected clips that lack emotional engagement, something traditional TV and OTT web series have long provided through coherent, engaging storylines,' Jain said. 'Micro-dramas promise the best of both worlds of short videos that cater to shrinking attention spans, but with emotionally engaging content and structured narratives,' he added. Amazon MX Player already features MX Fatafat, a collection of mini web series with episodes of about two minutes each. Earlier this month, Zee Entertainment entered into a strategic equity partnership with Bullet, a content and tech startup cofounded by Azim Lalani and Saurabh Kushwah. Bullet has developed a micro-drama app aimed at younger audiences to be launched within the Zee5 ecosystem. Elsewhere, live social entertainment platform Eloelo is prepping for the launch of a new micro-drama app called Story TV next week, sources said. While storytelling platform Kuku FM launched its video streaming service Kuku TV, earlier in the year. While Sharechat is looking to ride this wave with its newly launched Quick TV, dedicated to paywalled short dramas and films as well as through its short video app Moj. Monetisation hurdle Industry executives say the key challenge now is to make this format a paying proposition. A tough ask for media startups in a market like India, where average revenue per user still remains low. Firms like Flick TV have adopted the pay-per-episode model using micropayments, with plans to eventually offer monthly and quarterly subscription options. 'It is a mix of subscriptions and micropayments. Initially, users pay per episode through micropayments, as Indian consumers are quite comfortable with that model now. Over time, as users develop trust in the platform and explore more content, we offer them the option to switch to monthly or quarterly subscriptions,' said Kushal Singhal, cofounder of Flick TV. ShareChat is looking to leverage both subscriptions and ad-supported revenue streams for its micro-drama offerings. According to Charan the micro-drama segment could contribute a 'mid to high teens' percentage of ShareChat's within the next 12–18 the fiscal year ended March 2024, Mohalla Tech, the parent company ShareChat and Moj reported an operating revenue of Rs 718 crore. AI's growing role Companies like ShareChat, Flick TV, Eloelo and others are also increasingly using generative AI across various stages of content creation, including scripting, editing, storyboarding, voiceovers, dubbing, and transcription. According to Charan, the cost of producing content has dropped by nearly 75% over the past couple of years, thanks to generative AI. Even as user and investor interest grow, questions remain around long-term engagement, content fatigue, and the viability of monetisation in a market like India. For now, micro-dramas are a promising experiment. But whether they can scale into a sustainable business model is still playing out. Digital storytelling platform Pratilipi, which had initially planned to enter the vertical drama space, has decided to hold off until the market matures and the current hype settles before launching a standalone app. 'We think it's better to let the hype settle until the market has consolidated a bit, and then get into the act,' said Ranjeet Pratap Singh, cofounder, and CEO of Pratilipi.
Time of India
17-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Stage set for micro-dramas; WhatsApp's monetisation bid
Stage set for micro-dramas; WhatsApp's monetisation bid Also in the letter: India's big bet on micro drama: Startups, investors eye a new content race Notable actors: Investor interest: Flick TV raised $2.3 million in seed funding in June. ReelSaga secured $2.1 million in May. Chai Shots is looking to raise $5 million in fresh capital. ZEE signed a strategic equity partnership with content startup, Bullet. Monetisation hurdles: Zooming out: Earlier this year, The Economist noted that the value of China's micro-drama market had jumped 10x between 2021 and 2023. Its current estimated worth of $5.3 billion is projected to reach $14 billion by 2027. Cumulatively, Chinese micro-drama apps have garnered nearly 55 million downloads and $170 million in revenue overseas, according to iiMedia Research, as reported by The Economist. WhatsApp ads will not impact privacy: Will Cathcart Driving the news: No risks to privacy: But how? Sponsor ETtech Top 5 & Morning Dispatch! Why it matters: The opportunity: Reach a highly engaged audience of decision-makers. Boost your brand's visibility among the tech-savvy community. Custom sponsorship options to align with your brand's goals. What's next: How the ban on Karnataka's bike taxis affects gig workers, commuters: ETtech explains What happened to the apps? Who's hit? Companies continue to lobby: Also Read: ET Explainer: Behind crackdown on unauthorised use of government databases for user onboarding Scrambling to comply: What's on offer: Also Read: The need: Problem? Other Top Stories By Our Reporters Meesho secures NCLT approval for reverse flip to India: Meta appoints Arun Srinivas as its India head: ShareChat CBO Gaurav Jain steps down amid leadership shakeups: Global Picks We Are Reading Investors are flocking to micro-drama startups as the next big thing in India's content and entertainment industry. This and more in today's ETtech Morning Dispatch.■ K'taka bike taxi ban■ ID verification crackdown■ Meta's new India head Investors are getting hooked on short, binge-worthy micro dramas as the next big wave in India's entertainment space. Unlike user-generated content on Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts, micro-dramas are professionally produced, with higher production quality and serialised storytelling designed for mobile-first startups such as Flick TV, Eloelo, Kuku FM, Chai Shots, and ReelSaga, larger digital platforms like Amazon, ShareChat, and Zee Entertainment Enterprises (ZEE) are also stepping into the micro-drama market to meet growing capital firms are actively backing local content platforms, hoping to replicate the playbook of their Chinese big challenge now is figuring out how to monetise the format. In a price-sensitive market like India, where the average revenue per user (ARPU) remains low, this is no small platforms are testing a pay-per-episode model with micropayments, while others plan to introduce monthly and quarterly subscription tiers. A few are also exploring hybrid strategies that combine subscriptions with ad-supported have had a breakout moment in China over the past few monetisation efforts will not contravene user privacy, Will Cathcart, head of WhatsApp at Meta, told us in an exclusive interview . Monetisation efforts by the platform have created value for both users and businesses, without compromising the app's core promise of privacy, security, and an ad-free chat experience, he Monday, WhatsApp introduced ads in Status updates and launched subscriptions on Channels. The company clarified that these ads will not appear in private chats or calls.'Nothing has changed about the privacy of people's messages, their calls, their statuses,' Cathcart emphasised, adding that these features remain end-to-end to Cathcart, one of the key challenges is that encryption limits the amount of data available for ad targeting. This, he added, was a deliberate trade-off to preserve user privacy. However, the platform will do its 'best to make the ads relevant', he ads in the Updates tab will reflect how users interact with the space, based on factors such as their country, city, language, and Channel activity, among other things, Cathcart the edited interview here ETtech Top 5 and Morning Dispatch are must-reads for India's tech and business leaders, including startup founders, investors, policy makers, industry insiders and Reach out to us at spotlightpartner@ to explore sponsorship Monday morning, many Bengaluru commuters found themselves in a fix. With the Karnataka government's bike taxi ban taking effect , they were left scrambling for alternative transport. But beyond the inconvenience to riders, the move threatens the livelihoods of thousands of gig workers who relied on the Uber renamed its bike taxi option to 'moto courier' while Rapido called it 'bike parcel'. Ola, meanwhile, removed the feature users speculated that the aggregators were trying to sidestep the regulations, both Uber and Rapido pulled the options from their apps commuters expressed frustration over the ban, especially those who depended on bike taxis for their speed and 50,000 and 60,000 gig workers are likely to be impacted across Karnataka, according to Shaik Salauddin, founder president of the Telangana Gig and Platform Workers separate statements, ride-hailing firms Rapido and Uber stated they are engaging with the state's transport department in search of a resolution. Both expressed hope that the discussions would lead to a positive outcome. Ola has not commented on the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has directed several technology-led startups to cease their offline Aadhaar-based know-your-customer (KYC) services . According to two individuals familiar with the situation, these companies have been accessing Aadhar data through unauthorised the government tightens scrutiny of data platforms, industry players are now pushing for clearly regulated avenues to carry out Aadhaar customer onboarding increasingly shifting online, financial services companies and consumer technology firms need to verify users efficiently. This has opened up space for ID verification startups, which help validate documents and cross-check them against official government rely on these services mainly to prevent fraud in sectors such as digital lending, insurance, payments, and merchant onboarding. Verifying identities on the go makes it easier to onboard users and reduce government is now assessing whether these verification services are being offered through legitimate channels and legal means. Industry sources told us that while most large startups follow the rules, several smaller players have allegedly gained unauthorised access to some sensitive government Aatrey, CEO, MeeshoThe Bengaluru bench of the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) has approved Meesho's proposal to demerge its Indian entities from its US-based parent, marking a significant milestone in the company's plan to relocate its domicile to Platforms has named Arun Srinivas as its new managing director and head for India, the company announced on who heads ShareChat's monetisation efforts across functions, shared plans to leave amid a string of high-profile exits at the vernacular social media platform.■ AI alone cannot solve the productivity puzzle ( FT ■ OpenAI and Microsoft tensions are reaching a boiling point ( WSJ ■ Would you switch browsers for a chatbot? ( The Verge
Time of India
17-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
India's big bet on micro drama: Startups, investors eye a new content race
As micro-dramas reel in larger audiences, VCs are ramping up investments in local OTT startups replicating China's success. Along with startups such as Flick TV, Eloelo, Kuku FM, Chai Shots, and ReelSaga, digital majors including Amazon, ShareChat and Zee Entertainment are also tapping into the growing appetite for micro-dramas. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Short, binge-worthy dramas of just one-two minutes long, ending on a cliffhanger to keep viewers hooked is the new game in town for India's prolific entertainment capital firms are already lining up with several recent investments made in local content platforms that aim to replicate the success of Chinese players like iQIYI, ReelShort, DramaBox, and started as an experiment, inspired by the success of micro-dramas in China, is fast gaining momentum with internet companies also entering the fray. In addition to startups such as Flick TV, Eloelo, Kuku FM, Chai Shots, and ReelSaga digital majors including Amazon, ShareChat and Zee Entertainment Enterprises are tapping into India's growing appetite for micro-dramas.'In the last two to three months, around 1.5 crore users have consumed drama shorts on Moj and Quick TV, with over 10 crore micro-drama episodes watched daily,' Manohar Charan, cofounder, and chief financial officer of ShareChat said.'The end game is to have the largest user base, it remains to see who can reach the highest number of users and highest amount of engagement,' he added. In contrast to user-generated content on platforms like Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts, micro-dramas are professionally produced with higher production quality, targeting mobile-first audiences looking for serialised, emotionally engaging Flick TV raised $2.3 million in seed funding from Stellaris Venture Partners earlier this month. In May, mobile entertainment startup ReelSaga raised $2.1 million in a round led by Picus Capital, while Hyderabad-based Chai Shots is reportedly in advanced talks to raise fresh capital of $5 million.'Over the years, the usage and adoption of short video platforms like YouTube Shorts and Instagram Reels has shot through the roof,' said Mayank Jain, principal at Stellaris Venture Partners.'However, these are often disconnected clips that lack emotional engagement, something traditional TV and OTT web series have long provided through coherent, engaging storylines,' Jain said.'Micro-dramas promise the best of both worlds of short videos that cater to shrinking attention spans, but with emotionally engaging content and structured narratives,' he MX Player already features MX Fatafat, a collection of mini web series with episodes of about two minutes this month, Zee Entertainment entered into a strategic equity partnership with Bullet, a content and tech startup cofounded by Azim Lalani and Saurabh Kushwah. Bullet has developed a micro-drama app aimed at younger audiences to be launched within the Zee5 live social entertainment platform Eloelo is prepping for the launch of a new micro-drama app called Story TV next week, sources storytelling platform Kuku FM launched its video streaming service Kuku TV, earlier in the year. While Sharechat is looking to ride this wave with its newly launched Quick TV, dedicated to paywalled short dramas and films as well as through its short video app executives say the key challenge now is to make this format a paying proposition. A tough ask for media startups in a market like India, where average revenue per user still remains like Flick TV have adopted the pay-per-episode model using micropayments, with plans to eventually offer monthly and quarterly subscription options.'It is a mix of subscriptions and micropayments. Initially, users pay per episode through micropayments, as Indian consumers are quite comfortable with that model now. Over time, as users develop trust in the platform and explore more content, we offer them the option to switch to monthly or quarterly subscriptions,' said Kushal Singhal, cofounder of Flick is looking to leverage both subscriptions and ad-supported revenue streams for its micro-drama offerings. According to Charan the micro-drama segment could contribute a 'mid to high teens' percentage of ShareChat's within the next 12–18 the fiscal year ended March 2024, Mohalla Tech, the parent company ShareChat and Moj reported an operating revenue of Rs 718 like ShareChat, Flick TV, Eloelo and others are also increasingly using generative AI across various stages of content creation, including scripting, editing, storyboarding, voiceovers, dubbing, and to Charan, the cost of producing content has dropped by nearly 75% over the past couple of years, thanks to generative as user and investor interest grow, questions remain around long-term engagement, content fatigue, and the viability of monetisation in a market like India. For now, micro-dramas are a promising experiment. But whether they can scale into a sustainable business model is still playing storytelling platform Pratilipi, which had initially planned to enter the vertical drama space, has decided to hold off until the market matures and the current hype settles before launching a standalone app.'We think it's better to let the hype settle until the market has consolidated a bit, and then get into the act,' said Ranjeet Pratap Singh, cofounder, and CEO of Pratilipi.
Entrepreneur
10-06-2025
- Business
- Entrepreneur
Round-Up: Flick TV and Roomstory.ai Raise Capital to Disrupt Entertainment and Interior Design Sectors
You're reading Entrepreneur India, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media. India's startup ecosystem continues to attract early-stage capital, recently Flick TV and Roomstory (.ai) announced fresh funding rounds to fuel growth in the OTT and interior design markets, respectively. Flick TV Raises USD 2.3 Million Flick TV, a mobile-first OTT platform specialising in vertically shot, under-five-minute drama episodes, has raised USD 2.3 million in a seed round led by Stellaris Venture Partners, with additional backing from Gemba Capital and Titan Capital. Founded by Kushal Singhal and Pratik Anand, the platform aims to redefine how short-form storytelling is consumed in India. With over 100 original titles in the pipeline across genres like romance, thrillers, and slice-of-life, the startup plans to expand into four regional languages and integrate generative AI tools for scripting, storyboarding, and visual planning. Flick TV will adopt a hybrid monetisation model, offering both micropayments per episode and subscription options. The team includes former ShareChat, Meesho, and Pocket FM professionals, bringing strong operational and tech expertise to the venture. "The micro-drama format taps into snackable time with compelling storytelling. We believe this could be a USD 5 billion market in India within the next five years," said Singhal. Raises INR 3 Crore In a parallel development, an AI-native interior shopping assistant, has secured INR 3 crore in a pre-seed round led by Rukam Sitara Fund. The capital will be used to advance AI capabilities, launch web and mobile platforms, and grow a community of design enthusiasts. Founded by architect-entrepreneurs Ekatva Jain, Sahil Lunia, and Punit Jain, bridges the gap between inspiration and action. Its platform allows users to browse styled rooms and instantly shop every product via direct retail links creating a seamless, Pinterest-like discovery and commerce experience. "Roomstory doesn't just show you a beautiful room, it hands you the exact tools to recreate it," said CEO Jain. The company aims to tap into India's USD 76 billion home and interior shopping opportunity, a sector growing at 30 per cent CAGR through 2027. Investors believe Roomstory's visual-first commerce approach, powered by AI, is poised to disrupt a space long underserved by technology. "This is a bold, intuitive idea rooted in deep design expertise," said Archana Jahagirdar, Founder and Managing Partner at Rukam Sitara Fund.
