MUMBAI: The FICCI EY report noted that India’s micro-drama market was valued at INR6.5 billion in 2025. It is expected to grow at over 50% annually through 2028, driven by adoption in Tier-II and Tier-III cities, low-cost AI-enabled production and frictionless payments enabled by UPI AutoPay.
Despite being nascent, micro-dramas have scaled quickly as a structured alternative to doom-scrolling, driven by culturally resonant, cliffhanger-led storytelling India held an 11% share of global microdrama app downloads in Q1 2025, reaching 35 million downloads and marking a 113% quarter-on-quarter increase.
India’s micro-drama consumption had its own nuances: Over 70% of audience was male, contrasting with global trends where women are the primary consumers2 60% to 75% of users originated from Tier-II and III cities 3 50% of audiences preferred content in their native languages.
80% of the audience was between 18 and 34 years of age. Daily watch times for micro-drama fans ranged between 40 minutes and 90 minutes, with completion rates exceeding 90%.
Content and genre evolution mirrored early television cycles: Early micro-drama success has been driven by mass-appeal genres, with signs of gradual maturation Dominant genres included aspirational content, drama, fantasy, crime, fiction and mythology Tier-I audiences had distinct preferences, requiring nuanced storytelling and more diverse themes Tier-II audiences showed an affinity for aspirational themes such as affluent lifestyles, unexpected windfalls, concealed identities and rapid success arcs.
India’s UPI AutoPay advantage helped drive subscription revenues: In India, monetization skewed towards microtransactions and byte-sized subscriptions, rather than TVOD-led monetization seen in other markets UPI AutoPay drove micro-drama monetization, with 70% to 80% of subscribers authorising mandates, and up to 60% likely to drop without it.
Monetisation through advertising remained under 15%, but is expected to scale as platforms broaden their reach
Sustained content production remains a priority: Industry discussions indicate that as many as 500 micro-drama episodes were produced monthly in India, primarily in cities such as Mumbai and Bengaluru, and that 40 to 45 domestic and international micro-drama apps were listed on the Indian Play Store.
The report estimates that around 800 hours of original micro-drama content was produced in 2025 Micro-dramas were produced at a fraction of longform video costs, with average production costs ranging from Rs. 8,000 to INR9,000 per minute11 Until September 2025, institutional funding of $48 million was raised by platforms: Recent deals include FlickTV, Chai Bisket and ReelSaga. Recently funded platforms allocated 40% to 45% of funding to content.
AI-enabled efficiency at scale: AI adoption was focussed on efficiency rather than full automation. AI was used primarily in scripting, dubbing, postproduction and localisation AI-led micro-drama production reduced costs by 20% to 25%, although image consistency remained a key challenge. Most platforms followed a hybrid in-house and outsourced AI model.
The segment is positioned to reach Rs. 23.2 billion by 2028: Incumbents such as Kuku FM, ShareChat, MX Player, and Balaji Telefilms launched dedicated micro-drama offerings. Broadcasters such as Zee Entertainment, JioStar and Sony have also shown interest in the space Revenue models are expected to diversify beyond subscriptions and sachet packs, incorporating ad networks, branded content and e-commerce.
Branded content is expected to fit well, as platforms can deliver story integrations within 21 to 25 days, aligning with two- to three-month cycles Tier-II and Tier-III markets will continue to drive volumes, while Tier-I will drive paid consumption Growth will be driven by global expansion, cultural localization, scalable technology and IP ownership.
