Applause Entertainment, Story TV partner to tap India’s microdrama boom

Mumbai: Applause Entertainment, a content and IP creation company backed by the Aditya Birla Group, has entered into an exclusive partnership with Story TV to develop a slate of premium microdramas, as both companies look to capitalise on the rapid rise of short-form, mobile-first content consumption in India.

Under the agreement, the two companies will co-produce and distribute a range of microdramas across genres. As part of the collaboration, Story TV will also acquire rights to the romantic-thriller series Hello Mini and adapt it into a vertical microdrama format tailored for smartphone viewing.



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Applause Entertainment, known for titles such as Scam 1992: The Harshad Mehta Story, Criminal Justice, Black Warrant and The Hunt, has largely focused on long-form premium series so far. The partnership marks a strategic expansion into microdramas, a category that has seen increasing traction globally and in India.

Story TV, which launched in July 2025, claims to have built a library of over 1,000 titles spanning romance, thriller, action and family drama across Hindi, Tamil and Telugu. The company said it is currently the second most downloaded app worldwide in the entertainment category, according to Sensor Tower.

Saurabh Pandey, founder and CEO of Story TV, said the partnership will help accelerate the mainstream adoption of microdramas in India.

“As an early entrant into microdramas in India we are at the forefront of blending storytelling and technology to expand this emerging format into mainstream territory. Phones are the primary content consumption devices and Story TV is building for this new age TV. Changing attention spans, our massive user base and with our tech led innovation pedigree we are continuously pushing the barriers of microdramas,” he said.

“Our partnership with Applause Entertainment will further expand the audience of microdramas with a focus on premium storytelling that is yet to be seen in the India microdrama and entertainment industry.”

Microdramas, typically characterised by short-duration episodes optimised for vertical viewing, are emerging as a new frontier for digital entertainment platforms looking to engage younger audiences with limited attention spans.

Prasoon Garg, chief business officer at Applause Entertainment, said the company sees the format as an evolving opportunity.


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“At Applause, our focus has always been on building strong stories across formats. As newer storytelling formats like microdramas gain momentum, we see value in engaging with them through meaningful collaborations. Our unique partnership with Story TV enables us to explore this emerging space alongside a platform that has demonstrated strong understanding of the format and its audiences, while we continue to assess its creative and viewer potential,” he said.