Small stories, big push: JOJO to launch new micro-drama segment, Eloelo ramps up offerings

micro drama boom in India

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26 Aug, 2025 12:21

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Gujarati streaming platform JOJO, which is backed by Madhuveer Com 18 Network Limited, will soon  be launching a new vertical for micro-dramas.

Micro-dramas or bite-sized content—considered India’s next big binge trend—are driving the rise of new startups while prompting established platforms to enter the vertical content space.

Dhruvin Shah, founder of the JOJO app, is planning to launch the new segment, JO, by October, just about two years after the streaming platform was launched.

"JOJO is 'aap dekhiye' (please watch) in Gujarati while JO means 'dekh' (watch). So there is a bit of a wordplay there," he told Moneycontrol.

"We are really keen on introducing new original micro fiction dramas, We are doing a web series in a vertical format. We are also focusing on advertising in verticals as well. We are launching JOJO 2.0, with an updated tech stack across all devices, and under that app we will be introducing JO. Eventually, JO will be a separate platform," Shah said.

He first wants to tap into JOJO's existing users. "The streaming platform is already a success in the Gujarati community globally and we are not shying away from introducing new segments and bootstrapping it on our own. It has been a long journey of acquiring so many users and bringing all of them on a standalone platform. So we are going to play to the strength of the platform and the community we have been able to build," he explained.

In the launch year, Shah expects JO to contribute about 20-25 percent of revenues.

"There's a huge upside to the micro-drama space and so many creators have stepped in and have done such fantastic work. There are so many creators overseas who are from Australia or America, but they are Gujaratis and they create content in that language. Now, this type of a mix is something that JO should definitely feature."

For content titles, Shah will be taking a lot of micro-dramas from the existing creator library.

Shah also expects micro-dramas to drive user retention on the platform. "We've been able to maintain an average of 45 minutes to an hour of user retention  on the streaming platform. With JO as a part of JOJO's entire app, I think we can climb to a little over 150 minutes," he said.

Another app, Eloelo, a live streaming platform, has expanded into serialised short-form content and it will begin the journey of its micro-drama app called StoryTV with 250 original shows.

"Over the next three to four months, you will see a lot from us that will go live. We are launching a show called Zero to Hero. Then we are launching a show called Bechara Billionaire, where there is this misunderstood guy who's very rich, but people don't know about him. So it's a hidden identity show. We are going to be launching content in six Indian languages including Tamil, Telugu, Bengali and Marathi, but we will be starting with Hindi. These would be our primary focus. So, the core audience is going to be Bharat," said Eloelo's founder Saurabh Pandey.

Micro drama is a large space especially when people who are consuming content during breaks or travel time are considered, said Pandey.

"Live streaming will be relevant when you have time, like you have 10-20 minutes to watch. But these (micro) dramas people can watch when they step out for a chai break for two minutes. We want to own that attention span," he added.

Pandey also noted that India has only a few television sets, but a lot of mobile phones. "People are going to watch digital content in a vertical format and not in a TV format. And streaming platforms have not imagined or reimagined themselves for the mobile-first audience. Watching horizontal content by tilting your phone doesn't feel the same," he added.

Micro dramas which are 50–100 episode arcs with emotional retention are a new beast, said ReelSaga co-founder Shubh Bansal. "There’s growing interest in romance, thrillers, and socially relevant drama."

He added that cost structures of micro dramas are leaner than web series or films with average investments 5–10 times lower than traditional formats which is driving more content production in this segment.

"Long formats often take 6–12 months to produce and market. Micro dramas can go live within a month. From a cost perspective, they offer significantly better ROI (return on investment) per minute of watch time—especially when optimized for repeat bingeing and in-app monetization," Bansal added.

The advantage micro dramas have is that content can be produced faster, reused across formats, and monetized in multiple ways, he said.

Disclaimer: Madhuveer Com 18 Network Limited, involved in business of entertainment, was incorporated in 1995. It is not part of Network 18.