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Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. NEW DELHI : Audiences are lapping up weekly ticket offers priced as low as ₹99, at least for films with strong word-of-mouth, providing a stamp of approval for the idea that reasonable pricing can lure large segments back to cinemas. Multiplex chains and independent theatres that introduced weekly offers such as “Blockbuster Tuesdays" in 2025 recorded higher-than-usual footfalls, especially for mid-budget, non-star titles.

OTT content piracy results in losses of ₹8,000– ₹11,000 crore annually, indicating that 10–25% of the potential revenue generated by original content creators and funders never reaches the platforms.In the past, OTT originals such as Scam 1992- The Harshad Mehta Story, The Legend of Hanuman and Ek Badnaam Aashram, among others, have fallen prey to piracy.“Piracy is honestly the single biggest plague hurting the entire content ecosystem—from production houses to OTT platforms to theatrical businesses,” said Ujjwal Mahajan, co-founder of Chaupal, a platform specializing in Punjabi, Haryanvi and Bhojpuri content.When a piece of content leaks, the entire commercial cycle collapses—subscriptions drop, advertising value decreases, and the ripple effect extends across the supply chain, Mahajan added. “It is responsible for multi-billion-dollar losses globally, and in India, it also means hundreds of millions of dollars of lost tax revenue for the government.

₹4,500 crore in 2025, a startling subculture of ‘digital beggars’ has emerged. These are not street performers or skilled influencers but ordinary individuals who go live on YouTube, Instagram, or Facebook for hours, sitting in drab rooms with a QR code plastered on screen, waiting for UPI notifications like "Received ₹10 on Paytm".No dances, no skits, no aesthetic backdrops—just raw pleas for micro-donations from thousands of viewers.

Dear reader, as 2025, a year of global tumult and volatility, rolls by, Mint's reporters and columnists look around the corner on what is coming in 2026—to help you know what to expect and prepare for it. Tell us what you think at [email protected] rise of the micro-drama is the definitive trend for India’s streaming industry in 2025, as tight budgets and slowing subscription growth mean over-the-top (OTT) players remain selective about content and still rely on big-budget films.

Veteran filmmakers who had been missing from active moviemaking will attempt a comeback this year to meet the need for commercial, mass-market storytelling in the smaller towns and markets. Priyadarshan, Rajkumar Santoshi and David Dhawan, primarily known for hits in the 1990s and early 2000s, are among those with new films slated for release in 2026.The urban market has reached saturation point as viewers in the metros have entertainment options including OTT and multiplexes.

Dear reader, as 2025, a year of global tumult and volatility, rolls by, Mint's reporters and columnists look around the corner on what is coming in 2026—to help you know what to expect and prepare for it. Tell us what you think at [email protected] hits and mid-budget flicks alike lit up Indian cinemas in 2025, proving that viewers flock to theatres regardless of scale or star value, and raising hopes of an encore in the coming year.While trade experts expect 2025 to close with collections of ₹13,000-13,500 crore across languages, about 10-14% higher than the previous year, the failure of films such as War 2 and Sikandar featuring big stars, and franchise films like Thamma, signals that big names alone aren't enough.That said, surprise hits such as Chhaava, Saiyaara and Tere Ishk Mein, along with the breakout numbers of industries like Gujarati, Marathi and Malayalam, underscore the growing space for all kinds of content in theatres, unlike the perception built immediately after the pandemic when only larger-than-life titles were finding draw in cinemas.Devang Sampat, managing director of Cinepolis India, identified three highlights of the year.

For India’s affluent, convenience never sat in apps or bookings but in the privilege of things done for them—access to anything, anywhere with no friction or complexity and satisfaction guaranteed. That was traditionally delivered by humans: house managers, executive assistants, and trusted fixers who served the everyday world to the wealthy.Now, a new set of startups is attempting to sculpt that quiet operating system into a product.Over the past year, personal concierge services have drawn renewed attention from founders and large consumer platforms alike.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Dear reader, as 2025, a year of global tumult and volatility, rolls by, Mint's reporters and columnists look around the corner on what is coming in 2026—to help you know what to expect and prepare for it. Tell us what you think at [email protected].

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. India, the world’s tea-drinking heartland and home to sprawling tea estates, is witnessing a shift in consumer tastes as its youngest consumers embrace Southeast Asian variants like boba and matcha. Boba tea, which originated in Taiwan, is a cold, milk-based beverage featuring tapioca pearls, while matcha is finely ground green tea powder, most commonly consumed as an iced latte.

My father’s father, my Dada, was born in Sarangarh and lived out his life there. Sarangarh was one of the least consequential of over 550 ‘princely states’ when the British left in 1947, and yet it was one of those that wanted to be independent. To negotiate with Sardar Patel the terms of equal coexistence with India, a three-member delegation was sent by the King of Sarangarh to Delhi that year.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. India’s advertising market has undergone a decisive shift over the past year, with digital platforms emerging as the dominant growth engine while television advertising is losing momentum. Latest data from TAM AdEx shows a 149% surge in digital ad impressions from January to September 2025 compared to the same period last year.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. For big-budget Hindi films, the real payoff increasingly hinges on whether a first hit can sustain a second.

Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi and Anupamaa have defined households and behaviour patterns in India,” Mani says, adding that while IPL is a big story to be talked about, the company’s bread and butter is general entertainment.Other than reality programming dominated by the likes of Bigg Boss and web originals such as Criminal Justice and Special Ops 2.0, he points to the firm’s large library of Hollywood content, including slates from Peacock and HBO.“Cricket has been a very important propeller to build big viewership, but we are a 400 million monthly active user platform clocking a billion hours of watch time. That doesn’t happen just because of cricket,” he insists. One of the things with the Indian audience, Mani points out, is that you cannot have a one-size-fits-all approach.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Podcast ads may be better heard than seen, a new study suggests, even as the popularity of video podcasting skyrockets. Host-read podcast ads on YouTube are up to 25% less effective at driving purchases than in audio-only environments, according to research on more than 1,000 campaigns that was conducted by the marketing agency Oxford Road and the audio measurement firm Podscribe.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. In 2015, the Serendipity Arts Festival was envisaged as a project that would bring the arts out of rigid compartments. According to Smriti Rajgarhia, director, Serendipity Arts Foundation and Festival, the decision to create these conversations between art forms wasn’t arbitrary but about restoring something fundamental.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. A career as an influencer may be an instinctive choice for younger Indians born in the digital age. But even older professionals in their 40s, 50s and 60s are taking it as a serious pursuit.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Earlier this week, Netflix Inc. made headlines with its $82.7 billion acquisition of Warner Bros.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. When he was around 10 years of age, Thoudam Victor would play football for hours with his friends in Imphal. A break between games meant running to the river, which flowed next to the playground, with his friends, drinking the sweet water and splashing some of it on his face.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. NEW DELHI , MUMBAI : Indian comic heroes like Chacha Chaudhary, Nagraj, Super Commando Dhruv, Doga, Suppandi and Shikari Shambu are levelling up to face anime legends such as Naruto, Tanjiro, Goku, Saitama, Light Yagami, and Luffy. Millennials’ childhood favourite characters from Diamond Comics, Raj Comics, Amar Chitra Katha, and Tinkle, among others, may soon be seen taking selfies, using artificial intelligence (AI), and discussing mental health to connect with Gen Z and Gen Alpha, who have gravitated towards Japanese anime and manga.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. It is not difficult to spot the change. Bookshops now dedicate entire sections to financial guides.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Several dubbed south Indian films have struck a popular chord with Hindi-speaking audiences and found box-office success in the past. Yet, makers of recent mid-budget Tamil, Telugu, or Malayalam movies such as The Girlfriend and Kaantha have refrained from aggressive distribution and marketing push in north India.