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Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. On a video platform, every click may seem like a view. But not every view means that the content was really ‘watched’.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. From India’s economic activity estimated to remain strong in 2025-26, to India's oil companies expected to benefit from the US invasion of Venezuela, services activity losing momentum in December, Niti Aayog expressing worry over India’s high trade deficit with several countries despite trade deals, and rising prices of copper—here’s this week’s news in numbers.Growth dynamicsThe government pegged GDP growth at 7.4% in 2025-26 despite the ongoing uncertainty related to high US tariffs. The first advance estimate released on Wednesday put GDP growth marginally higher than the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI’s) projection of 7.3%.

₹50,000 business, shoot a YouTube video—to capture low-intent, high-frequency users early in the funnel.Priced as low as ₹1 and consumed in minutes a day, this content is designed less to teach deeply and more to build daily engagement, turning everyday questions into habit—and habit into revenue.The shift marks a clear break from outcome-led edtech, which relies on full-time teachers and structured curricula. Micro-learning platforms instead monetise curiosity, leaning on subject-matter experts and creator-led content at a time when the sector is under pressure to show early revenue traction.Platforms like Seekho cracked this early and now clock close to $4-4.5 million monthly revenue, according to media reports.

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.

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.

₹200– ₹350 per month delivers over 100 channels across multiple languages, making it the most economical and reliable shared-screen option. OTT, by contrast, requires multiple paid subscriptions and dependable broadband connectivity, both of which increase household costs.This, he added, explains why OTT growth remains urban-skewed and individual-first, while television continues to be family-first.The living-room television continues to function as a cultural anchor for Indian households, agreed Anil Suryavamshi, vice-president – digital (south & west) at media agency Carat India.“OTT fulfils the need for personalised, mobile-first viewing, but communal content still lives on TV,” Suryavamshi said.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Disney’s public image has taken a beating this year. It got dragged into the woke wars with its “Snow White" remake and angered both conservatives and liberals when the company briefly benched Jimmy Kimmel.

Mark Shapiro, president of WME Group and TKO Group, parent of Ultimate Fighting Championship and World Wrestling Entertainment. He “is completely comfortable with change and evolution.”“Half the town wants to do business with him, and the other half wants an invite just to hang,” Shapiro said.Those invitations are often to Sarandos’s Southern California homes, which include a residence in the Hancock Park neighborhood of Los Angeles and a mansion in Montecito, near Santa Barbara, that he purchased from Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi for $34 million.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. A drastic slowdown in the streaming business has delivered a major blow to Hackman Capital Partners, the largest independent owner and operator of soundstages. Now, whatever the outcome of Netflix’s and Paramount’s battle for Warner Bros.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Music label and entertainment company Saregama India Ltd will invest in filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali-promoted Bhansali Productions Pvt. Ltd as part of a strategic partnership to enhance their output of content, the two companies said in a statement.

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. Paramount Chief Executive David Ellison knew his latest bid for Warner Bros. Discovery was in trouble when the company’s CEO David Zaslav started ghosting him.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. THE CREDITS were ready to roll. Netflix, the world’s biggest streaming company, had announced on December 5th that it was to acquire most of Warner Bros Discovery, one of the biggest names in old-fashioned moviemaking, in a deal valued at $83bn.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Paramount on Monday made a $77.9 billion hostile takeover bid for Warner Bros. Discovery, escalating its fight for the entertainment company against Netflix by bringing its case directly to Warner shareholders.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Advertising on video-streaming services in India is increasingly resulting in viewer fatigue as these platforms try to supplement plateauing paid subscription revenue with ad money. Users are bombarded with the same long and unskippable ads, often with glitches, that make the viewing experience tedious and disrupt the flow of the show.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Paramount Chief Executive David Ellison knew his latest bid for Warner Bros. Discovery was in trouble when the company’s CEO David Zaslav started ghosting him.

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.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Netflix has made some hard turns before. But its latest is already causing whiplash.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. A $40 late fee on a Blockbuster Video rental led to the creation of the company that has swallowed Hollywood. Software entrepreneur and movie buff Reed Hastings was hit with sticker shock one day in the 1990s, when he returned an overdue film.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Christmas stockings may contain more surprises than usual this year, as children open presents that can talk back. Toymakers in China have declared 2025 the year of artificial intelligence (AI) and are producing robots and teddies that can teach, play and tell stories.