Aditya Pittie wants 250 vertical drama titles by mid-next year. The EPIC Company's managing director made that target public when EPIC Studios and Rusk Media announced a partnership on August 21 to produce 50 original series for Alright! TV. The slate spans mythology, mystery, thriller, and romance. Pittie called the format's global and domestic growth "massive," and the deal turns Indian microdrama into an IP production bet.
Funding tracks the ambition. Flick TV, India's first vertical-storytelling OTT app, raised $2.3 million in seed funding led by Stellaris Venture Partners. Kushal Singhal, Pratik Anand, and Sanidhya Mittal founded the company in early 2025. The app focuses on dramas under five minutes, shot for mobile.
A ShareChat and Moj report with Kantar shows 80% of Indian audiences prefer the microdrama format, with 86% spending more than 15 minutes daily. Shows like Mere 3 Shehzaade crossed 250 million views; Ghar Wapsi neared 192 million. Brand recall hit 84% and purchase intent 82% in ad tests.
China tightens rules. The NRTA's new administrative measures take effect September 1. They define micro-dramas as episodes under 20 minutes and set three tiers, with strictest scrutiny for politics, military, and national security subjects.
Hollywood has moved in too. Reuters reports the U.S. microdrama market will generate $1.5 billion this year and $2 billion next year. Monthly audience more than doubled to 66 million users. Craig Williams rebranded his facility as Vertical World Studios, and production slots fill with standing sets from major studios. James Franco headlines Love, Lies & Frank on Shortical, produced under SAG-AFTRA's Verticals Agreement with Eric Guilmette and Neela Jolene. No AI performances.
Find these vertical apps on the App Store and Google Play.