As the media landscape evolves, Balaji Telefilms wants to transition from volume-driven TV to IP-led digital storytelling. The company plans to grow aggressively with long-format YouTube Originals, TV+ series on Prime Video, and vertical micro-dramas. Backed by talent management, community building, and hybrid monetisation, the company aims to grow India’s micro-drama industry from INR 3,000 crore to INR 20,000 crore.

In our June issue, we spoke with Nitin Burman, chief revenue officer, Balaji Telefilms, on its digital push, platform strategy, and bold bets on films, digital content, and owned IP.

"Indian audiences still like habitual viewing of content. They love watching dramas that come either weekly or daily," Burman said.

Burman believes the rise of OTT has not changed the audience's appetite for long-running, recurring stories. He pointed out that platforms today are flooded with content, often leaving viewers unsure about what to watch after the weekend. This, according to him, is driving the emergence of the TV+ format.

"People say attention spans have gone down, but if one's story isn't great, audiences won't even watch one minute of a micro-drama episode," he remarked.

For Balaji, storytelling remains at the centre of its strategy. The company is continuing to build premium television content while simultaneously creating space for experimentation through Balaji Studios and partnerships with independent creators.

"We began with YouTube Originals because Indian audiences are heavily consuming Turkish and Pakistani dramas," Burman noted.

The company has developed 30, 45 and 60-episode formats for YouTube and has already produced four shows, with a fifth currently in production. Burman said these projects are strategically designed to be brand-funded, with at least half the production costs recovered before production starts.

On the OTT front, Balaji is working closely with platforms including Prime Video and Stage, while also producing a premium show for Netflix. It has simultaneously expanded into vertical-format storytelling and now has the capacity to produce between 15 and 20 such shows every month.

"Micro dramas have already taken off. An INR 3,000 crore industry is no longer a trend. It's become a habit," he said.

Burman expects the category to grow six to eight times this year and potentially become an INR 20,000 crore industry. He attributes this to India's mobile-first consumption patterns, affordable data rates and increasing preference for personalised, on-the-go entertainment.

"No form of entertainment truly dies. People say TV is dying, but audiences are simply watching the same TV shows on OTT apps now," Burman observed.

He argued that television, OTT and cinema continue to coexist, with audiences becoming more discerning because of the sheer amount of content available to them.

"Today, because of rising content costs and customer acquisition costs, platforms need multiple revenue streams," he said.

Burman believes the future of OTT lies in hybrid monetisation models that combine subscriptions, advertising and transactional video-on-demand. He pointed to changing consumer behaviour and said platforms are increasingly experimenting with multiple pricing structures and content bundles.

"Consolidation will definitely happen," Burman stated.

According to Burman, the OTT and vertical-content spaces will eventually witness mergers and acquisitions as companies require significant capital to keep investing in content. He expects mature sectors to eventually narrow down to a few dominant players.

"Community building is extremely important," he emphasised.

This philosophy also shapes Balaji's YouTube strategy, where the company leverages actors with strong social media followings to drive viewership and build audience communities around shows.

"IP ownership will always remain important. But our biggest bets are clearly films and digital," Burman said.

Looking ahead, Burman sees films and digital businesses driving growth for Balaji Telefilms, while television continues to provide stability to the overall ecosystem. He also highlighted the company's diversification into Balaji Astro Guide, its astrology app, which has already acquired around 1.7 million users within five months of launch and is preparing for global expansion.

Read the full interview in the June issue of Manifest, which can be purchased here.