FREEMIUM
India's ChatGPT boom faces a reality check as free AI use meets rising costs
India has emerged as ChatGPT's largest market, driven by its vast digitally connected population and widespread access to free AI services. However, as AI infrastructure expands and computing and energy costs rise, companies face the challenge of recovering investments. Convincing price-sensitive Indian users to pay for AI remains difficult.
Reinventing the pond: How this Bengal start-up is helping fish farmers battle climate and credit crisis
At a time when climate change is impacting world resources, including the aquatic system, Jalpaiguri’s Essential Aquatech is working to empower smallholder fish farmers by turning data into actionable insights and measures.
Two childhood friends turned a college note-taking problem into an AI business that generated more than $13 million by age 21
Turbo AI, founded by Sarthak Dhawan and Rudy Arora, is a groundbreaking note-taking app that rapidly grew its user base. From their roots as college students to thriving entrepreneurs, they showcased effective marketing and innovation. Their strategic use of social media helped them amass 300,000 users and generate $500,000 in revenue soon after launch. Their journey also taught them invaluable lessons from previous endeavors.
Gen Z has jobs, networks and endless online connections, but still feels lonely: This startup wants to change that
A startup focused on helping young professionals build real-world communities has raised $3.5 million as concerns grow over loneliness among younger workers. Clockout, founded by Krishna Dosapati, connects users with nearby professionals, clubs and events, aiming to move networking beyond screens. The company says its platform is designed to help people form social and professional relationships, particularly after moving cities or changing industries.
ET Startup Awards 2026 | Bootstrap Champ: Habuild stretches profits without bending to VC cash
Founded in 2020 by Saurabh and Trishala Bothra and Anshul Agrawal, the platform aimed to make yoga more accessible and has become one of India's largest digital wellness platforms, growing without external funding.
Pocket FM says 1 in 5 monetised creators earn over ₹1 lakh a month: Here’s how they make money
Pocket FM is seeing significant creator success. Over 1% of its creators now earn more than ₹1 lakh monthly. Total creator payouts have surpassed ₹300 crore, with a target of ₹1,000 crore by 2026. This growth is fueled by AI tools and expansion into Indian languages. The platform's freemium model, combining paid unlocks and subscriptions, drives creator income.
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Video on demand category generated $1.04 billion in revenues during H1 2024
The premium video-on-demand market in India saw a significant rise in the first half of 2024, generating $1.04 billion in revenues. Local content, especially live sports and dramas, drove engagement. Jio Cinema, Netflix, and Disney+ Hotstar led the revenue charts, with cricket events like IPL and ICC World Cup boosting viewership.
Karnataka launches four new skilling programmes
The Karnataka government has introduced four new skilling programmes in collaboration with the British Council. These initiatives include the SCOUT programme, English Skills for Youth, Capacity Building Training for International Officers, and a Freemium Digital Library Wall at Bengaluru University. The aim is to enhance educational opportunities, improve employability, and foster international collaboration.
Nazara games subsidiary to acquire Ultimate Teen Patti IP from Games24x7
Nazara Technologies acquires Ultimate Teen Patti IP rights for Rs 10 crore from Games24x7. Nextwave subsidiary to expand casual freemium gaming with the acquisition, expecting deal closure within 90 days.
How Apple’s proposed changes could crumble the freemium model
The company will now allow developers to opt for the ‘new regime’ which lets users within the EU download apps and make purchases outside the Apple app store. It will also permit developers to distribute their apps via alternate stores, thereby also opting out of Apple’s in-app payment system.
Candy Crush Saga hits $20 billion revenue milestone, says maker King
Candu Crush Saga pioneered the "freemium" model, in which the game is free but players can spend money to boost their performance or can watch ads to gain moves.
Buoyed by US traction, Pocket FM eyes more global forays
Pocket FM recorded more than $25 million (about Rs 205 crore) annualised revenue run-rate (ARR) as of October 2022. In November last year, the platform launched in the US. And the company decided to lay more emphasis on figuring out the business model to fuel these ambitions.
Rakesh Jhunjhunwala-backed Nazara Technologies to acquire gaming firm PublishMe
India's Nazara Technologies will invest about Rs 20 crore for acquiring 69.82% stake in Publishme’s parent Arrakis Tanitim Organizasyon Pazarlama, by way of primary and secondary transactions via its subsidiary.
Quicko gets Rainmatter’s Rs 2 crore as seed funding
The startup will utilise the capital to build out its income tax return filing service for the online trading community, with an integration that allows Zerodha customers to upload their P&L data and file their income tax returns.
Viu launches OTT service in South Africa
In South Africa, the app will be available in a ‘freemium’ model offering premium local, regional and original content.
Reliance Jio may find it hard to make users pay for free content
Freemium is an online business model whereby basic services are provided free of charge while more advanced features must be paid for.
India to have 310 million online gamers by 2021: Report
It also projects that the online gaming industry in India will gain momentum and grow at 20 per cent to $1 billion by 2021, from the current $360 million.
Quikr's online recruitment firm Hiree switches to freemium model for quick growth
Hiree is looking at the freemium model as a way to attract more jobs online and therefore drive growth. The company is targetting a growth of 3x in the next 12 months through this model alone.
Shilpa Shetty to launch digital fitness venture
Shetty is looking to create an 'offline-meets-online' model for the channel. Consumers who are able to complete the various fitness challenges on the channel will be offered special offline fitness sessions with the actor.
Startup Onspon helps match brands looking to advertise at events with organisers seeking sponsors
The Mumbai-based startup, founded by Hitesh Gossain, went live in March 2014, and provides partnership opportunities across 7,000-plus avenues.
Leakedsource for the hacked souls
This is a significant rise from the 17-million compromised websites in 2015. Even the likes of Mark Zuckerberg and Sundar Pichai’s social media accounts have been hacked.
Windows 10 goes freemium with paid apps
As Microsoft transitions Windows into a service, it is beginning to charge users for more advanced or non-core features of the OS.
Here's how 'Clash of Clans' app makes $1.5 million a day
The mobile game "Clash of Clans is free to download and free to play, so how does it pull in an unheard of $1.56 million revenue everyday?
How Microsoft could make more money from Windows
This plan is speculative right now. Microsoft's formal position is that “our business model is not changing“.
Startups head to UK for tour of British startup ecosystem
The initiative, known as “'Great Tech Rocketships', hosted five Demo Days across Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, and Pune.
Marketing in cyberspace
If you're generating lots of traffic but few people are paying to upgrade, you may have the opposite problem: Your free offerings are too rich, and it's time to cut back.
Freemium model facing billing challenges in India: Manish Agarwal, Reliance Entertainment Digital
The Indian mobile gaming market is about $120 m and it is largely pushed through value-added services where one has to pay to download.
Free mobile games forcing Indian developers to change technology & pricing formats
Personal entertainment devices are forcing game developers in India to change tacks and shift the focus of their business models away from the PC.
Airtel DTH plans to offer pay-per-view movies free to customers
Bharti Airtel is trying out a new advertisement model to offer pay-per-view movies on its DTH platform free to customers.
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