POCKET FM
From streaming to software, microdrama startups rewrite their growth pitch
Peak XV Partners-backed Dashverse has discontinued its consumer platform DashReels and is looking to raise $30-40 million, largely for Frameo AI, its video production software for businesses. Eloelo, which raised $80 million this week led by Hornbill Capital and NBCUniversal, is investing in Dolphin AI, its new production suite, alongside content creation and international expansion.
Story TV parent Eloelo raises $80 million from Hornbill, NBCUniversal
The funding follows a surge in Story TV’s business, which has helped lift annualised collections more than tenfold to around $250 million over the past year, according to people familiar with the company. Eloelo said Story TV offers over 5,000 dramas in six languages, while its apps have more than 40 million monthly active users.
ShareChat’s FY26 revenue jumps 40% to Rs 1,016 crore on microdrama push; net loss widens
However, its loss before tax widened to Rs 1,978 crore in FY26 from Rs 1,105 crore in the previous year, largely due to higher accounting expenses related to its convertible debt instruments, forex losses and employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs), cofounder and CFO Manohar Singh Charan told ET.
How Pocket FM is using AI to take Indian stories global
Pocket FM is using AI to help writers bring their stories to life and reach listeners across the world. With Sherpa, its AI-powered writing partner, the company is making it easier to manage long storylines and develop characters while keeping the creative decisions in the hands of writers.
Unacademy founders plan AI fund; Flipkart’s premium push
Happy Monday! Unacademy’s founders are raising a fund focused on AI and deeptech. This and more in today’s ETtech Morning Dispatch.
Eloelo in talks to raise $50-60 million at $400 million valuation
The potential funding follows a sharp expansion of Eloelo's micro-drama business, Story TV, which has helped lift annualised collections more than tenfold to around $250 million over the past year. The Bengaluru-based company has used aggressive performance marketing to scale up Story TV, which offers short, vertically filmed fiction across genres such as romance and thrillers, the people said.
ElevenLabs deepens India push, targets all 22 Indian languages on its voice AI platform: cofounder Mati Staniszewski
The company currently supports 14 Indian languages on its latest text-to-speech (TTS) model, Eleven V4, which was launched last week, Mati Staniszewski, cofounder and CEO of ElevenLabs, said at the company’s Bengaluru Summit on October 6.
Pocket Entertainment’s Rohan Nayak says its AI tool helped writers create IP worth $100 million
Nayak described Sherpa as a long-form, serialised fiction writing harness. It combines a planner that maps arcs and scenes, a structured memory that tracks what each character knows, and a prose engine that drafts scenes while critic models check for continuity and quality.
Human touch in AI era & 'original' Indian piece in reels & movie puzzle
Tourism and Culture Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat sees a human comeback in an AI-heavy content world, predicting audiences will gravitate towards more authentic, less AI-driven storytelling. He also wants India to move from being a massive content consumer to a global creator of original IP, using its stories to power tourism and creative economy.
Pocket FM launches AI fiction-writing platform to help creators build long-form stories
Pocket FM has launched Sherpa, an AI-powered fiction platform designed to help writers build and manage long-running stories across hundreds of episodes. The platform uses specialised AI agents and long-term narrative memory to maintain characters, relationships and storylines, as Pocket FM seeks to scale content production and help creators develop intellectual property across formats and markets.
AI could disrupt traditional entertainment studio model as production costs fall
Artificial intelligence is revolutionising the landscape of entertainment production, offering creators remarkable cost savings. Smaller production companies can now bring projects to life while maintaining their intellectual property rights. With generative AI at the forefront, content creation in areas like audio and microdramas is already gaining momentum. This shift is predicted to ripple across film and high-quality scripted series, leading to significant growth in innovation and content output.
Coforge row deepens; MDR on UPI coming soon
Coforge’s boardroom brouhaha has taken a new turn days after chairman Om Prakash Bhatt’s resignation. This and more in today’s ETtech Top 5.
Pocket FM parent crosses $500 million ARR driven by AI content, overseas expansion
The Bengaluru-based company added $250 million in net ARR in the past 12 months and is Ebitda (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortisation) positive, the founder claimed. In April itself it had touched an ARR of $450 million.
Pocket Entertainment crosses $500 million revenue run rate, says AI is reshaping content creation
Pocket Entertainment has achieved a $500 million revenue run rate, showing significant growth. Pocket FM, its audio drama platform, drives this expansion and improved retention. The company utilizes AI extensively for content creation and market launches. Over 550,000 creators contribute to Pocket FM's vast library. This growth enables stories to reach listeners across many countries and languages.
Kuku to hire 1,000 people for AI content unit ahead of IPO
Kuku Technologies is on the verge of launching an expansive artificial intelligence production facility, aimed at bolstering its flourishing microdrama business and paving the way for an initial public offering. This strategic move is crucial as the competition in the microdrama sector heats up with new players entering the market. Analysts anticipate considerable growth in India's microdrama landscape in the foreseeable future.
Flipkart launches microdrama on main app to drive platform engagement
The vertical is placed within Flipkart's main ecommerce app under 'Play' – which has a content-led shopping discovery platform ‘Explore’ and microdrama vertical ‘Drama’. The move is intended to attract users to the platform and boost engagement ahead of the upcoming festive season.
Pocket FM cuts 100 jobs, moves 2,000 contract employees on Quess Corp’s payroll
Audio series platform Pocket FM has reportedly laid off approximately 100 employees, about 10% of its workforce, primarily from its content team. The company stated these were role-specific transitions, not company-wide layoffs, and also moved around 2,000 contractual employees to Quess Corp's payroll for cost consolidation.
Pocket FM logs 68% revenue growth in FY25
Audio series platform Pocket FM reported Rs 1,768 crore in FY25 revenue, up 68%, driven by growth in India, the US, and Europe. With ARR nearing Rs 2,000 crore, the company leverages AI to cut costs and expand content. It now eyes Latin America expansion, despite prior layoffs and ongoing investor discussions.
Pocket FM claims global listener base of 130 million
As per Pocket FM's 'Rewind2023: How India Got Entertained This Year' report, the platform had more than 100,000 hours of content, with users spending over 115 minutes daily.
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