Latest news with #PocketEntertainment
Time of India
21-07-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Pocket FM cuts production cost using AI, generates over 50,000 shows
Audio entertainment platform Pocket FM on Sunday said it has significantly reduced production costs through its proprietary artificial intelligence systems. The company has scaled its content operations significantly over the past year, producing over 50,000 AI-generated shows , a statement said. "We are transforming Pocket FM into an AI-led entertainment company, with artificial intelligence now driving content creation, productivity, and global storytelling at scale," said Rohan Nayak, co-founder and CEO of Pocket FM. "AI is helping us unlock high quality content faster and more efficiently than ever before. Our content costs have been significantly reduced, while creator efficiency has increased tenfold." Known for pioneering long form episodic audio storytelling , Pocket FM has built custom AI infrastructure that enables creators from scripting and voice generation to sound design and multi language localization. These capabilities have significantly enhanced speed to market while maintaining narrative depth and production quality, it stated. At the heart of this transformation is a seamless collaboration between human creativity and AI precision, enabling Pocket FM to produce great stories at scale without compromising on quality, the statement said. The company reported Rs 1,768 crore in revenue for FY25, a 68 per cent year-on-year increase, and is now profitable across core markets. Europe, particularly Germany and the UK, continues to show strong momentum, recently crossing Rs 100 crore in Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR). Launched in 2018, Pocket FM is an AI-powered entertainment platform creating scalable storytelling experiences across audio, text, and visual formats. Operating in India, the US, and Europe, with ongoing Latin American expansion, it builds borderless IP ecosystems through Pocket Entertainment. Its content spans English, Hindi, Spanish, German, and French. A recent FICCI EY report projects India's audio entertainment sector to reach USD 2.5 billion by 2030, with AI first platforms like Pocket FM poised to lead this transformation.
India Today
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- India Today
Mukesh Khanna returns as Shaktimaan: Thrilled to connect with today's youth
Actor Mukesh Khanna's 'Shaktimaan' was one of the most popular Hindi television shows of the 90s. It became iconic as India's first superhero series targeted at child audiences. Khanna will once again resume his character as the superhero in a brand-new format meant for today's actor will be back in the reimagined legacy of Shaktimaan in Pocket FM's all-new original audio series. Khanna will be doing the voice-over for the show. While speaking about the original stories of the Indian superhero in an audio series format, Khanna said, "'Shaktimaan' isn't just a show, it's an emotion that lives in the hearts of millions. I'm thrilled to return as the voice of the beloved hero and connect with a whole new generation of listeners through Pocket FM's vast and extensive reach across India. The platform offers a great way to reintroduce Shaktimaan's values, strength, and superpowers, but with new tales to today's youth in a format they love."advertisementPocket FM is known for audio-first fiction in genres like fantasy, sci-fi, mythology, and adventure. Pocket Entertainment, CEO and Co-Founder Rohan Nayak said, "Bringing 'Shaktimaan' to audio is a proud moment for us. It's a perfect example of how a timeless legacy can meet the power of modern storytelling. Partnering with Mukesh Khanna to revive India's most iconic superhero, who shaped an entire generation, is more than just nostalgia. It's a bold step toward building a rich sci-fi and fantasy audio universe, something that has rarely been attempted in the Indian storytelling ecosystem. With our immersive storytelling, we're reintroducing 'Shaktimaan' to a new generation that connects more with headphones than TV screens. This reflects our mission to drive storytelling in fresh, relevant, and impactful ways."In partnership with Mukesh Khanna's Bheeshma International, the show will feature a fresh adventure, original plot aimed at a reimagined world for listeners who grew up with 'Shaktimaan' and those discovering him for the first a previous interaction with ANI, Khanna spoke about bringing back the show for the new generation and said, "I am carrying out my duty, which I started in 1997 and went on till 2005. I think my work should reach the public in 2027 because today's generation is running blindly. They have to be stopped and told to catch their breath."Khanna had earlier announced a motion picture on Shaktimaan in collaboration with Sony Pictures. There were speculations regarding Ranveer Singh's possibility of playing the character. Khanna had, however, denied the reports.'Shaktimaan' was televised in Doordarshan from September 13, 1997 to March 27, Reel
Mint
13-05-2025
- Business
- Mint
Is AI the end of human storytelling? Pocket FM bets on collaboration
Audio series platform Pocket FM is betting on collaboration and not competition between humans and artificial intelligence (AI). Rather than replacing human creativity, the company is using AI to support storytellers and scale high-quality audio content. Pocket FM aims to create a platform where humans and AI work together, not against each other. Talking to LiveMint, Vineet Singh, Head, Brand Marketing and Communication at Pocket Entertainment, said that of late, there has been a lot of chatter about AI replacing humans. "We always believe that human storytelling is going to be the core part of creativity," he said. 'With AI, we are going to be able to enhance it and scale it with that same quality at a huge number.' Pocket FM's proprietary tool allows users to write a story, select the background music, and choose an AI-generated voice to narrate it. The tool can also translate the story into multiple languages and change the context according to the geography. According to Singh, Pocket FM has around 50,000 AI-led audio series. The platform has around 200 million users and works on a micro-transaction model. Under the model, a certain number of episodes are free for a user daily. If they want to listen to more episodes of a series, they need to pay for them. Notably, the free episodes change from series to series. Romance remains the most popular genre on the platform, followed by drama and thrillers. However, fantasy and horror are growing at a faster pace, he added. To diversify its storytelling offerings, the company has launched Pocket Novel and Pocket Tools and rebranded itself as Pocket Entertainment. "We will continue looking at more and more formats and more storytelling options to just go out and entertain the world," Singh said. Originally launched in India, Pocket FM is now available in the USA and some European countries, such as Germany and the United Kingdom. It also plans to expand into some Latin American countries. The Lightspeed-backed platform competes with Spotify and new-age content platforms like Krafton-backed Kuku FM and Pratilipi. In 2024-25, Pocket FM's revenue rose 68 per cent to ₹ 1,768 crore. Its US business is said to be profitable, and the India business is expected to become profitable in the next one to two months.
