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Tag: Media and Entertainment

  • Top 10 Biggest Movie Studios in the World (2025) – Richest & Most Powerful Film Companies

    Movies are continually smashing box office records, with Avatar at the top of the list. The average person goes to the movies around once a month, and consumer expenditure on movies in theatres has increased by 30% over the previous decade. The best movie production firms in the world are driving this expansion to fulfill market demand by innovating with films that break box office records. Universal Pictures is the largest movie studio globally in terms of box office receipts, followed by Warner Bros and The Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, which complete the top three movie production corporations.

    The top 10 largest film studios in the world:

    Top 10 Movie Studio Companies
    Top 10 Movie Studios

    Sr. No. Studio Founded Notable Films
    1 Universal Pictures 1912 Jurassic Park, Fast & Furious, Despicable Me
    2 Warner Bros 1923 Harry Potter, The Dark Knight, The Matrix
    3 The Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group 1987 (as Sony) Spider-Man, Jumanji, Men in Black
    4 Walt Disney Pictures 1923 The Lion King, Frozen, Pirates of the Caribbean
    5 Paramount 1912 Top Gun, Mission: Impossible, Transformers
    6 Lionsgate 1997 The Hunger Games, John Wick, La La Land
    7 20th Century Fox 1935 Avatar, X-Men, Titanic
    8 Weinstein Company 2005 The King’s Speech, Django Unchained, Silver Linings Playbook
    9 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios 1924 James Bond, Rocky, The Pink Panther
    10 DreamWorks Studios 1994 Gladiator, Saving Private Ryan, Lincoln
    11 Amazon MGM Studios 2022 (merger) Creed, Saltburn, Road House (2025)

    Top Movie Studio Companies in the World

    Here are some of the biggest movie companies in the world.

    1. Universal Pictures

    Revenue $1.88 billion (2024)
    Movies 400+
    Popular Movies Despicable Me, Jurassic Park, King Kong, Fast & Furious movie series
    Headquarters Universal City, California
    Owner Comcast
    Founded 1912
    Universal Pictures - Biggest movie studios
    Universal Pictures – Top Movie Studio Company
    Movies to Look Forward to: Jurassic World Rebirth, How TO Train Your Dragon, Shrek 5, Wolf Man, Nobody 2

    The US’s oldest surviving movie production company, Universal Pictures, tops our list with the highest global box-office performance of the year, generating $1.88 billion in 2024, and is one of the richest studios or production houses in the world. Universal Pictures, founded in 1912, is a movie studio in the United States owned by Comcast’s NBC Universal F&E division. Universal Pictures is based in California, United States. Despicable Me, Jurassic Park, King Kong, the Fast & Furious movie series, and others are among the company’s most well-known movie projects, making it one of the biggest production house in world.

    Universal Pictures generated a box office revenue of 1.88 billion U.S. dollars in 2024.

    2. Warner Bros

    Revenue $39.57 billion (2024)
    Movies 12,500
    Popular Movies The Harry Potter series, The Matrix, and Joker
    Headquarters Burbank, California
    Owner Warner Bros. Discover
    Founded 1923
    Warner Bros - Top Movie Studio Company
    Warner Bros – Top Movie Studio Company
    Movies to Look Forward: Superman, F1, The Conjuring: Last Rites, The Batman Part II, Mortal Kombat II

    Warner Bros. is an American diversified global mass media and entertainment corporation based in Burbank, California.

    Other divisions and companies owned by Warner Bros. include DC Movies, Castle Rock Entertainment, Turner Entertainment, New Line Cinema, and Warner Bros. Animation. Warner Bros. is credited with 11 of the top 50 highest-grossing movies of all time. It is one of the top film studios in the world. Warner Bros. has produced around 5000 television episodes and 7000 movies since its inception. The Harry Potter series, The Matrix, Joker, and others are among them. It is one of the biggest and richest movie studios in the world.

    Warner Bros., which is one of the well-known Hollywood studios, grossed $39.57 billion at the box office in 2024, making it the second-largest movie production business on our list.

    3. The Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group

    Revenue $3.74 billion (2024)
    Movies 3500+
    Popular Movies Resident Evil, Spiderman, and Jumanji
    Headquarters Culver City, California
    Owner Sony
    Founded 1998
    The Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group - Top Movie Studio Company
    The Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group – Top Movie Studio Company
    Movies to Look Forward to: The Legend of Zelda, Street Fighter, Goat, Karate Kid: Legends

    The Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, a component of Sony Entertainment, was created in 1998. Columbia Pictures, which was purchased for $3.4 billion from Coca-Cola in 1989, is the company’s largest subsidiary. TriStar Pictures and Screen Gems are two of the company’s other subsidiaries. Resident Evil, Spider-Man, and Jumanji are just a few of the excellent movies and franchises created by Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, making it one of the biggest production houses in the world.

    Sony has two movies among the top 50 highest-grossing movies of all time. It made $3.74 billion in 2024. The domestic Box Office performance for Sony Pictures Movies in 2023 was $808 million.

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    4. Walt Disney Pictures

    Revenue $34.1 billion (2024)
    Movies 748
    Popular Movies Avengers: Endgame, Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy, and The Lion King
    Headquarters Burbank, California
    Owner The Walt Disney Company
    Founded 1923
    Walt Disney Pictures - richest production house in the world
    Walt Disney Pictures – Top Movie Studio Company
    Movies to Look Forward to: Zootopia 2, Moana, Frozen 3, Elio, Toy Story 5

    Walt Disney Pictures is a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Studios. Avengers: Endgame, the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy, and The Lion King are among the highest-grossing and most lucrative movies ever released by Walt Disney Pictures.

    The movie production firm subsidiary is situated at the Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, California. Avengers: Endgame, the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy, and The Lion King are among the highest-grossing and most lucrative movies ever released by Walt Disney Pictures. Disney has produced 21 of the top 50 highest-grossing movies of all time, making it one of the biggest film studios in the world. It is one of the biggest film companies in the world.

    This movie production company grossed $34.1 billion in 2024, making it one of the largest movie studio companies. The domestic Box Office performance for Walt Disney Pictures in 2024 was $2 billion.

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    5. Paramount

    Revenue $39.19 billion (2024)
    Movies 841
    Popular Movies Titanic, The Transformers series, Shrek, and The Mission Impossible
    Headquarters Los Angeles, California
    Owner Gulf and Western Industries
    Founded 1912
    Paramount - biggest studio in the world
    Paramount – Top Movie Studio Company
    Movies to Look Forward to: Smurfs, The Naked Gun, The Spongebob Movie, The Running Man, Regretting You

    The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) has recognized Paramount Pictures as a subsidiary of ViacomCBS (MPA). Titanic, The Transformers series, Shrek, and The Mission Impossible movie are among the highest-grossing films ever made by Paramount Pictures.

    Paramount Animation, one of the biggest production house in world, is one of the studio’s departments. It was revealed that Paramount Animation would be a subsidiary committed to producing animated feature pictures that could compete with DreamWorks, Walt Disney, and Pixar.

    Titanic, The Transformers series, Shrek, and The Mission Impossible movie are among the highest-grossing films ever made by Paramount Pictures, which makes it one of the biggest movie production companies in the world.

    Paramount Animation, founded in 2011 when DreamWorks Animation left the company, is one of the studio’s departments. It was revealed that Paramount Animation would be a subsidiary committed to producing animated feature pictures that could compete with DreamWorks, Walt Disney, and Pixar.

    It produced $39.19 billion in revenue in 2024.

    Biggest Movie Studios

    6. Lionsgate

    Revenue $4.02 billion (2024)
    Movies 540
    Popular Movies Now You See Me, Twilight, and Knowing
    Headquarters Santa Monica, California
    Owner Canadian American Entertainment Company
    Founded 1997
    Lionsgate - richest movie company
    Lionsgate – Top Movie Studio Company
    Movies to Look Forward to: Now You See Me 3, The Long Walk,
    I Can Only Imagine 2, The Housemaid, Good Fortune

    Lionsgate Films is one of the most lucrative film production companies in North America and the most commercially successful mini-major film and television distribution firm.

    Cinepix was formed in Montreal in 1962 and was purchased by the Lion Gate Entertainment Group in 1997, resulting in the studio we know today.

    The Hunger Games, Kick-Ass, and The Expendables are just a few of the amazing film series created by Lionsgate. Summit Entertainment is one of the studio’s subsidiaries, and it is perhaps its most successful at present, having produced successes such as Now You See Me, Twilight, and Knowing. It is one of the biggest movie studios in the world.

    It made over $4.02 billion in 2024, an increase over the revenue in the year 2023, which was $3.08 billion.

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    7. 20th Century Fox

    Revenue $14 million (2024)
    Movies 737
    Popular Movies Robots, Rio, and Ice Age
    Headquarters Los Angeles, California
    Owner The Walt Disney Company
    Founded 1935
    20th Century Studios - hollywood production companies
    20th Century Studios – Top Movie Studio Company
    Movies to Look Forward to: Avatar: Fire and Ash, The Fantastic Four: First Steps, Predator, Ice Age 6, Ella McCay.

    On this list, 20th Century Studios is ranked seventh. 20th Century Studios is an American film company that is a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Studios, a branch of The Walt Disney Company, formed in 1935 in Los Angeles, California. It is recognized for blockbusters like Avatar, Star Wars, Bohemian Rhapsody, and others, and is one of the biggest movie companies. Avatar presently holds the record for the most earning film of all time, generating over $2.7 billion.

    From 1984 to 2013, it was owned by New Corporation. News Corporation and 21st Century Fox broke up to become News Corporation and 21st Century Fox, which now controls the studio.

    20th Century Fox has created some incredible and profitable properties. Ice Age and X-Men are two of them. Fox Animation Studios was their major production unit. In 1997, they had considerable success with Anastasia. It received positive reviews. However, it was frequently mistaken for a Disney film. It is one of the biggest movie company in the world.

    Titan AE was the studio’s next project. On a $75 million budget, the picture grossed around $37 million. Blue Sky Studios, which concentrates on computer animation movies such as Robots, Rio, and Ice Age, acquired in 1997, has had much greater success for 20th Century Fox.

    20th Century Fox made $14 billion in revenue in 2024. This movie production company made $1.08 billion in gross profit on sales for its fourth fiscal quarter of 2022.

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    8. Weinstein Company

    Revenue $75 million (2024)
    Movies 145
    Popular Movies Scary Movie 4 and 5, Scream 4, and Spy Kids
    Headquarters New York, New York
    Founders Harvey Weinstein, Bob Weinstein
    Founded 2005
    The Weinstein Company - Top movie Studio Company
    The Weinstein Company – Top Movie Studio Company

    After leaving Miramax in 2005, brothers Harvey and Bob Weinstein founded The Weinstein Company.

    At one point, this studio was Hollywood’s largest mini-major studio. Derailed, Scream 4, and 1408 are among their popular flicks. They immediately established a reputation for producing high-quality pictures that turned a profit.

    Django Unchained is their highest-grossing picture, with nearly $425 million in worldwide box office receipts.

    Dimension Films, which was purchased from Disney, which owned Miramax, is owned by the studio. They’ve made some fantastic sequels to some of the label’s previous films, including Scary Movie 4 and 5, Scream 4, and Spy Kids: All the Time in the World.

    In late 2017, the studio was rocked by allegations of sexual misconduct against Harvey Weinstein. On March 19, 2018, he was sacked from the corporation, and the studio filed for bankruptcy. Lantern Capital, a private equity group, won the studio’s assets at an auction. Following the auction, the company was completely shut down.

    9. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios

    Revenue $13.1 billion (2024)
    Movies 4000+
    Popular Movies The Dirty Dozen, GoldenEye, and Ben-Hur
    Headquarters Beverly Hills, California
    Owner MGM Studios
    Founded 1924
    Metro Goldwyn Pictures - Top movie Studio Company
    Metro Goldwyn Pictures – Best Film Studios
    Movies to Look Forward to: Mercy, Project Hail Mary, and many more.

    MGM, Metro Goldwyn Pictures, and Metro Goldwyn Mayer are all trademarks of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, an American media business that mostly produces films and television shows. It was established in 1924 and was the largest and most prestigious film production company in the world. Throughout the years, it was acquired and sold several times before it filed for bankruptcy in 2010.

    It has recovered its losses and is now classified as a mini-major studio. Over the years, MGM Film Company has produced timeless masterpieces such as The Dirty Dozen, GoldenEye, and Ben-Hur. MGM’s later success stemmed from its ownership of the James Bond franchise. MGM is one of the biggest movie companies in the world.

    The gross revenue of this movie production company was $13.1 billion.

    10. DreamWorks Studios

    Revenue $915.9 million (2023)
    Movies 48
    Popular Movies Shrek, Madagascar, and Kung Fu Panda
    Headquarters Universal City, California
    Owner Amblin Partners
    Founded 1994
    DreamWorks - Top Film Companies
    DreamWorks – Top Movie Studio Company
    Movies to Look Forward: Shrek 5, The Bad Guys 2, and many more

    Jeffrey Katzenberg, Steven Spielberg, and David Geffen formed DreamWorks Pictures in 1994. Amblin Partners presently owns the company. Transformer and Gladiator are two of their finest flicks. Around the turn of 2000, the firm was doing well, winning three Academy Awards for Best Picture. However, owing to over $400 million in debt, the company was sold to Viacom in 2005 and is one of the best movie studios in the world.

    DreamWorks Animation is one of their most significant and most successful companies. With films like Shrek, Madagascar, and Kung Fu Panda, it became a great commercial success. NBCUniversal now owns the division, which was split off in 2004. It made $915.9 million in revenue in 2023, making it one of the biggest movie company in the world.

    Ranking of highest lifetime grossing DreamWorks Animation animated movies in the United States and Canada as of 2025
    Ranking of highest lifetime grossing DreamWorks Animation animated movies in the United States and Canada as of 2025

    11. Amazon MGM Studios

    Revenue Not publicly disclosed (part of Amazon’s overall media revenue)
    Movies Over 4,000 film titles (MGM library)
    Popular Movies James Bond, Rocky, Legally Blonde, Creed
    Headquarters Culver City, California
    Owner Amazon (acquired MGM in 2022)
    Founded 1924 (as MGM), merged under Amazon in 2022
    Amazon MGM Studios - Top Movie Studio Company
    Amazon MGM Studios – Top Movie Studio Company
    Movies to Look Forward: Road House, Blitz, James Bond 26, The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare

    Amazon MGM Studios is one of the biggest names in entertainment today. Originally founded as MGM in 1924, it became famous for classics like James Bond, Rocky, and Legally Blonde. In 2022, Amazon bought MGM for $8.5 billion, adding over 4,000 movies and 17,000 TV episodes to its streaming library.

    Now part of Amazon Prime Video, the studio continues to grow with hit franchises like Creed and The Addams Family. While Amazon doesn’t share exact earnings for MGM, the deal helped boost its streaming power. With a rich legacy and Amazon’s tech muscle, MGM remains a major force in the film and TV world.

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    Conclusion

    New movies are being made every single day and with the release of every film, the competition between these studios is increasing. We have yet to see which movie studio comes out on top.

    FAQs

    What are the top Movie Studio Companies in the world?

    Some of the biggest film production companies in the world are:

    • Universal Pictures
    • Warner Bros
    • The Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group
    • Walt Disney Pictures
    • Paramount
    • Lionsgate
    • 20th Century Fox
    • Weinstein Company
    • Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios
    • DreamWorks Studios

    What do movie studios do?

    A movie studio is a major entertainment company or motion picture company that has its own privately owned studio facilities. Movie studios are used to shoot and make movies.

    Which is the highest-grossing film?

    Avengers: Endgame is the highest-grossing film of all time, grossing over $2 billion.

    Which are the top-grossing films?

    Top-grossing films are:

    • Avengers: Endgame
    • Avatar
    • Titanic
    • Star Wars: The Force Awakens
    • Avengers: Infinity War

    Which are the major movie studios with top-grossing films?

    Major film studios with top-grossing films are:

    • Universal Pictures
    • Warner Bros
    • Columbia Pictures
    • Walt Disney Pictures
    • Marvel Studios

    Which is the richest production house in the world?

    The richest production house in the world is Walt Disney Studios (part of The Walt Disney Company).

    Which is the biggest film studio in the world?

    The largest film studio in the world by physical size is Ramoji Film City in Hyderabad, India. While Ramoji Film City is the largest by area, the most powerful/wealthy studios globally in terms of content and revenue include Walt Disney Studios, Warner Bros., and Universal Pictures.

  • Why Doordarshan Failed | Doordarshan Downfall Explained

    With the increase of technology and advancement in the broadcast industry, government funding channels such as Doordarshan need to be more outspoken. The Indian TV industry has grown massively, as of today, there are around 890 channels.

    Like every other household has a television in their houses, the demand for more variety in channels increased which resulted in India being the third-largest market across the world, right after China and the US. However, Doordarshan was not inclined toward this race. The channel lost a large proportion of viewers, mainly because of satellite TV.

    There was a time when Doordarshan reached over 90 percent of households in the country, but with such huge channel options, it is not preferred by most households.

    The triggering fact is, that this isn’t limited to Doordarshan only, almost every government-based organization such as BSNL and AIR, lost audiences and customers in a very large number.

    As private organizations are facing extreme difficulty in surviving in the market, competition has risen massively. Because of this, the government established a committee under Sam Pitroda to improve the marketing strategies and revenue styles in Prasar Bharati, under which Doordarshan is controlled. However, there is still a long run for Doordarshan to boost up its revenue source and face the growing competition in the market.

    Since private television channels were allowed in 1991, Doordarshan has seen a sharp drop in viewership. Despite generating substantial advertising revenue from mandatory broadcasts of major national events, such as cricket matches, there has been a proposal to introduce a television ownership license fee in India to support its funding.

    Now, this brings us to the main content of this article, that is, how Doordarshan was the biggest marketing channel, what went wrong, and why it failed. So, let’s get started!

    History of Doordarshan

    Doordarshan started as an experimental broadcaster in the year 1959, with a small transmitter along with a makeshift studio. It is the first-ever TV channel in India, also called the Free Dish as being a free entertainment platform.

    Within a few years, Doordarshan became a huge success in the broadcast industry and reached over 25 million households. It covered all fields such as information & news, education, entertainment, and others.

    The reason why Doordarshan was praised so much by the Indian audience was that it carried the interests of all the geographical, linguistic, and cultural groups. With time, Doordarshan grew into a large network of 36 satellite channels, which provided a free DTH service of 110 in its Bouquet.

    Leading Television Channels Across India in Week 14 of 2024, by Weekly Viewership
    Leading Television Channels Across India in Week 14 of 2024, by Weekly Viewership

    What Led to the Downfall of Doordarshan

    The Massive Decline in Doordarshan’s Ratings

    With the growing demand for commercialization, Doordarshan began auctioning slots to private broadcasters. This resulted in 80 channels, 24 DD, and around 25 private with auctioning every month. However, this didn’t turn out as expected as a large portion of Doordarshan’s audience base shifted massively towards the private broadcasters. This led to a massive decline in the ratings and revenue of DD.

    Disastrous Advertising Model

    The advertising model of Doordarshan was a bit of a disaster for it as it stipulated that the private channels would not share their revenue with the DD platform. So, earlier, the private channels paid INR 8 crore per annum to DD Free Dish for transmission, annually which generated INR 2,500 crore in its total revenue, and became zero after its new advertising model.

    This resulted in the fall of Doordarshan’s advertising revenue from INR 1,301 crore to INR 475.7 crore. And among this, around INR 318.06 crore entirely came from government ads so the final revenue that DD generated was INR 157.59 crores.

    Absence of Proper Marketing Division

    Another big flaw in the marketing strategy of Doordarshan is the lack of a proper and independent marketing division. And because of this, when the private channel charged INR 90,000 to INR 1.2 lakh for a 10-second slot, Doordarshan charged merely INR 65,000 for the same slot.

    They didn’t have any team for strategic planning, research, advertising, internet handling, product management, branding, or any other. This played a major role in the downfall of Doordarshan and gave major advantages to private channels.

    Conclusion

    In conclusion, we can say that there was a time when Doordarshan used to rule the broadcast industry in India. But to stand still in the market, one needs to adapt to the advancement in technology and marketing. And Doordarshan failed in both of these. Plus, as being funded by the Government it did not make enough profit and in fact, runs in a loss.

    The former Prasar Bharti chief Jawhar Sircar blamed the incompetence, poorly backed policies, and lack of ambition, for the failure of Doordarshan rather than the competition. The irony here is, that most of the famous shows preset on Doordarshan were created by private producers.

    When they found better opportunities, they grasped onto them. For now, the best strategic planning of Doordarshan is to take the BBC model to enhance its marketing planings and strategies. Stay tuned for more such content!

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    FAQ

    When Doordarshan started?

    Doordarshan was started on 15th September 1959.

    What is Doordarshan?

    Doordarshan is an Indian state-owned public television broadcaster founded by the Government of India.

    What caused the steep decline in Doordarshan viewership?

    As the private channels entered the market Doordarshan experienced a steep decline.

    How many viewers does Doordarshan have?

    In 2021, TV viewership was more than 6 Billion and the channels reached more than 680 million viewers in 2021.

    Is Doordarshan still active?

    Yes, Doordarshan is still active and has a network operating 34 satellite channels.

  • AIB Failure Story – What Led to the Fall of Most Popular Comedy Group | The Complete Story of AIB

    Do you remember the All India Backchod comedy group? There are only a few famous comedy groups on Indian Youtube, one of them is the ‘All India Bakchod’.

    Often abbreviated as AIB.  At one point, they were one of the most popular groups on YouTube, along with other top YouTubers in India.

    And this stat backs this up:

    Subscribers 3.99 million (1 April 2022)
    Total views 591,520,238 views (1 April 2022)

    But why did they fail? As someone who loves entertainment, you’ve probably wondered about this. After all, entertainment has been an integral part of human life since ancient times. And with the rise of the internet, it has become more accessible than ever before.

    In this article, we’ll dive deep into the story behind AIB’s dormancy and explore the complaints and violations they faced along the way.

    Join us as we take a trip down memory lane to see how AIB went from a high-flying entertainment group to a dormant company waiting to slowly fade away.

    What is AIB (All India Bakchod)?
    Inside AIB: The Highs, Lows, and Everything in Between
    The Reason for the Shutdown of AIB
    Future of AIB

    What is AIB (All India Bakchod)?

    All India Bakchod was a comedy group, which was based out of Mumbai, Maharashtra. The state can be abbreviated as the entertainment hub of India.

    They used to make parodies, satires, skits and many more sorts of content on their youtube channel and they also had a podcast (The AIB podcast). The name itself is a parody of ‘All India Radio’.

    The podcast was the first face of how the AIB operated. The podcast was focused to produce satirical content on Indian society and how people of India generally behave.

    It used to get some views back then but they rechanged it and focussed on Youtube and live comedy shows.

    Later, as time went the podcast and the comedy group grew a little popularity. It was started by comedians Tanmay Bhat and Gursimran Khamba, later they were joined by two more comedians named Rohan Joshi and Ashish Shakya. These four were the lead in maintaining and making films on the sets of AIB.

    By the way, Tanmay Bhat, one of the co-founders of All India Bakchod, is not just a comedian, but also an entrepreneur who has funded startups in India. You can learn more about Tanmay Bhat’s entrepreneurial journey and his investments in our article on Tanmay Bhat funded startups

    AIB Group - Gursimran Khamba, Tanmay Bhat, Rohan Joshi and Ashish Shakya
    AIB Group – Gursimran Khamba, Tanmay Bhat, Rohan Joshi and Ashish Shakya

    After making parodies and satires for their Youtube audience, they soon formed a digital agency that produced sketches, live comedy and even T.V. shows.

    In the year 2018, around October, the company halted all its operations all of a sudden. However, the individual comedians continued to do whatever shows they were offered.

    So what went wrong and why did they have to arrive at such an unexpected turn. Let us find out by first understanding the timeline of their work.

    Inside AIB: The Highs, Lows, and Everything in Between

    Year 2013

    The comedy group started making sketches and parodies and uploading them on YouTube in 2013. Before that, it operated with the sole purpose of and as a podcast.

    In April 2013, they made a spoof of Bollywood award shows and replayed it for a year.

    Later in the month of September 2013, one of their sketches named “It’s your fault” went viral and people loved it online.

    They performed stand up shows, sketches and all sorts of lives. They also collaborated with brands to produce engaging content.

    Later they thought of doing something new and tried to experiment with celebrity roast. This was not new for the world but for India, it was something super new and probably never seen before.

    Year 2014

    In December 2014, they did a live show called the “All India Bakchod Knockout”. The knockout was a celebrity roast performed at NSCI Dome in Worli. The host was a famous Bollywood director Karan Johar with AIB members.

    The roast had stars like Ranveer Singh and Arjun Kapoor. The video was uploaded on Youtube. It went on to fire up a huge controversy.

    Social activists filed FIRs on everyone who attended the roast. It was removed from the channel later due to a widespread public backlash. AIB apologised and explained their decision –

    First things first; no one person or force forced us to take this video down. This is not something that’s happening because of a 3 am a phone call or morcha (‘protest’ in English) at our front door or a gunman on a grassy knoll. Under the circumstances, this is us being pragmatic. – AIB’s official response

    Year 2016

    After a year when this backlash happened, they were again on the page where people loved them for their comedy content.

    hey started an advertising agency named ‘Vigyapanti’ in 2016 and that went immensely successful in its endeavours. Later they also launched a writer’s School called “First Draft”.

    Year 2017

    Time went by and they had had successful collaborations up till 2017. It wasn’t that they had a smooth ride, there were potholes too.

    Multiple FIRs were filed against almost every member of AIB but it felt as the controversies were helping them get more fame.

    Year 2018

    Soon after so many engaging videos and collaborations on their Youtube channel, something happened that shook the world and of course the AIB group.

    The #Metoo movement across the world shook the behemoths of the entertainment industry.

    The Reason for the Shutdown of AIB

    AIB had everything: a bright future, hard work and an established body of work. They had collaborations with big companies, Amazon, Hotstar, and Swiggy. They published podcasts with celebrities such as Shah Rukh Khan, Nawazuddin Siddiqui. Then came the blow.

    On Oct 4, 2018, Mahima Kukreja (Writer, comedian) posted a Twitter thread accusing Utsav Chakraborty (Former AIB member) of sending her unsolicited explicit images and harassing her and others at the workplace.

    She also mentioned that she had earlier informed Tanmay about this and other leads at the AIB but nothing happened.

    Mahima Kukreja Tweet
    Mahima Kukreja Tweet

    This was the genesis, the beginning of what we know today as the #Metoo movement in India after the world had seen its ugly side.

    Chakraborty refused everything that he was accused of and called all the allegations fabricated. Later he apologised and then AIB apologised too.


    As Bhat himself pointed out, perhaps the biggest shock and disappointment for AIB fans was that the comedy group had consistently put out content championing feminism, critiquing oppressive structures, and speaking truth to power.

    “Some time after Utsav had stopped being an AIB employee, Tanmay Bhat received specific, detailed allegations about him in a private and personal conversation. Tanmay confronted Utsav in a personal capacity – which led to Utsav calling the victim, leading to further harassment,” the 5 October 2018 statement read.

    “We made a big mistake. We should have cut all ties immediately.”

    After the failure of action of Tanmay, he was asked to immediately step down from being a CEO. He was removed as a judge from Amazon’s Comicstaan and a show “On Air with AIB” that AIB hosted was also shut down abruptly.

    Most of the comedians within his circle, including Kunal Kamra and Tanmay Bhat, knew about his habit of harassing underage girls but opted to keep quiet and work with him.

    When all of this was happening, one more blow came to AIB. An anonymous complaint was submitted by someone against Gursimran Khamba, one of the founding members of All India Bakchod.

    It accused Khamba of mistreating her twice sexually and that the harassment continued for 5 months, which included drunk calls, and emotional blackmails.

    Khamba replied saying that he knows the person who has accused him and he did hook up with her, but consensually. He might have misbehaved a little but he is sorry for that misbehaviour. He was fired later.

    He said in a statement that,

    “I am aware of the person who’s stated the incident in 2015 we had hooked up consensually multiple times. But I categorically deny the incident mentioned in October and December. I was not forceful.”

    He further said, “It is true that I developed feelings for her while she was dating someone else. During that time given our friendship and history I felt rejected and was angry and did not behave appropriately at all. It had become a toxic relationship and I’d like to apologise unconditionally for it like I had done in the past. That behaviour was extremely uncalled for. She rightly stopped talking to me.”

    On another account of sexual harassment allegation against Utsav Chakraborty (previously associated with AIB), Mahima Kukreja admitted Tanmay Bhat was confided of the truth but kept mum on the issue.

    Condemning the allegations, AIB has released a statement that CEO Tanmay Bhat has stepped away from the role while Khamba will take a temporary leave of absence until the matter is sorted. Vidhi Jotwani, Head of Human Resources at AIB commented that,

    Tanmay’s role in both the cases cannot be overlooked and hence will be stepping away from the company. Truthfully, we do not know what this means for the future of AIB or whether there is one.

    AIB was eventually dropped from multiple projects, including one in Hotstar, which had also been cancelled. The Mumbai Academy of Moving Image (MAMI) had also cancelled AIB’s project from its line-up.

    After these major backlashes, AIB went dormant and was formally announced by a series of Twitter posts. Tanmay retweeted the update and his conclusion. It was announced that “The AIB youtube channel is for all intents and purposes, dead for the foreseeable future”.

    Future of AIB

    “I realise that in the past, I have failed to live up to ideals that I have propagated myself, and my resolve is to ensure that this never happens again,” Tanmay wrote.

    As Bhat himself pointed out, perhaps the biggest shock and disappointment for AIB fans was that the comedy group had consistently put out content championing feminism, critiquing oppressive structures, and speaking truth to power.

    The company has no office, no money, no CEO, and barely any employees. They can’t legally shut down the company because there are shareholders and investors in place.

    It is also noted that they are not individually liable but the company is liable and there will be their own legalities on that basis too. So they cannot close the company chapter, it will remain open.

    In the future, we cannot expect any sort of content from All India Bakchod. But for its about 4 million Youtube subscribers, the AIB only had to offer this: “If and when we decide to release new content on the channel (e.g. stand-up clips), you will be the first to know.” that ‘IF’ is going to be a long time and it is safe to believe that AIB is dead in all its forms and features.

    Conclusion

    All India Bakchod was one of the most bright comedy groups in India. It catered to every Indian on topics that they will find themselves related to and connected to. However, the series of events unfolded badly and the spiral went out of control from the hands of AIB’s leaders. It shows a lack of responsibility that Tanmay himself apologised for.

    There is a clear evident face of Irony in the story above. All India Bakchod covered itself in pride when they talked about their content.

    That content promoted and propagated free speech, women’s rights, and freedom of expression. Such a bright company fell into the pit that they themselves dug.

    It’s worth noting that entrepreneurship can be a rocky road, filled with unexpected twists and turns. For more insights on the challenges of entrepreneurship and how to navigate them successfully, check out our article on Important Entrepreneurship Lessons That College Never Teach

    FAQs

    Why did AIB shut down?

    The reason AIB went down drastically was because of the Metoo controversy that involved Utsav Chakravarty, one of the members of AIB.

    Why was Tanmay removed from Comicstaan?

    Due to allegations of inaction against sexual harassment, Tanmay Bhat was removed from Comicstaan season 2 on 14 November 2018.

  • Biggest Media Companies in the United States

    Media companies are thriving, especially digital media companies these days. Various advertisements are used to generate revenue by these companies: programmatic advertising, sponsorships, subscriptions, native promotions, and more. Furthermore, a lot of digital media companies are out there growing. Thanks to the increasing number of people using the internet and with the need to keep up with everything, the speed at which the internet works these days is increasing. 5G networks are rolling in offering more and better services.

    Advertising, broadcasting and networking, news, print and publication, digital, recording, motion pictures, events, and more, all of these specifications fall under the umbrella of two words: the media industry, with each having its unique way of working. But in today’s world, with the rapid development of new technology and the internet, the media industry has lived through much change itself. Some companies are revolutionizing how we look at and define media today.

    Every company is a media company – David Ogilvy

    People will continue to want to stay informed and entertained. Look at the top  Media companies that originated in the U.S.

    Microsoft
    Meta (Facebook)
    American Telephone and Telegraph (AT&T)
    Walt Disney Company
    Netflix
    Alphabet Inc.
    Comcast Corporation
    Charter Communications

    Microsoft

    Founders Bill Gates and Paul Allen
    Founded in 1975
    Headquarters Redmond, Washington, United States
    Revenue $198.27 Bn (2022)
    CEO Satya Nadella

    Biggest Media Company | Microsoft
    Biggest Media Company | Microsoft

    History has witnessed a thirteen-year-old writing his first program on a teletype computer, a tic-tac-toe program in basic computer language purchased for the school by the mother’s club. This company right here does not need any introduction, nor does the co-founder of Microsoft, and philanthropist famous for creating history.

    Bill Gates has a history of excelling in his school, getting exemplary grades and scoring 1590 out of 1600 on a Scholastic Aptitude Test. Gates and Paul Allen later bonded in school over their love of computers, and the rest of the story is known to the world. Bill has worked with Steve Jobs and they did get along well. It is one of the lesser-known facts, but Microsoft rescued Apple in the year 1997 from running into bankruptcy.

    The organization is believed to be responsible for the emergence of the term “tablet”. It has been experimenting, leading to prototypes for its product designs. Microsoft has gained over 10,000 patents, applying for 3000 more per year. Also well known for its computers and gaming consoles.

    Recently there were alleged reports that Microsoft did try to buy Discord and Pinterest this year, and it shows the prominent role of the internet in the area of digital media. Here is a list of companies, right from social media platforms to interactive media companies that fall under the umbrella of Microsoft Corporation.

    • LinkedIn Corp.
    • Skype
    • GitHub
    • Mojang
    • aQuantive
    • ZeniMax Media Inc         ‌‌

    Meta (Facebook)

    Founder Mark Elliot Zuckerberg
    Founded in 2004
    Headquarters 1 Hacker Way, Menlo Park, California
    Revenue $116.6 Bn (2022)
    CEO Mark Elliot Zuckerberg

    Biggest Media Company | Meta
    Biggest Media Company | Meta

    The most popular social networking app has rebranded itself as Meta. The most expensive acquisition that Facebook has ever made is that of WhatsApp. Facebook bought it for 19 million in the year 2014. Evolving the way we connect recently, Facebook has also rebranded itself as Meta. Metaverse is further changing how other platforms work as well with virtual and augmented reality.

    Facebook has acquired over 90 companies. The count is based on names that the company has disclosed. However, there may be more acquisitions that have not yet been announced.

    Some well-known companies acquired by Meta (Facebook) are as follows:

    • Instagram
    • Oculus VR
    • Onavo
    • Beluga
    • WhatsApp

    Media has taken on a whole new aspect with the introduction of the metaverse. This features virtual and augmented reality and the technologies associated with it that could boom in the coming years.            ‌‌             ‌‌

    American Telephone and Telegraph (AT&T)

    Founders Alexander Graham Bell and Gardiner Greene Hubbard
    Founded in 1983
    Headquarters Dallas, Texas, U.S.
    Revenue $120.74 Bn (2022)
    CEO John T. Stankey

    Biggest Media Company | AT&T
    Biggest Media Company | AT&T 

    It ranks as the number one and largest communication company in the world by revenue and has over 100+ million U.S. mobile subscribers, according to the report for 2020. It has over 200 million subscribers worldwide. AT&T provides branded telephones, cabling systems, and consumer electronics.

    Representing quality in global communications, connecting people with 5G, internet & fiber, technology & innovation, and entertainment with Warner Media and its streaming platform HBO Max. This platform stands out as a strong brand. It is also the first company to offer a 5G network in the USA.

    Selling out premium content, which is a plus point to establish deeper relationships with its consumers, with storytelling, in turn, converting them into loyal customers.

    Their channel, CNN, reaches over 200 billion people. A deal between Warner Media and Discovery has also been struck to combine content and compete with Netflix and Disney.

    AT&T has 98 companies under its umbrella and some of them include:

    • HBO and Cinemax
    • Turner Entertainment Networks
    • Adult Swim and Cartoon Network
    • CNN News Group
    • DC Entertainment and Films

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    Walt Disney Company

    Founder Walt Disney and Walt O. Disney
    Founded in 1983
    Headquarters Burbank, California
    Revenue $82.7 Bn (2022)
    CEO Bob Chapek

    Biggest Media Company | Walt Disney
    Biggest Media Company | Walt Disney

    Providing entertainment to its audience, having a powerful vision and acquisition has got the Walt Disney Company where it is today. Disney also defines the world of animation. Back in 2019, it officially acquired 21st Century Fox. Now the media giant holds under these three categories various companies:

    Disney media and entertainment distribution

    Disney+, ESPN+, Hulu, Hotstar, Disney Music group

    Disney Studios

    Studios include Walt Disney Studios; Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios, and Pixar Animation Studios. Marvel Studios. Lucasfilm, Disney theatrical group, 20th-century studios. Searchlight Pictures.

    General entertainment

    20th television studios, ABC entertainment; the ABC-owned television stations group, ABC News, ABC signature, Disney-branded television, freeform, FX, Hulu originals; National Geographic. The Walt Disney Company’s cable channels, ESPN+, and ABC.

    The amount of control over these companies by Disney depends upon the percentage of ownership it has over them.

    Most of Disney’s revenue is generated from:

    • Media networks
    • Park and resorts
    • Studio entertainment
    • Consumer products and interactive media

    Netflix

    Founders Reed Hastings, and Marc Randolph
    Founded in 1997
    Headquarters Los Gatos, California, U.S.
    Revenue $31.6 Bn (2022)
    CEO Ted Sarandos

    Biggest Media Company | Netflix
    Biggest Media Company | Netflix

    You can’t think of media without adding Netflix next to it, such as the established position it has acquired in the minds of everyone. Netflix changed the game when they introduced a subscription model in the year and no doubt is the competition of all the new platforms coming in wanting to not miss out on the streaming revolution that is making rounds.

    Starting as a DVD-by-mail business in the year 1997, it changed its business model over time. The revenue comes in from the subscription fees from the members; it had 192.95 million paid subscribers, according to reports from the second quarter of the year 2020. Another study revealed that most of its users are from the U.S. and Canada in 2021. As of now, it has over 231 million paid subscribers.

    Lastly, keep in mind that Netflix is exploring new areas and aiming to expand its empire in gaming. Releasing five games back in November, which are available on iOS and Google Play Store, Netflix is slowly taking the company to another level as it plans to release three new mobile games globally.             ‌‌             ‌

    Alphabet Inc.

    Founders Larry Page, and Sergey Brin
    Founded in 2015
    Headquarters Mount View, California
    Revenue $76 Bn (2022)
    CEO Sundar Pichai

    Biggest Media Company | Alphabet
    Biggest Media Company | Alphabet

    Alphabet Inc. the parent company of Google, was established in the year 2015, and co-founded along with Sergey Brin, who also serves as the Director, to make the core business of Google cleaner and more accurate. Alphabet Inc. identifies as a company that falls under the computer service industry. The holding company includes segments of Google: Google services, Google Cloud and Google Workspace.

    Google is involved in businesses like:

    • Engagement in advertisement
    • Sales of digital content
    • Applications
    • Cloud offerings

    Not to forget its hardware products, which are:

    • The pixel phones
    • Chromecast with Google TV
    • Google Nest Hub smart display‌‌

    Apart from this, Alphabet Inc. is also engaged in other segments. The most recent buzzing news is about the deal Verizon Communications signed with Alphabet Inc’s Google Cloud to use its 5G network, its computing powers, and more.

    Comcast Corporation

    Founder Ralph J. Roberts
    Founded in 1963
    Headquarters Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
    Revenue $121.43 Bn (2022)
    CEO Brian L. Roberts

    Biggest Media Company | Comcast
    Biggest Media Company | Comcast

    Comcast Corporation, the biggest cable TV and broadband provider company, has been a part of many firsts in history. David Sarnoff founded the first permanent radio network, NBC, in the year 1926, which brought the Olympics to the world with NBC covering it.

    In 2010, they opened the doors to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. In 2018, Xfinity became the largest Gigabit Internet Provider in the United States in more than 58 million homes, which was faster than any other internet service provider at that time. 2020 had been the best year for Comcast for its broadband. And apart from this, some recent acquisitions in the past few years by Comcast include:

    • Sky
    • DreamWorks Animation
    • NBCUniversal

    They have also launched Peacock, Xfinity Flex, xFi, and more. The media and technology company also has won broadcasting rights for the Olympic games 2032 back in 2014.

    Charter Communications

    Founders Barry Babcock, Jerald Kent, and Howard Wood
    Founded in 1993
    Headquarters Stamford, Connecticut
    Revenue $54 Bn (2022)
    CEO Tom Rutledge

    Biggest Media Company | Charter Communications
    Biggest Media Company | Charter Communications

    Charter, which is a broadband and cable operating company, has served over 32 million customers with the help of its brand Spectrum. The services provided by Charter Communications Inc. are further divided into:

    • Spectrum networks
    • Spectrum Original
    • Spectrum Reach
    • Spectrum Business
    • Spectrum Enterprise

    With more than 30 Spectrum Networks Delivering Local News and Sports. It aims to be the broadband provider of the future that is fast and secure.

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    Conclusion

    The United States media industry is dominated by a handful of large conglomerates, including The Walt Disney Company, Comcast, AT&T, ViacomCBS, and Discovery, among others. These companies control various media outlets such as television networks, movie studios, streaming services, and publishing houses, enabling them to reach millions of people every day.

    While this concentration of power has led to concerns about media diversity and competition, these companies have also played a significant role in shaping American culture and influencing global media trends. As the media landscape continues to evolve and new technologies emerge, these companies will likely remain major players in the industry for years to come.

    FAQs

    What are the 5 biggest media companies?

    Some of the biggest media companies are:

    • Comcast
    • AT&T
    • Walt Disney
    • Netflix
    • Alphabet

    Which is the biggest media company in the US?

    Comcast is the biggest media company in the U.S.

    Who Owns the Media in the U.S.?

    U.S. media outlets are owned by 15 billionaires and six corporations.

  • Revenue Generation Model of Television Channels

    The Indian Television Industry produces thousands of programs in many Indian languages with the Hindi, Tamil and Telugu factions of the industry being the largest.  In 2021, the Indian Television Industry was worth INR 720 billion and is estimated to reach INR 826 billion by 2024.

    Emergence & Expansion of the Television Industry

    Television emerged on the Indian market in 1959 as an experiment which offered two-hour programs for a week.  It soon garnered popularity and by the 1970s television centres were opened in other parts of the country.  The year 1976 saw Doordarshan emerging as a separate government department and in 1982 it telecasted the 9th Asian Games. The 1990s saw the television industry expand with the emergence of private television channels.  It began after CNN broadcasted the Gulf War.  STAR (Satellite Television Asian Region), which was based in Hongkong entered into an agreement with an Indian company giving birth of  Zee TV. Several other channels came into existence during this time including regional channels and international channels like CNN, BBC and Discovery offering different categories of entertainment to a wide variety of audience.  This expansion also gave rise to DTH (Direct To Home) cable operators. By the year 2016, Indian Television boasted of 857 channels of which 184 were paid channels.

    Television has become an integral part of people’s daily lives.  The popularity of the medium is due to its capability to cater to the needs of its audiences through various shows of different genres telecasted through various channels.

    Revenue Generation Model

    As with any commercial enterprise, television industry operates with the basic idea of generating revenue and posting profits.  The various channels generate revenue from three basic streams – Advertisements, Subscription Services, Sponsorships & Product Placements, Licensing owned Content and Re-transmission Fees.

    1. Advertisements

    Television channels sell airtime and slots to advertisers who wish to showcase their products or services during commercial breaks.  The slot and airtime rates depend on the time and on the popularity of the show as well as the time-length of the advertisement itself. Advertisements broadcasted during prime time cost more than those which are broadcasted at low viewership slots, like mornings or early evenings.  Even the TRP (Television Rating Points) ratings of the show affect the airtime rates.

    2. Subscription Services

    This is a two-pronged process.  Some television channels are made available to subscribers, by DTH operators, on payment, which could be monthly or annually.  A part of this subscription fees goes to the channel itself.  This model of revenue generation is largely volume based.

    3. Sponsorships & Product Placements

    Television channels are a high interest sponsorship venue due to their wide and deep audience penetration.  They receive funding from sponsors for programming.  A high revenue is also generated from specific advertiser product placement within their shows.

    4. Licensing Owned Content

    Television Channels also produce and distribute content like programs or movies and generate revenue by licensing or outright selling the rights to other networks or streaming devices.

    5. Re-transmission Fees

    Television channels charge fees from cable distributors and satellite operators to allow them the right to retransmit their local signals.  This can happen for a program that sees high demand.

    Specific coverage of live events like sports, concerts or award shows are also a high revenue generating stream for television channels.  Such events attract large audiences which, in turn, translate into higher advertisement rates.  Another minor, however, effective revenue generation source is the internet. Television channels stream their program episodes via YouTube and generate income on the number of times the program is viewed.  This also works as an advertisement for the program and the channel and can increase their audience reach.

    Trends in the Television Industry

    The delivery of television programs to the audience has undergone a huge change, especially in the recent years. What was delivered through relied antennas has switched to dishes, distribution through cable networks and direct broadcast satellites.  Through the use of Internet Protocol Television, programs are available to watch on mobile phones.

    Conclusion

    The television industry is fiercely competitive and its revenue generation is heavily dependent on capturing the viewers attention and sustaining it.  Effectively, it is that attention that the channels sell to the advertisers.  While the TV channel landscape continues to evolve with the rise of digital media and streaming services, the fundamental principles of generating revenue through high-quality content and effective advertising remain constant.

    💡
    The revenue of TV channels in India primarily comes from advertising, which contributes around 70-80% of their total revenue.

    • As per industry estimates, the Indian TV advertising market was valued at approximately 35,000 crore INR (~$4.7 billion) in 2021.
    • The television revenue is expected to grow at a CAGR of 4-5% and reach Rs 826 billion by 2024, according to EY FICCI M&E 2022 report.
    • The report says, the ad revenue of TV is expected to become Rs 394 billion in 2024.
    • Revenue from subscriptions for TV channels is expected to reach Rs 415 billion in 2023.

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    FAQs

    How do free TV channels make money?

    Free Tv channels earn revenue by displaying ads between the shows.

    How much does it cost to start a TV channel?

    To start a non news channel the net worth of the company should be around 5 crores.

    What is the benefit of high TRP?

    If a channel has high TRP they can charge a higher amount from advertisers.

    What is the revenue model for TV Channels?

    The two key methods of revenue for TV Channels are:

    • Subscriber fee
    • Advertising

    How many TV channels are there in India?

    There are 850 TV channels in India.

    What is full form of TRP?

    TRP stands for Television Rating Point.

    Who calculates the TRP for Television Channels?

    TRP is calculated by Broadcast Audience Research Council using “BAR-O-meters”.

  • VerSe Innovation – Story of the Parent Company of Dailyhunt and Josh

    Company Profile is an initiative by StartupTalky to publish verified information on different startups and organizations. The content in this post has been approved by VerSe Innovation.

    The evolution of technology has given rise to many modern innovations. With the introduction of TVs in 1959 and mobile phones in 1995 in India, there has been an enormous growth happening in the field of communication and entertainment. Particularly, the growth of mobile phones is unbelievable in the country. According to a report by Deloitte, India is expected to have 1 billion smartphone users by 2026.

    With this medium growing, the elements (content and programs) for entertainment and communication have also started to evolve. Earlier, we listened to the news readers reading some selected news in a particular time slot. Today we get to choose what, when and where to read. The news reaches us more quickly in a short and crispy manner. Knowing the pacing world and people’s lack of time, even the entertainment industry has started making changes accordingly.

    VerSe is one of those companies that has adapted itself to the haste of the world. It is the parent company of the popular news application ‘Dailyhunt’ and the short video platform ‘Josh’. This tech platform offers content and videos in many local languages to keep its users updated and entertained. The article below speaks about the growth, funding and success story of VerSe Innovation Pvt Ltd.

    VerSe Innovation – Company Highlights

    Company Name VerSe Innovation Pvt Ltd
    Industry Media and Entertainment
    Headquarters Bengaluru, Karnataka
    Founders Virendra Gupta, Umang Bedi, Shailendra Sharma
    Founded 2007
    Company Valuation $5 billion+
    Website verse.in

    VerSe Innovation – About
    VerSe Innovation – Founders and Team
    VerSe Innovation – Startup Story
    VerSe Innovation – Mission and Vision
    VerSe Innovation – Business and Revenue Model
    VerSe Innovation – Funding and Investors
    VerSe Innovation – Mergers and Acquisitions
    VerSe Innovation – Growth
    VerSe Innovation – Competitors
    VerSe Innovation – Future Plans

    VerSe Innovation Founders discussing fund raising

    VerSe Innovation – About

    VerSe Innovation is a technology platform that offers its users to consume information and socialize with their community and media. Started as a Value Added Service (VAS) platform in 2007, VerSe Innovation started to flourish after the acquisition of Newshunt (Dailyhunt) in 2011. Later, in 2020, the company launched a new short video app called Josh which became an instant and tremendous hit.

    Virendra Gupta, Shailendra Sharma and Umang Bedi are the co-founders of VerSe Innovation. The company’s headquarters is situated in Bengaluru, Karnataka. This platform has over 350 million users as of today. Its services (both Dailyhunt and Josh) are available in 14 Indian Languages.

    VerSe Innovation – Founders and Team

    Virendra Gupta and Umang Bedi - VerSe Innovation Founders
    Virendra Gupta and Umang Bedi – VerSe Innovation Founders

    VerSe Innovation Pvt Ltd. was founded in 2007 and has three co-founders. It was founded by Virendra Gupta, Umang Bedi, and Shailendra Sharma.

    Virendra Gupta

    Virendra Gupta is the founder of VerSe Innovation and Dailyhunt. He also serves as the CEO of Dailyhunt. Before founding VerSe, Virendra Gupta worked in various companies namely, BPL Mobile, On mobile, Bharti Cellular Ltd. and Trilogy. He graduated with a master’s in Management from IIT Bombay – Shailesh J. Mehta School of Management.

    Umang Bedi

    Umang Bedi is the co-founder at VerSe Innovation Pvt Ltd. He graduated in engineering from Pune University and did a Management Program at Harvard Business School. Umang Bedi worked in various big tech companies before joining VerSe Innovation. He earlier worked in Satyam Computer Services, Wipro Corporation, Sun Microsystems Inc. and Symantec Corporation. He also served as the Managing Director of Intuit Inc, Adobe (South Asia) and Facebook (India & South Asia). Bedi currently serves as the Statutory Board Member of Goals 101 in addition to VerSe Innovation.

    Shailendra Sharma

    Shailendra Sharma is another co-founder at VerSe Innovation Pvt Ltd. He also served as the Senior Vice President of Engineering at Dailyhunt. Earlier, he also worked in Tata Research and Development Center, Persistent Systems Pvt Ltd and Trilogy.

    Sandip Basu

    Sandip Basu is the Chief Financial Officer at VerSe Innovation who was recently appointed in January 2022. He is a qualified Chartered Accountant and Cost Accountant from the respective institutes. He worked in Bharti Airtel as its CFO for 5 years until 1997. Sandip Basu served as the CEO of several companies between 1997 and 2015 namely, BPL Mobile communications Ltd, Xcel Telecom Pvt Ltd and Loop Mobile India Pvt Ltd.

    Bapu Kota

    Bapu Kota is currently the Senior Vice President of Engineering at VerSe Innovation. He earlier served as the Chief Technology Officer and Vice President of Dailyhunt. Bapu Kota graduated M.Tech (Production Engineering) from IIT Bombay in 1996. He was once the Senior Director at Yahoo and AOL.

    VerSe Innovation currently has a team of around 501-1000 employees.

    VerSe Innovation – Startup Story

    VerSe Innovation Logo
    VerSe Innovation Logo

    When VerSe Innovation was founded in 2007, it commenced its business operation as a B2B company. It was assisting telecom companies in the process of sending SMS alerts, notifying subscribers for newsletters, matrimonial sites, etc., This business went on for around three years. Later, in 2011, the founders decided to acquire Eterno Infotech, which used to run Dailyhunt (earlier Newshunt) from Umesh Kulkarni and Chandrashekhar Sohoni. Newshunt was later rebranded after 4 years and made Dailyhunt. This marked the company’s foray into the B2C market, the real business and growth of VerSe Innovation began only then.

    VerSe Innovation – Mission and Vision

    “To learn and define the real principles of inclusive and empowering technologies that seek to bridge the divide across class, culture, language and geography” – VerSe Innovation

    It is the guiding principle with which VerSe Innovation functions. The company wants to empower the nation digitally and eliminate the language barriers. It wanted its platform to be accessible by everyone.

    VerSe Innovation’s vision is “To create the world’s largest, most inclusive platform for content creators and audiences.” The company utilizes every inch of technological advancements to enhance and broaden its platform. VerSe’s investments and expansion plans reveal its steady growth towards its vision.

    VerSe Innovation – Business and Revenue Model

    VerSe Innovation offers content to users in their local language. It provides short and authenticated content through its platform to keep the viewer entertained and informed. The company generates revenue from the ads displayed on its apps and sites. VerSe also makes revenue often from tie-ups made with some businesses on its platform.

    VerSe Innovation – Funding and Investors

    VerSe Innovation has received 23 investments from various investors through multiple funding rounds. With the recent funding in April 2022, VerSe Innovation’s total valuation has reached $5 billion. Here is the list of all the funding received by the company:

    Date Round Money Investors
    April 6, 2022 Series J $805 million Sumeru Ventures, Google, Meta, CPP Investments, Sofina, Ontario Teacher’s Pension Plan, Luxor Capital Group, Baillie Gifford
    January 21, 2022 Series I $27 million CPP Investments
    August 12, 2021 Series I $431 million Sofina, Siguler Guff & Company, Qatar Investment Authority, Carlyle Global Partners, B Capital Group, Baillie Gifford
    February 8, 2021 Series H $100 million Sofina, Qatar Investment Authority, Glade Brook Capital Partners, Canaan Valley Capital
    December 22, 2020 Series H $100 million Sofina, Microsoft, Lupa Systems, Google, Alphawave Group, Alpha Wave Global
    November 24, 2020 Series H $10 million B Capital Group
    May 1, 2020 Series G $34.7 million Lupa Systems
    April 24, 2020 Series G $490K Sofina
    April 18, 2020 Series G $23 million Goldman Sachs, Alpha Wave Global, Sofina, ByteDance, Advent Capital Management LLC
    November 1, 2019 Corporate Round – ByteDance
    August 8, 2019 Series F $2.7 million Goldman Sachs
    May 15, 2019 Series F $22 million Sofina
    May 5, 2019 Series F $ 35 million Goldman Sachs
    January 18, 2019 Series E $3.2 million Sequoia Capital India, Omidyar Network, Renu Sehgal Trust, InnoVen Capital
    September 3, 2018 Series E $6 million Alpha Wave Global
    October 15, 2016 Series D $25 million Sequoia Capital India, Omidyar Network, Matrix Partners, Falcon Capital, ByteDance, Arun Sarin
    February 6, 2015 Series C $40 million Sequoia Capital India, Omidyar Network, Matrix Partners, Alpha Wave Global
    September 22, 2014 Series B $13 million Sequoia Capital India, Omidyar Network, Matrix Partners
    February 7, 2011 Unknown Rs 286 million –
    July 31, 2010 Unknown Rs 111 million –
    September 29, 2009 Unknown Rs 30 million –
    January 1, 2009 Unknown Rs 200 million Matrix Partners India
    July 1, 2007 Seed Rs 22 million OnMobile

    Sofina, Bytedance, Matrix Partners, Sequoia, Goldman Sachs, Alpha Wava Global were among some of the lead investors of VerSe, until Bytedance exited the captable at a discount of 56%, as per the news dated June 4, 2022. The regulator fillings of the company revealed that Bytedance sold its stakes to Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan (OTPP) and Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB).

    VerSe Innovation – Mergers and Acquisitions

    Apart from Newshunt and Eterno Infotech Pvt Ltd (both are addressed as Dailyhunt today), VerSe Innovation has acquired three companies for an undisclosed amount.

    Acquisition Date Name of the Company Amount
    October 13, 2021 GolBol –
    March 10, 2021 Vebbler –
    February 23, 2021 Cognirel –

    VerSe Innovation – Growth

    Started as an assistive company for telcos, VerSe’s growth is believed to have kickstarted with the takeover of Newshunt in 2011. With consistent funding and backup from the investors, VerSe started to grow along with Newshunt. In 2015, the company renamed its news platform as Dailyhunt. Today, Verse’s Dailyhunt offers content in 14 languages and has a monthly viewer count of over 350 million.

    In 2020, VerSe Innovation launched a short video app named ‘Josh’, a replacement for ‘TikTok’ right after its ban. This app became an immediate sensational hit among Indians. It took just 45 days for this entertainment platform to reach 23 million active users. Josh today has over 150 million monthly active users with 50 million creators as of April 2022. VerSe Innovation’s uncompromising goal toward technological development paved the way for its venture’s success. There was a 149% increase in its revenue during the previous financial year (March 2021) which is further expected to grow in the current and upcoming years.

    VerSe Innovation’s Expansion to the MENA Region

    VerSe Innovation plans to expand in the market of the Middle East. This will be started with Dailyhunt’s foray into Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, and Kuwait and is expected later to expand to other countries too, including Iraq, Iran, Israel, and Egypt. Furthermore, in the MENA region, Dailyhunt would also be launched in 3 other languages – Hebrew, Farsi, and Arabic in the MENA region. Desktop, web, and mobile app version, will be the 3 different versions that Dailyhunt will launch in, which will be available for both iOS and Android platforms.

    As per the news dated June 21, 2022, VerSe’s strategic and business development in the MENA region will be led by Shekhar Iyer, whom the company has appointed as the director and general manager. Iyer has previously worked with Abu Dhabi Media (Radio Mirchi), Percept Gulf (MAME), Zee Entertainment, Indian Express, and Khaleej Times for which he has been given this opportunity.

    Dailyhunt’s expansion plans to the MENA region will be fuelled by VerSe’s partnership with 5000+ content partners, which will include numerous news platforms including Al Khaleej, The Brew, MENA Newswire, Brandknew, KKompany, Chalk Media, Mudgal Kreations, Buzzing, and Gulf Today.

    VerSe Innovation – Competitors

    BuzzFeed

    BuzzFeed is an American digital media company that offers entertainment and news to its users. The company’s headquarters is located in New York, USA. The platform’s ‘social sharing’ feature and a lot of interesting content and activities keep the users coming back to them.

    Inshorts

    Inshorts is another digital news platform that gives the latest news in a crispy manner. Every news on its platform does not exceed 60 words. Inshorts contain news from all categories like business, sports, fashion, current events, etc. It is considered to be one of the top competitors of VerSe Innovation’s Dailyhunt.

    Moj

    Moj is a short-video-sharing platform similar to Josh. It proves to be the best competitor of Josh in terms of content, quality, services offered, etc. Moj is available in 16 languages.

    ShareChat

    ShareChat is another social networking service founded in 2015 in Bengaluru. It has both news and entertainment-based content in its application. This platform provides a facility called chatroom, which often organizes some chat sessions with celebrities. ShareChat functions in 15 languages and has 250 million active monthly users.

    VerSe Innovation – Future Plans

    VerSe Innovation plans to induce technological advancements and Artificial Intelligence into its system. The company recently received huge funds from investors. The co-founders said that these funds would be used to set up labs across the globe to solve video encoding problems on its platform.

    VerSe also has plans to expand into the international market, especially in South East Asia. After achieving the targeted growth in India, the company will set its foot outside the country within a year.

    FAQs

    What is VerSe Innovation as a company about?

    VerSe Innovation is a technology platform that helps its users to consume information and socialize with their community and media.

    Who are the founders of VerSe Innovation?

    Virendra Gupta, Umang Bedi, and Shailendra Sharma are the co-founders of the company.

    What is the total valuation of VerSe Innovation?

    With the recent funding worth $805 mn that came in April 2022, the company’s total valuation has reached $5 billion.

    What are the platforms that are functioning under VerSe Innovation?

    Dailyhunt and Josh are the two popular platforms that come under VerSe Innovation.

    Who are the competitors of VerSe Innovation?

    Top competitors of VerSe Innovation are:

  • Netflix vs Amazon Prime Video: Which one is Better?

    The entertainment industry has evolved drastically over the last few years owing to the streaming websites, with growing choices for accessing content online. Digital media has made its way through a remarkable evolution over the last few decades. New platforms and streaming sites have emerged that allow movie/series lovers to watch video content over the Internet.

    The growth of online streaming changed the multimedia and entertainment ecosystem. Several names come to mind when talking about online streaming but no one can beat Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. These are one of the widely used video streaming services and people’s favorite choice.

    With online Streaming sites coming into a discussion, the inevitable question of which of them is the best also comes into the picture. There is a multitude of content to watch on the Internet depending on the taste of the viewers.

    Overview of Netflix and Amazon Prime Video
    Netflix vs Amazon Prime
    Netflix vs Amazon Prime: Comparison of Content
    Which one has better Plans?
    Is Netflix better than Amazon Prime?

    Difference between Amazon Prime and Netflix
    Netflix Vs Amazon Prime

    Overview of Netflix and Amazon Prime Video

    Netflix is an online streaming video-on-demand subscription service which provides its viewers to access to a massive list of movies and TV shows from around the world for a nominal monthly or annual fee.

    It was founded by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph, the entertainment company has grown from a DVD mail-order service to a global Internet TV sensation. Netflix has undergone several ups and downs since its inception in 1997 but evolved dramatically over the years to become the global leader of mainstream media. It’s the most common digital name today.

    Amazon Prime Video is a digital subscription-based video-on-demand streaming service owned and operated by Amazon that offers a myriad of movies, TV shows, documentaries, comedy specials, and so on. It costs INR 999 a year which allows viewers to enjoy unlimited video streaming and ad-free music on the top of Amazon-exclusive deals plus free two-day shipping after a 30-day free trial.

    Streaming sites in Indian Market Share
    Streaming sites in Indian Market Share

    Netflix vs Amazon Prime

    Netflix Amazon Prime video
    Netflix broadcasts 4k and HDR content and it excels in video and sound quality making it stand out Amazon Prime Video fails to play high-resolution HD content on low-speed connection
    You can only stream movies or TV series on it You can get other benefits such as Amazon Prime Music and faster Amazon delivery
    Netflix supports wide range of devices including gaming consoles Amazon Prime does not support Gaming consoles
    Netflix has extensive library of titles including several renowned in-house documentaries as well as series The library and content of Amazon Prime isn’t as extensive as compared to Netflix
    Netflix is more expensive. In India, Netflix’s mobile plan starts at INR 199 and goes upto INR 799 per month Prime is cheaper than Netflix. Users are charged INR 999 annually and INR 129 monthly for Prime
    Just 897 Netflix movies are not rated 31,066 of Amazon Prime’s movies are not Rated, which means the movies are too old for rating or are too small to go through the rating process
    Netflix provides limited downloads to the user Amazon Prime Vidoe does not limit the user for the video downloads

    Top 15 Influencing Business Documentaries for Entrepreneurs | Startup Documentaries
    Here is a list of Must-watch business documentaries for every Entrepreneur. Watch these startup documentaries to stay motivated to grow your startup.
    StartupTalkyAvantika Bhardwaj

    Netflix vs Amazon Prime: Comparison of Content

    It’s always about good content. Both Netflix and Amazon Prime Video have more than their fair share of amazing content. In Netflix’s case is House of Cards, Narcos, Orange Is the New Black, The Crown, BoJack Horseman, and Daredevil, to name just a few of its Originals.

    On Amazon Prime, you got Bosch, The Man in the High Castle, Transparent, Mr. Robot, Hand of God, American Gods, Sneaky Pete, and many more. A particular show in mind will push the viewer towards a particular site.

    When it comes to movies, Netflix caters an evolving catalogue of classics, relatively new movies, and some exclusive indie films. Amazon Prime Video also offers up a similar catalogue but it’s more focused on TV shows than films. Note that Prime Video also requires you to pay to watch some films despite having a Prime membership.

    The total amount of TV shows and films available on both services continuously gets updated and evolve from time to time.

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    Which one has better Plans?

    For a college student with a valid .edu address, one can pay just INR 499 per year for Amazon Prime. Everyone else has to pay INR 129 per month for Amazon Prime. Prime customers can use up to 3 screens at a time.

    Netflix charges INR 199 – INR 499 per month for one screen option, INR 649 month for two screens plus HD access, and INR 799 month for 4 screens plus Ultra HD access.

    Amazon Prime is a bundled service. Apart from Prime Video, you also get a host of other benefits like free two-day shipping on Amazon India website, early access to Amazon sales and deals, and more. Netflix is a pure video-streaming platform.

    Not just video streaming, Prime also offers music streaming services with its Prime Music. It has a music library across 12 languages – English, Hindi, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, Marathi, Bengali, Malayalam, Kannada, Bhojpuri, Gujarati, and Rajasthani.

    Amazon does not charge you extra for the 1080p Full HD and 4K Ultra HD resolutions on any of its plans, whereas on Netflix you have to pay for 1080p and 4K Ultra HD video quality for INR 499 monthly plan. Also, Amazon lets you stream videos on three different devices simultaneously. With Netflix, you have to pay INR 649 if you want to stream it on four devices simultaneously.

    Since Prime Video also comes with free 2-day shipping for all Amazon products and sweet deals on subscription services, Amazon is the winner in this category.

    Is Netflix better than Amazon Prime?

    Shows offered by both the platforms offer very competitive content. Which makes it even harder to decide on which one is the best.

    Over time, the meaning of the phrase “Netflix and chill” has evolved. It has gained popularity on the internet and users are actually using Netflix more to chill and enjoy the engaging content. What Netflix does is it premiers every episode of a season at once, tempting audiences to binge-watch a series upon release.

    You might’ve seen everyone going crazy about shows they can’t get enough of (Black Mirror, 13 Reasons Why, Stranger Things, for starters), these are Netflix originals. The original movie selection includes 2020 Oscar nominees like The Two Popes,  Marriage Story and The Irishman.

    Netflix has become such a trusted source in the industry that content that shows in it are instantly boost in attention just from being on the service. So, the question is no longer whether someone wants Netflix, they already have it one way or the other.

    You will find Tamil, Telugu, Bengali, and similar more regional movies on Prime but not on Netflix. Netflix has a rich library of international content but regional content still needs to grow. But Netflix is also expanding in India and planning to tie-up with local production houses to produce regional content.

    Last year, Netflix had mentioned its plans to launch 22 original movies and 11 series from India by 2020. Netflix’s entry into making movies and series in regional language might prove game-changing as a large part of India’s audience prefer to watch content in their native language.

    However, Amazon evidently suggests that it is quantity more than quality. However, Netflix also has more titles in IMDb’s lists of the top 250 TV shows and movies, which combine user ratings and popularity to determine its rankings.

    Annual Video Budget of Amazon Prime Video and Netflix
    Annual Video Budget of Amazon Prime Video and Netflix 

    Conclusion

    The cheaper plans get picked up all the time. Amazon Prime Video is an amazing service, and it saves users from buying expensive Netflix membership. On the other hand, people who do not want to compromise on the good content, they easily love Netflix.

    Currently, Amazon Prime is not as entertaining as Netflix but some users are fine with it. Amazon Prime Video has more than enough content to keep the streaming habits going strong. The choice is subjective here.

    How Indian media has Transformed over years [Case Study]
    Media as we know it has become an indispensable part of our lives. Without it, Ithink we’d barely sustain the economic and demographic environment lest having apath carved to move forward. The enormous sea of information that we have accessto, is to the grace of this media. We have come decades…
    StartupTalkyPratiksha Bajikar

    FAQs

    Which one is cheaper Netflix or Amazon Prime?

    Amazon Prime is cheaper compared to Netflix. Amazon Prime monthly subscription is available at INR 179 whereas for Netflix subscription price for basic plan ranges between INR 199 – INR 649.

    How many subscribers does Amazon Prime Video and Netflix have?

    Subscribers of Amazon Prime Video and Netflix are:

    • Amazon Prime Video subscriber: 21.8 million
    • Netflix subscribers: 5.5 million

    Which country is the leading market of Netflix?

    The United States is the leading market for Netflix followed by Brazil.

    Which country is the leading market of Amazon Prime Video?

    United Kingdom is the leading market of Amazon Prime Video.

    How many shows are available on Netflix and Amazon Prime Video?

    Number of Movies & Shows on Netflix Vs Amazon Prime Video:

    • Netflix: 15,000 Movies and TV shows
    • Amazon Prime Video: 30,000 Prime Video Movies and TV shows

  • MotionGility Helps Brands with the Best Explainer Videos

    Company Profile is an initiative by StartupTalky to publish verified information on different startups and organizations. The content in this post has been approved by MotionGility.

    Video marketing is the new trend. An explainer video can do wonders in communicating your product to the target audience clearly and in an interesting way. According to a study conducted by ‘Video Rascal’ (a New York-based company for creating animated marketing videos), 85% of people are more likely to buy a product after seeing the accompanying explainer video. So if you too want to harness this growing love for videos in favour of your business, ‘MotionGility’ is here to assist you in that. ‘MotionGility is an animated explainer video making company that creates professional looking and fascinating explainer videos that will surely give an edge to your business.

    Startup Name MotionGility
    Headquarter Indore
    Co-founders Himanshu Chaturvedi & Komal Kokate
    Sector Animated Video Production
    Founded 2015
    Website motiongility.com
    Parent Organization MotionGility Pvt. Ltd.

    About MotionGility and How it Works
    MotionGility – Target Market
    Founders of MotionGility and team
    How was MotionGility Started
    MotionGility – Name, Tagline and Logo
    MotionGility – Business Model and Revenue Model
    MotionGility – User Acquisition
    MotionGility – Startup Challenges
    MotionGility – Awards & Recognitions
    MotionGility – Future Plans

    About MotionGility and How it Works

    MotionGility provides its clients with the best-animated explainer videos to promote business stories. Animated videos are much more effective when it comes to communicating ideas and emotions as compared to PPTs. In today’s busy life, people are more interested to watch a short and sweet video rather than reading about a product. Besides, From being distributed on WhatsApp, to being uploaded on various platforms, videos can slip in anywhere, helping massively in sales and pitching.

    Video works magic. For example, if TCS or any other MNC has to train its employees, it might opt for methods like PPTs. But PPTs often turn out to be monotonous and somewhat boring. However, videos have a scope of vibrant graphics, and they promise engagement. Similarly, an entrepreneur or marketer might opt for PPT to showcase what s/he has in store but might miss out due to the same factors of PPTs. Complex technologies like Blockchain, AI can also be conveyed to the audience through these easy grasping Animated Explainer Video. Videos solve these problems for everyone and hence turn out to be very effective – MotionGility founders said

    Majorly, MotionGilitys’ product solves the budget problem that occurs while marketing a business or product. They provide cost-effective yet influential and convincing services.

    MotionGility USP is that they craft customized videos that help a business in marketing and generating leads. They provide first-of-a-kind custom-made graphics in the video, which is created by them and not downloaded from anywhere

    MotionGility – Target Market

    India’s video streaming industry is all set to grow at a CAGR of 21.82% to reach Rs. 11,977 crore by 2023. According to a report by global accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), the over-the-top (OTT) video industry will record the highest growth rate among all segments and drive evolution over the next four years in the overall media and entertainment industry in the country that will rise by 11.28% to reach Rs. 4,51,405 crore.

    Video Production Industry, therefore, is a massive market. MotionGility targets FMCG, technology, hospitality, electronics, lifestyle, and everything possible. The video industry is huge in its form and is spread across platforms like Vimeo, YouTube, and numerous others. India is the fastest-growing entertainment and media market globally and is expected to keep that momentum.

    MotionGility – Founders and team

    Himanshu Chaturvedi and his childhood friend Komal Kokate came together to set up MotionGility in 2015.

    Himanshu graduated from Cambridge University with a Diploma in Animation and a Degree in Education. His love for creating animated videos led him to put his best at work. Currently at MotionGility as the Founder & Director, he leads the production unit.

    Komal holds a Bachelor of Engineering in Computer Science from Acropolis Institute. She looks after requirements and deliverables at MotionGility.

    After college, Komal went on work with an MNC, while Himanshu was working with an animation studio. However, Himanshu soon quit his job due to a lack of space for creativity and increasingly monotonous work. Around the same time, Komal was keen to start her entrepreneurship journey and joined hands with Himanshu to start MotionGility. However, soon due to lack of funds it became hard for them to sustain themselves. Hence, Komal joined CSC and parallelly kept working for MotionGility in her early mornings and late nights. Meanwhile, her father passed away and she decided to quit her job as she wanted to dedicate herself fully to her entrepreneurship journey.

    MotionGility currently has a team of 27 employees, 22 in Indore, 3 in Australia, 2 in the USA. Their work culture is pretty feasible with flexible working hours to relieve their staff of stress. Besides, they also believe in offering the team, recreational activities every Saturday, which energizes the team and boosts efficiency. Every team member at MotionGility is considered and treated as a significant other, and all are very closely knit.

    How was MotionGility Started

    In the year 2015, Himanshu was striving hard to showcase his creativity. He was also working, and he realized that all this is taking a toll on his creativity. That’s when he got an urgent project. Himanshu was ready with it in less than 48 hours, and every video was to be showcased during India vs. South Africa cricket match, held in Indore, in the year 2015. A massive audience witnessed his work, his efforts, and that was the moment, the inspiration for his startup. A subtle push from his childhood friend Komal, who is also the co-founder of the company, made it all possible.

    As Himanshu started working in the video production field, he realized that small companies or businesses that are locally known lack proper marketing channels for their products and services. Besides, their marketing budget is confined to small numbers, unlike the giant/ established companies. Consequently, these local companies hire agencies that barely have a proper setup, for their marketing. Such agencies fail to promote companies and businesses. Rather they contribute to demoting. In order to address this gap, Himanshu came up with the idea of explainer videos. These ideas have been realized as an ideal solution to solve marketing issues.

    Initially, I spoke to Komal, my childhood friend, my sister Hema and a very close friend Rajat. I also discussed the idea with another brother-like mentor Sudhir Sir. All four of them liked the idea and were all set to support me to the core. Komal was working in an MNC then. She helped with the insights of the MNCs that such videos can be used for training purposes. However, one problem that arose was how would the market be convinced for these videos.

    But, a major challenge in the process was to convince the market players about the efficiency of explainer videos. Nevertheless, with a strong conviction, MotionGility emerged to be a successful player in the video production industry. Today besides many small companies, MotionGility is also handling projects for brands like ITC, Harley Davidson, and Airtel.

    MotionGility LOGO

    Since MotionGility is into motion graphics, it justifies the ‘Motion’ part of their brand name, while ‘Gility’ is derived from the word’ ability.’ From there, MotionGility has come into being. The logo has an M and G, which are filled with eye-pleasing colours with a play button that signifies motion/movement.

    MotionGility’s tagline is ‘What we promise we deliver’, and the team is pretty true to that.

    MotionGility – Business Model and Revenue Model

    MotionGility operates in a service-based industry. Their revenue model varies as per the project. They focus more on the requirement of the client and alter things as per that. From gathering the client’s requirements and scriptwriting to delivering the video, MotionGility offers everything. In general, their price range for explainer video varies from 500 USD to 10000 USD.

    MotionGility – User Acquisition

    Initially, Himanshu created videos on the products that were already present in the market. Along with the same, he tagged the audience, and through that, he was able to attract the market towards his videos. The audience was curious to know more, and there he saw a chance to build his portfolio through it.

    Himanshu had a humble beginning where he charged minimal prices from his audience. First, they launched on Youtube along with Freelance platforms and then moved to social media platforms and content marketing, that’s how they got their clients.

    Our strategy was that we focused on the requirement of the market than the requirement of the client. This way, the client was able to draw the audience towards his brand

    MotionGility – Startup Challenges

    Getting the initial clients is always a challenging task. Himanshu and Komal initially had to work free of cost to create a customer base. The second challenge was that they did not have a team. Being a startup getting quality manpower to join them was not easy for the founders. Due to a lack of proper infrastructure, many were not willing to join the company. To solve the issue the company was moved into an office situated at one of the best locations of the city.

    we hired an employee who wasn’t as skilled as we were expecting. We then looked for reasons as to why we weren’t able to convince people to work with us. That’s when we realized that the infrastructure might be a reason.

    MotionGility even had to miss some of its clients due to lack of manpower. This made Himanshu and Komal tie up with different animation institutes that offered them, interns. Himanshu trained these interns and formed a team. Nevertheless, the projects were done by Himanshu so as to retain the high-end quality of the projects, and the company offered its services at a quite low cost to attract customers

    The first strategy I implemented was offering a high-quality video at a lower cost. But, the high quality of the video spoke for itself and left me with a network of more clients. This way I could recover my cost and have a great network in the market. A friend of mine, Rahul, who is also a strategic partner today, has guided me through times.

    MotionGility – Awards & Recognitions

    • Awarded by the Govt of MP (Traffic) with a Recognition Award.
    • MotionGilitys’ story was covered by Cityfeed, a local journal.
    • The journey of MotionGility has been shared on numerous platforms.

    MotionGility – Future Plans

    Currently, MotionGility has also captured Germany and other overseas markets. MotionGility’s strategy remains clever. From a tier 2 city, it delivers a quality worth appreciating in the global market, at lower costs.  In the near future, MotionGility aims to broaden its animation services to TV and more businesses.

    FAQs

    Who founded MotionGility?

    Himanshu Chaturvedi and  Komal Kokate founded MotionGility.

    When was MotionGility founded?

    MotionGility was founded in the year 2015.

    Is MotionGility is an Indian company?

    Yes, MotionGility is an Indian company.

  • Success Story of POPxo: Beauty, Fashion, and Lifestyle Community For Women

    Company Profile is an initiative by StartupTalky to publish verified information on different startups and organizations. The content in this post has been approved by POPxo.

    POPxo is India’s largest online community for millennial women to read, watch, purchase, and hang out, which was founded in 2015. POPxo brings a welcoming and empowering environment that encourages women to live their best lives.

    POPxo is aimed to merge content and commerce, which started as content and eventually had its own private label brand. POPxo’s articles, videos, and social networking material are in six languages – English, Hindi, Marathi, Bangla, Tamil, and Telugu – which has attracted over 39 million monthly users who spend over 3 million hours across all of the company’s platforms.

    POPxo also partners with the leading companies to increase its reach and engage its audience. The whole platform runs on the basis of content that fascinates young girls. Furthermore, it also features on its website, Bollywood news, life hacks, retail listicles and more.

    POPxo was acquired by MyGlamm’s parent, The Good Glamm Group on August 7, 2020. The six-year-old company’s investors – Chiratae Ventures, Kalaari Capital, and Neoplux Venture Capital have joined the board of MyGlamm soon after the acquisition. Furthermore, Priyanka Gill, the founder of POPxo also joined MyGlamm as a cofounder. Here’s all about POPxo, its Founders and Team, Business Model, Revenue Model, Services, Funding, FAQs, and more.

    POPxo – Company Highlights

    Startup Name POPxo
    Legal Name Luxeva Limited
    Headquarters Gurgaon, Haryana
    Sector Beauty, Health & Lifestyle
    Founded March 2014
    Founders Priyanka Gill and Namrata Bostrom
    Parent Company The Good Glamm Group
    Operating Revenue $1.61M in FY19
    Funding $12.4 mn (2021)
    Number of Employees 251 to 500
    Website www.popxo.com

    Popxo – Latest News

    January 24, 2022 – Popxo parent, The Good Glamm Group acquires Organic Harvest, a beauty and personal care D2C startup led by Rahul Agarwal.

    October 1, 2021 – Popxo enters the Indian cosmetic industry with a Makeup Collection from Myglamm.

    Popxo – About
    Popxo – Industry
    Popxo – Startup Story
    Popxo – Founders and Team
    Popxo – Mission and Vision
    Popxo – Name, Tagline and Logo
    Popxo – Business Model
    Popxo – Revenue Model
    Popxo – Services
    Popxo – Funding and Investors
    Popxo – Growth
    Popxo – Startup Challenges
    Popxo – Competitors
    Popxo – Future Plans
    Popxo – FAQs

    What is POPxo

    Popxo – About

    POPxo has been founded in 2014 as India’s largest online community for women that offers discussions, content, and products across a wide range of domains including fashion, beauty, lifestyle, work, and more. Founded by Priyanka Gill and Namrata Bostrom, PopXo offers millennial women an excellent platform where they can read, watch, shop, and hang out. Along with exclusive products across brands, PopXo also offers text and video content in a manner that is accessible via social media on mobile and PCs across the web. PopXo has last reported having crossed the 9 million mark in terms of user acquisitions every month and has boasted of witnessing over 102 million monthly engaged content views.

    Popxo was acquired by MyGlamm in August 2020 and has since served as a subsidiary of MyGlamm, which eventually turned into The Good Glamm Group in September 2021. The Popxo parent, MyGlamm includes The Moms Co, St Botanica and Sirona, along with other content platforms – POPxo, Scoopwhoop, and BabyChakra, as per January 2022’s reports, and has already turned unicorn in November 2021, thereby being hailed as the first beauty commerce unicorn company of India.

    Popxo – Industry

    The Indian industry comprised of online personal care and beauty brands and products are estimated to reach $4.4 billion by 2025. There is also likely to be a 4X increase witnessed in the number of shoppers of beauty and personal care products online, which was last reported to be 25 million in FY20 and would be going up to 110 million in FY25.

    Popxo – Startup Story

    The Popxo is founded by two dynamic women – Priyanka Gill and Namrata Bostrom. During 2012-13 there was no content platform at scale in English for women. So, this was the point when they thought of creating a useful platform for women and began Popxo in March 2013. Priyanka Gill first started Estylista in September 2013 in London for the NRI women, which is popularly known as the base of PopXo. For the first few years, the company started working out of London and raised its first institutional round of funding.

    Initially, Popxo created content that enthused women who love to delve into fashion, beauty, lifestyle, wedding, relationships, work, fitness et cetera. The most popular things that attracted women to the Popxo website are hair and skin protection, and other products.

    The greatness of the website lies in the production of 1500+ articles in six languages that the Popxo website was last recorded to be publishing every month. The team understood the audience well and presented articles in the same way, which lead to content creation to adding relevant videos. Today, the platform produces 60-70 videos a month and generates 100-150 million views a month. The duration of videos is between 3-7 minutes. Furthermore, they even produce web series.

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    Popxo – Founders and Team

    Priyanka Gill, Founder of PoPXo 

    Priyanka Gill

    Priyanka is the Co-Founder and President of MyGlamm and the Founder and CEO of POPxo and Plixxo. She lives in London with her husband and two children as a digital media entrepreneur and storyteller. She enjoys working with creative and entrepreneurial people, particularly women, and considers it a privilege to be in their company. She is now enrolled in a joint London Business School and Columbia Business School EMBA – Global program, said her Linkedin profile post dated May 24, 2021.

    Her passion for writing merged with entrepreneurship when she started her own site, Estylista, which is now known as POPxo. She returned to India in 2014 to create POPxo, envisioning her company as a safe and engaging community that helps Indian women lead their lives. Influencer marketing seems to be on the verge of breaking out in India. As a result, she began developing a tech-enabled platform to take advantage of this enormous opportunity. Plixxo was released in 2017 and is powered by PopXo. It was here that India’s first generation of influencers grew up. Priyanka Gill has experience serving as a freelance writer and editor and an investor and board member for several companies. She eventually served as an advisor at PolkaRare and a seed investor of Kalamint, a role that she is still continuing with. She co-founded The Good Glamm Group on Darpan Sanghvi and Naiyya Saggi in September 2021 initially with the merger of MyGlamm, PopXo, and BabyChakra.      

    POPxo’s Plixxo also joined MyGlamm, India’s premier beauty conglomerate, in 2020, marking a watershed moment and a watershed year. Three powerful brands merged to form one incredible enterprise that goes by the name The Good Glamm, the parent company of MyGlamm in August 2020 and since then, Gill has been appointed as the Cofounder of the latter.

    Namrata Bostrom was the co-founder of PopXo, who has also been the CEO of the company as well from the initial phase of the company and stepped down from the role in March 2017. Bostrom is an Economics student who has The University of Oxford and London Business School as her alma mater. Bostrom earlier served as a Consultant at The Boston Consulting Group, and as a Sales and Product Strategist at EDITED before co-founding PopXo. After leaving the role at PopXo, Namrata joined Facebook, the company that she is still aligned to as the Product Management Lead.

    PopXo initially had a team of 15 people working together, which eventually grew to include more than 200 employees strong.  

    POPxo Founder and CEO – Priyanka Gill talks about POPxo

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    Popxo – Mission and Vision

    PopXo’s vision has always been “to build a content-community-commerce platform for women.”

    The mission of the company was to help the users find their inner natural glow. Now, as a part of The Good Glamm Group, PopXo’s mission is aligned with the mission of its parent, which aims to build the global Digital FMCG Conglomerate of the Future.

    PopXo Logo

    PopXo’s tagline has said, ‘Take it up a POP!’ – and we live and breathe it with everything we do.

    Popxo – Business Model

    Popxo targets millennial women aged between 18-35 with a range of products across diverse industries including fashion, beauty, lifestyle, wedding, wellness, and entertainment. The company has recently forayed into the cosmetics industry. The social community platform for women has entered the cosmetics industry, which is currently valued at $20 billion with a Makeup Collection by MyGlamm. MyGlamm has acquired Popxo towards the end of last year, and this development has come almost a year after that.

    This new makeup collection is termed POPxo Makeup Collection by MyGlamm and will include nail kits, face kits, eye kits, and lip kits in order to cater to all makeup needs. The entire range is reported to be priced under Rs 499 per product in an effort to stay within the affordable limits for younger women. The Popxo Makeup Collection powered by MyGlamm will be sold on the MyGlaam app and website along with being available at popular company stores and kiosks across the country.

    Popxo – Revenue Model

    Sponsored content is the initial source of revenue. The company approaches brands and claim to have a large audience. Popxo knows what people want and can assist you in selling. The company made content for them, including social media and video content. That comes first while influencer marketing comes in second. Ads come in third, and e-commerce comes in fourth.

    Popxo’s money comes from sponsored material, which accounts for half of our total. Influencer marketing accounts for 40% of income. They started selling online in the fourth quarter of the previous fiscal year.

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    Popxo – Services

    POPxo Services- Beauty, Fashion, Lifestyle, Wedding, Wellness
    POPxo Services- Beauty, Fashion, Lifestyle, Wedding, Wellness
    • Fashion– POPxo allows you to stay up to speed on the latest fashion trends by reading fashion articles and watching videos. Thefashion experts of the company provide the users with everything they need to stay on-trend, from styling advice to shopping hotspots and must-have items. The platform also offers the latest news on fashion in both western and Indian. It also provides the best tips and fashion hacks that suit you. This platform also offers the latest updates on celebrity attires (both Bollywood and Hollywood).
    • Beauty– The team of beauty specialists is committed to providing the users with the best services available in the industry. The beauty section has it all, from unbiased product reviews to makeup hacks to skin and hair care advice. The users get updates on skincare, makeup, hair, bath & body, nails, hair products, beauty products and DIYs.
    • Lifestyle– POPxo also offers related content from a wide range of topics. It provides the consumers with popular articles across all categories, from travel and education to sex and relationships.
    • Wedding– Wedding planning can be as stressful as you imagine, which is why Popxo is also there to assist. The wedding area keeps young brides-to-be up to date on the latest trends. POPxo has all you need to know about weddings, from bridal makeup to honeymoon ideas.
    • Wellness– Overall wellness, according to POPxo, is at the heart of a healthy lifestyle. So, if the consumers want to live a healthier life, check out Popxo’s wellness section which has articles on managing stress and maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
    • Entertainment– Popxo will make sure the users get the best of everything from the comfort of their homes on laptops or mobile phones, from movie recommendations to what’s going on in the lives of their favorite celebrity.

    Popxo is home to all feminine things. POPxo’s online store, which includes items such as home decor, beauty, clothes, face masks, mobile accessories, stationery, rakhi presents, and more, is an attempt to make online shopping for women in India more enjoyable!

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    Popxo – Funding and Investors

    POPxo has raised a total funding of $12.4M in over 7 rounds of funding. POPxo is funded by 21 investors. Neoplux, IDG Ventures, Summit Media, Oppo, Kalaari Capital, STRIVE, Chiratae Ventures are the lead investors of POPxo.

    Date Round Amount Lead Investors
    Apr 25, 2018 Series C $5M Neoplux, Oppo
    Mar 1, 2018 Series B $750K –
    Mar 16, 2017 Series B $3.3M Chiratae Ventures, STRIVE
    Nov 5, 2015 Series A $2M 500 Startups, Chiratae Ventures, Kalaari Capital
    Nov 1, 2014 Angel Round $500K —
    Jul 1, 2013 Seed Round $300K —

    Popxo – Growth

    PopXo grew considerably with a well-knit team of 33 people in its textual content team. Let’s look at some of the prominent milestones that PopXo managed to attain throughout the years:

    • It has drawn over 39 million users per month
    • PopXo has delivered content in over 6 languages
    • The startup has seen over 10.18 mn visiting its content across the mobile app in a month
    • PopXo claims to have 1.6 bn monthly social media impressions

    Popxo – Startup Challenges

    Founded by Priyanka Gill and Namrata Bostrom, ideating, founding, and growing PopXo was difficult for two independent women entrepreneurs, which both of them managed really well, earning themselves quite a name in the industry. The first challenge for PopXo was to expand the content it produced and the kind of content produced by the website. The challenge that followed was the creation of an app. Even here PopXo absolutely nailed it. The website witnessed an overwhelming 500K initial downloads!  

    Popxo – Competitors

    Though Popxo, when it was launched,  was the sole platform focused on confident and educated women, which speak to them directly without taking down to them, PopXo has been a lot of companies competing with it once it started achieving milestones. Some of the PopXo competitors can be noted as:

    • ScoopWhoop
    • Polka Cafe
    • BuzzFeed
    • The Business of Fashion
    • nippon.com
    • Luxe Radio
    • The Canberra Times

    Popxo – Future Plans

    Popxo forayed into the beauty segment with POPxo Makeup Collection by MyGlamm, where both MyGlamm and PopXo are a part of The Good Glamm Group in October 2021 and is currently targeting a revenue run rate of Rs 100 crore in the upcoming 12 months.

    Popxo – FAQs

    What is POPxo?

    POPxo is an Indian online platform specially for women to read, watch, shop and hangout. POPxo covers content related to beauty, weddings, health and lifestyle.

    Who started POPxo?

    Priyanka Gill has founded POPxo in 2015.

    Who is the owner of MyGlamm?

    Darpan Sanghvi owns MyGlamm.

    Does POPxo creates videos along with content?

    Yes, POPxo is able to create over 2000 pieces of content along with 150 videos, 800 stories and a large number of social media graphics.

  • PVR Cinemas- Entertaining Story of Largest Multiplex Chain in India

    Company Profile is an initiative by StartupTalky to publish verified information on different startups and organizations. The content in this post has been approved by PVR Cinemas.

    Do you love watching movies in theatres? This question seems absurd, right? Because who doesn’t love to? A big screen, cozy seat, cheerful audience, booming speakers, luscious snacks and a lot more to be delighted with. Even a non-cinema lover would cherish a theatrical experience. That darkroom has a powerful ambiance to light our moods up.

    The Indian Film Industry is one of the largest in the world. This huge sector has around 6,300 single screens and 3,200 multiplexes (as of 2019) across the country to display their creations. There has been a decline in their growth in recent years. But through their innovative techniques and advanced technological implementations, theatres continue to attract people towards them.

    PVR Cinemas is one such premium multiplex chain of theatres operating in India and Sri Lanka. They are known for their quality in terms of the viewing experience. PVR Cinemas was established in 1997 by Ajay Bijli. The company also has a separate wing called PVR Pictures that deals with movie production and distribution. Here is the inspiring success story of PVR Cinemas and its founder Ajay Bijli. The article also contains the growth, startup story, funding and challenges faced by the company over the years.

    PVR Cinemas – Company Highlights

    Company Name PVR Ltd.
    Headquarters Gurugram
    Industry Entertainment
    Founder Ajay Bijli
    Founded June 1997
    Revenue $440 Million
    Total Funding Raised $196.6 Million
    Website pvrcinemas.com

    PVR Cinemas – Latest News
    PVR Cinemas – About
    PVR Cinemas – Founders
    PVR Cinemas – Startup Story
    PVR Cinemas – Mission and Vision
    PVR Cinemas – Name and Logo
    PVR Cinemas – Business Model
    PVR Cinemas – Revenue Model
    PVR Cinemas – Challenges Faced
    PVR Cinemas – Funding and Investors
    PVR Cinemas – Acquisitions
    PVR Cinemas – Growth
    PVR Cinemas – Competitors
    PVR Cinemas – Awards and Recognition
    PVR Cinemas – FAQs

    Success Story of Ajay Bijli and PVR Cinemas

    PVR Cinemas – Latest News

    July 29, 2021 – The ongoing Covid-19 pandemic has affected the film industry and its associated business heavily. As a result, PVR reported a net loss of ₹220 crores in the 1st quarter of 2021.

    April 17, 2021 – The Non-Convertible Debentures (NCD) and long-term Bank facility ratings of PVR ltd. were reduced to AA-minus negative by Crisil. This happened as a result of the industry’s weakening operating performances during the pandemic.

    PVR Cinemas – About

    PVR Cinemas is one of the largest movie theatre chains operating in India. It was formally established in June 1997 in Gurgaon. PVR Cinemas is known for its picture and sound quality and offers a premium experience to its users. They were the first to introduce multiplex cinemas in India, which was instigated with the launch of PVR Anupam in Delhi.

    The company turns out to be the leader in terms of the number of screens. There are around 846 screens under the PVR group in the country. They are offering some astounding movie experiences to people. PVR Cinemas is operating in 71 cities of India and Sri Lanka with an overall seating capacity of around 1.82 lakh seats.

    PVR Cinemas – Founders

    Ajay Bijli - The founder of PVR Cinemas
    Ajay Bijli – The founder of PVR Cinemas

    Ajay Bijli is the founder of PVR Cinemas. He is also the chairman and managing director of the company. He graduated B.Com from Hindu College and started looking after the family business. Then by 1995, he established PVR Cinemas as a joint venture with an Australian company. The full-fledged operations of PVR Cinemas commenced in 1997. Sanjeev Kumar Bijli, brother of Ajay Bijli, is the joint managing director of the company.

    PVR Cinemas – Startup Story

    The origin of PVR dates back to the late 1970s. Ajay Bijli’s (founder of PVR Cinemas) father owned a theatre named Priya Cinemas since 1978 along with his transportation company. Later, when Ajay Bijli took up the family business in 1988, he rebuilt the business and made it profitable. But a major fire broke out in the transport business in 1994, which shook them financially. He was forced to choose between revamping the transport business or developing the Priya Cinemas, for which he chose the latter.

    In 1995, he established a joint venture between his Priya Cinemas and an Australian company named Village Roadshow, thus creating Priya Village Roadshow (PVR) Cinemas. They were the first to introduce the idea of a multiplex in India with their PVR Anupam in Delhi. The company was officially instigated in June 1997.

    PVR Cinemas – Mission and Vision

    PVR Cinemas has a mission to give the best movie experience to people. They wanted to make themselves accessible to audiences everywhere and every time. The company’s vision is to remain the most preferable and premium entertainment company in India. PVR aims to provide top-quality cinema experiences to its customers.

    PVR Cinemas Logo
    PVR Cinemas Logo

    The name PVR is derived from Ajay Bijli’s family theatre business named Priya Cinemas and the Australian company named Village Roadshow. The name originated after they joined hands to establish a multiplex entertainment company. The logo consists of the alphabets ‘PVR’ written in yellow on a black background. The main logo consists of the word ‘Cinemas’ at the bottom whereas, the production company’s logo contains the word ‘Pictures’ instead.

    PVR Cinemas – Business Model

    PVR Cinemas is involved in the movie screening business which is their primary activity. In addition to it, they are involved in the production and distribution of films in India. PVR’s other businesses include ads in theatres, the sale of foods and beverages and ticket bookings.

    The company is involved in the manufacture and sale of gourmet popcorn, a popular snack from PVR that is available in their cine halls, several airlines and even Indian railways. This gourmet popcorn can also be ordered online from several e-commerce platforms. V Pristine is an initiative by PVR that offers cleaning services for homes.

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    PVR Cinemas – Revenue Model

    Most of the revenue for PVR Cinemas comes from the sale of movie tickets. They make around 46% of the revenue from box office collections. The next biggest revenue for the company flows from food and beverage sales which contribute around 29% of the profits. The rest 15% of the income comes from advertising, movies distribution and other miscellaneous activities.

    PVR Cinemas – Challenges Faced

    A major challenge faced by PVR Cinemas is during this Covid pandemic. The resultant lockdown and further restrictions stalled its operations. This rigorously impacted their growth financially. The next major challenge that is affecting not only PVR Cinemas, but the entire industry is the OTT Platforms. These platforms used the lockdown as an opportunity to enter people’s homes and started replacing the theatres. Even after the lockdown and theatres functioning normally, many movies are still released in OTTs. This could be a threat to the future of theatres and multiplex cinema halls.

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    PVR Cinemas – Funding and Investors

    PVR Ltd. has raised a fund of ₹800 crores through Qualified Institutional Placements (QIP) in early 2021. The board further approved to raise a sum of not more than ₹500 crores through the issue of NCDs. Excluding this, PVR Ltd. bagged an amount of ₹14.72 billion through 5 rounds of funding.

    Date Round Money Investors
    August 12, 2020 Post-IPO Equity ₹3 billion –
    January 17, 2017 Post-IPO Secondary ₹9.02 billion Warburg Pincus
    June 12, 2015 Post-IPO Equity – Multiples Alternate Asset Management Pvt Ltd.
    June 5, 2008 Post-IPO Equity ₹1.2 billion ICICI Venture, JP Morgan
    March 27, 2003 Venture Round ₹380 million ICICI Venture

    PVR Cinemas – Acquisitions

    PVR Ltd. has made some huge acquisitions so far. They have acquired 5 organizations and the recent one was made on August 13, 2008.

    Company Name Date of Acquisition Amount
    SPI Cinemas Pvt Ltd. August 13, 2018 ₹6.3 billion
    Zea Maize August 20, 2015 ₹50 million
    DT Cinemas June 9, 2015 ₹5 billion
    Cinemax India January 8, 2013 ₹4 billion
    Leisure World April 13, 2010 –

    PVR Cinemas – Growth

    Starting the business with a single theatre named Priya Cinema in Vasant Vihar, the growth of PVR Cinemas in the past two decades is astonishing. This single screen has grown into 846 screens in 176 cinemas across the country. The company has always kept innovating ideas and technologies to keep them uphill. PVR’s box office revenue shows a steady rise from 2015 to 2020. It has increased from ₹8.24 billion to ₹17.31 billion in 5 years. But the pandemic has severely affected their revenue in the current year. PVR’s Food and Beverage (F&B) business has seen consistent growth over the years. They have made ₹960 crores by selling F&B in FY 2020.

    As the company progressed, they also kept introducing new brands that kept pulling people towards their cinemas. Here is the list of brands under PVR Ltd.

    • PVR Director’s Cut
    • PVR Pictures
    • PVR IMAX
    • PVR 4DX
    • Playhouse
    • PVR GOLD
    • PVR LUXE
    • PVR P[XL]
    • PVR ONYX
    • PVR DIT
    • PVR Nest
    • 4700BC Popcorn
    • V Pristine

    PVR Cinemas – Competitors

    PVR Cinemas Competitors - INOX
    PVR Cinemas Competitors – INOX

    Though PVR has a large market share in the theatre business, it has a major competitor INOX Leisure Ltd. INOX is closely trailing PVR in all aspects of the business. It is a multiplex theatre chain with around 667 screens in India. PVR challenges INOX in terms of quality whereas INOX competes with a price. They both have a lot of similarities in which PVR is just a step ahead in the competition.

    PVR Cinemas – Awards and Recognition

    PVR Ltd. has received many recognitions over the years. Here are some of the awards received by the company for its advanced technical implementations and marketing strategies:

    • VC Circle Awards – Media and Entertainment Category
    • CNBC’s Emerging India Awards, 2013
    • Retailer of the Year – Images Retail Forum 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 & 2017
    • India’s Most Trusted Cinema Display Brand, 2014 & 2015
    • Fortune India’s Next 500 Biggest and Best Midsize Companies, 2016
    • Top Multiplex Chain of the year, 2016, 2017, 2018 & 2019 – Big Cine Expo
    • International Exhibitor of the year, 2017 – Cine Asia, Hong Kong
    • Master’s of Modern Marketing Awards and Conference, 2019 – mCube Awards
    • Most Innovative Mid-Sized Company, 2019 – ET Innovation Awards

    PVR Cinemas – FAQs

    What is PVR Cinemas?

    PVR Cinemas is one of the largest movie theatre chains operating in India.

    Who is the founder of PVR Cinemas?

    Ajay Bijli is the founder of PVR Cinemas. He is serving as CEO of PVR Cinemas since 1997.

    Who is the top competitor of PVR Cinemas?

    INOX Leisure is the major competitor of PVR Cinemas.

    How many screens does PVR Cinemas have?

    PVR has 846 screens in India and Sri Lanka and is the largest operator in the country.

    What is the revenue of PVR Cinemas?

    The revenue of PVR Cinemas is $440 Million.