Audio Platform Pocket FM Leverages AI Tools to Enhance Content Catalog Expansion
Pocket FM, an audio platform based in India, boasts a library of over 200,000 hours of content. Despite this extensive catalog, CEO Rohan Nayak sees significant potential for growth in original content creation and diversification across various genres and sub-genres. He emphasizes that leveraging AI tools will be the quickest way to enhance audio production, develop writing strategies, and tailor stories for different audiences.
“I believe our content library still falls short for our users. There are numerous genres and sub-genres lacking in our collection. We currently do not have the depth of content typical of a mature entertainment platform,” Nayak shared with TechCrunch during a call.
The platform has already established a remarkable partnership with ElevenLabs to transform written content into audio series, yielding a production speed five times faster and a cost reduction of 30 times compared to traditional audio series production.
“We have conducted tests on how these AI-generated adaptations perform across different markets, and the outcomes have been promising. We are still perfecting our models to address any errors, but we believe the technology is sufficiently advanced for show production,” Nayak explained.
One AI tool Pocket FM is exploring focuses on regional story adaptations. The company has developed in-house models that prioritize cultural nuances rather than just literal translation when converting stories from one region to another.
He noted the difficulties in addressing the models’ hallucination issues when stories encompass hundreds of episodes. Pocket FM is working to overcome the constraints of open-source models’ context windows and create relationship maps between various story entities to sustain character consistency.
Another innovative tool the company is testing serves as a creative assistant for writers, offering alternative storylines and plot ideas. Pocket FM also plans to incorporate valuable insights from its historical data into this tool, guiding writers on what resonates well on the platform.
Nayak highlighted that although this tool is in its initial stages, the aim is to empower solo writers—those who may be producing daily episodes—by providing them with a collaborative brainstorming experience akin to a writers’ room, all while retaining their creative vision.
In addition, the company is working on a blockbuster engine designed to analyze platform data to identify trending shows.
Pocket FM’s ultimate goal is to expand its catalog as it creates some content in-house while collaborating with its network of writers. However, to achieve widespread popularity, the platform needs to produce successful shows.
“Blockbusters are the driving force behind any content platform. Although we have a strong initial offering with user-generated content, identifying blockbusters remains a challenging task,” he remarked.
Pocket FM has seen positive results from its AI integration, with over 40,000 series on the platform benefiting from AI-generated voice creation. The company has also reported $3 million in revenue from these series, contributing to a total of $127 million for the financial year 2024.
The biggest challenge facing the company is achieving the right balance between utilizing AI to assist creators and ensuring rapid content production. There is a perpetual risk that AI could be employed solely to speed up content creation, potentially sacrificing quality. This could lead to the platform being inundated with subpar content, making it challenging for algorithms to promote standout shows.
Writer and lyricist Puneet Sharma pointed out that in an era where much of the work is formulaic, artists bear the responsibility to substantiate their genuine creations.
Sharma acknowledged that while AI tools can assist writers in generating ideas and exploring various styles, this process could diminish the learning experiences that stem from failure.
Nayak mentioned that some of their writers and creatives have already started using AI tools. The company’s goal is to provide these tools enriched with context related to the stories and the platform itself.
Pocket FM has successfully raised $197 million in funding through several rounds, attracting investments from notable backers like Lightspeed Ventures, Tencent, and Times Internet. The company faces competition from various content providers, including Audible, Pratilipi (backed by Omidyar Network), and Kuku FM (backed by Google).