Published on January 15th, 2025 | by Dr. Jerry Doby

Op-Ed | Listening to the Future: How Audio Series are Changing Entertainment

The world is flooded with noise. Digital screens flicker incessantly, social media scrolls demand attention, and streaming platforms release a relentless tide of visual content. Amid this cacophony, audio storytelling — a medium as old as human civilization — is reasserting itself in surprising ways.

Indian audio tech startup Pocket FM’s Playback 2024 insights highlight the format’s impending resurgence and how it is steadily redefining the entertainment world at a time when screen fatigue is real.

Pocket FM came into the market with its flagship audio series, or serialized audio dramas, at a time when the world was yearning for connection without the strain of screens. In 2024, Pocket FM listeners streamed more than 100 billion minutes of audio content. This is not just a consumption trend. Rather, it points to a cultural pivot: listeners are rediscovering the intimacy of the spoken word.

Beyond the screens

For years, we have been habituated and irritated with the exhaustion of dazzling screens while they did entertain us. Studies have linked excessive screen time to anxiety, diminishing attention spans, and sleep disruption.

Against this backdrop, Pocket FM’s model offers a reprieve. Commuters tune in during morning traffic, and night owls swap late-night TV for audio drama. In other words, people binge-listen Pocket FM’s audio series instead of binge-watching the latest Netflix hit. The shift is subtle yet profound, reshaping not just what we consume but when and how.

For Pocket FM, romance and drama dominated 2024. This is similar to the genres that traditionally thrived on television or in cinema. Listeners, however, are not merely substituting audio for visuals; they are engaging differently. Audio storytelling is immersive in ways screens often fail to be, requiring listeners to fill in mental visuals and lending narratives a deeply personal quality.

The AI factor

According to the report by the Indian audio tech startup, a key driver of this growth is the platform’s fusion of AI and human creativity. With AI, Pocket FM expanded its content library 36 times in 2024.

Yet, the most compelling aspect of AI is not its scalability but its coexistence with human storytellers. While AI swiftly churns out stories, the nuanced narration of human voices ensures that these tales have genuine “soul” infused into them. This duality may well be the key defining factor for the future of content creation — automation complementing, rather than replacing, human artistry.

For Pocket FM, this dual approach not only fueled engagement but also boosted revenues. During the year, seven audio series generated over $10 million in revenue — a feat unimaginable in audio even a couple of years ago. This, in other words, proves audio storytelling isn’t merely an artistic endeavor; it can be a booming business.

A new cultural medium

Pocket FM’s popularity across demographics, from Gen Z to Gen X, is evidence that audio storytelling transcends generational divides across the world. As its home, India is still the largest market for Pocket FM, at least in terms of the number of listeners. The US, on the other hand, has emerged as the largest revenue market for the Indian audio tech company in less than two years.

Additionally, the average engagement is the highest in the US, at 135 minutes daily, while the global average is 110 minutes daily. Listeners in cities like Houston, Chicago, and Atlanta are quickly embracing the platform’s serialized audio dramas.

The question is: Is audio storytelling becoming a truly global entertainment medium? Unlike film or television, which often face language barriers or cultural nuances, audio’s episodic, voice-driven format lends to seamless adaptation. According to Pocket FM’s co-founder and CEO, Rohan Nayak, audio is something that “transcends cultural boundaries.”

The larger implications

The truth is that the rise of audio storytelling is not occurring in a vacuum. It also reflects broader shifts in how media is consumed across the globe. As artificial intelligence continues to upend traditional creative industries, Pocket FM’s model offers an instructive case study. To be sure, AI is not the villain here. It is more of a collaborator that helps people amplify their imagination and creativity.

Moreover, platforms like Pocket FM challenge established entertainment giants. At a time when video streaming services are struggling for market share with high-budget productions, audio storytelling thrives on modest resources and infinite scalability. In the end, it reestablishes the power and essence of good storytelling. It is also a reminder that narratives, not special effects, are what truly captivate.

The unfolding story

The rise of audio dramas is not just a new trend. It is, instead, signaling a cultural evolution. The simplicity of voice narration, coupled with immersive soundscapes, fuels imagination where the listeners paint their own canvas — each one different from the other — irrespective of place, time, and language.

It’s not the billions of minutes and millions of transactions that illuminate the success of Pocket FM. The real triumph is how the Indian startup has successfully tapped into something ancient and enduring. The real question is not where audio storytelling is going but what it brings us back to.

The answer, perhaps, is simple: A sense of wonder.

SHARE ON FACEBOOK SHARE ON TWITTER

About the Author

Dr. Jerry Doby Editor-in-Chief of The Hype Magazine, Media and SEO Consultant, Journalist, Ph.D. and retired combat vet. 2023 recipient of The President's Lifetime Achievement Award. Partner at THM Media Group. Member of the U.S. Department of Arts and Culture, the United States Press Agency and ForbesBLK.