iWorld
India gets its own webtoon comics app – Toonsutra
MUMBAI: In a first for the homegrown comics market, Toonsutra has arrived on the scene as a webtoon comics platform for mobile devices for free download on both iOS and Android devices.
Toonsutra, a subsidiary of Graphic India, will launch in April to bring Indian audiences hundreds of high quality webtoon formatted comics optimised for mobile devices. The new platform will release new free stories every day from groundbreaking creators and storytellers in India as well as top global comics made available in India and in Hindi and other regional languages for the very first time.
The Toonsutra app will feature a wide range of content for audiences across superhero, fantasy, romance, sci-fi, Bollywood, mythology, action, and more.
“Toonsutra will become India’s new storytelling home for disruptive creators across the country to experiment, innovate and create engaging webtoon comic stories for the world,” Graphic India co-founder Sharad Devarajan said. “Webtoon platforms have become an explosive phenomenon across Asia with top webtoon apps cumulatively reaching over 70 million monthly users and over a 100 billion views a year. For the first time, we want to make a webtoon app dedicated for Indians and spark a mobile webcomic revolution.”
In addition to comics from around the world, the platform will showcase and promote emerging rising star creators across India and give them a home to tell there stories. Using the medium of comics and webtoons these new voices can express every type of genre and story all with the support, guidance and expertise of Toonsutra's team to make it easy to collaborate with other creators, develop ideas and make those stories a reality.
On top of showcasing breakthrough Indian talents, Toonsutra will also offer users exclusive original webcomics based on some of the country’s biggest hit properties in film and TV such as the mega-blockbuster film Baahubali, and the recent animated hit streaming series The Legend of Hanuman; as well as new original webtoon comics based on Chakra The Invincible, the Indian superhero created by Stan Lee and Graphic India’s Devarajan.
Graphic India’s large library of comics will also be adapted into the vertical scroll webtoon reading format bringing their hit properties including, 18 Days: The Mahabharata; the female super-heroine series Devi created by filmmaker Shekhar Kapur as well as other Indian webcomics including, The Sadhu, Mistry P.I., Shadow Tiger, Unholi, Reincarnation Man, Shikari Force, The Mighty Yeti, Dragonfly, Avatarex Destroyer of Darkness, and many more.
The Toonsutra app will feature international superhero comics from leading US publisher, Valiant Entertainment bringing their hit characters Bloodshot, Shadowman, X-O Manowar, Harbinger, Archer & Armstrong, Ninjak, Rai and more to Indian audiences in Hindi for the first time.
iWorld
Snap hits $1B revenue as subscriptions cross 25 million
Snap’s paid products boom with Snapchat plus, Lens plus and creator subscriptions
CALIFORNIA: Snapchat’s subscription push is paying off handsomely, with the platform’s direct revenue business now cruising past a $1 billion annualised run rate. At the heart of this milestone is a loyal global subscription community that has just topped 25 million Snapchatters.
Since its launch in late 2022, Snapchat plus has grown rapidly to become one of the fastest-growing consumer subscriptions worldwide. What began as an early-access perk for the platform’s most engaged users has scaled into a robust revenue engine alongside Snap’s ad business.
Snapchat plus thrives because it taps into something deeply human. With more than 946 million monthly active users, Snapchat is fast approaching the one-billion mark. Its subscription service offers personal touches that matter in everyday chats. From pinning a best friend to customising chat wallpapers or adding a Bitmoji Pet, these simple features bring warmth, context and joy to conversations.
But Snap isn’t stopping there. The company has expanded its direct revenue offerings with paid versions of Lens plus, Snapchat Platinum, and Memories Storage Plans. Lens plus gives subscribers advanced AI and AR creative tools, including exclusive generative AI Lenses and unlimited use of the Imagine Lens for instant image creation. Snapchat Platinum delivers an ad-light experience focused on friends and creators, while Memories Storage Plans give heavy users the option to upgrade storage and keep thousands of their most cherished Snaps safe.
Snapchat is also opening doors for creators. Its new creator subscriptions let fans pay directly for exclusive content, priority engagement, and ad-free Stories, giving influencers fresh ways to connect with their audience.
Snap credits its 25 million subscribers for helping shape the future of the platform. Their creativity, feedback, and enthusiasm not only inspire new features but also fuel Snap’s growing direct revenue business.
With these moves, Snap is proving that personalisation, self-expression, and friendship aren’t just buzzwords, they’re the secret sauce behind its subscription success.
