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Pocket fm insights ’25: 86 per cent of listeners prefer audio dramas over podcasts
MUMBAI: For millions of Indians, screens are out and sound is in. Pocket fm’s entertainment insights ’25 report reveals how audio series have emerged as the country’s most intimate form of entertainment, redefining binge culture.
Based on responses from 20,538 digital entertainment consumers, the survey reveals that audio dramas are now part of daily life, with 49 per cent listening to over 10 episodes a day, 50 per cent tuning in for more than 90 minutes (including 35 per cent who cross two hours), 60 per cent listening during leisure time, 48 per cent during commutes, and 86 per cent preferring episodic audio dramas over podcasts, audiobooks, or music.
At the center of this shift is young India (18–24 years), treating audio series as both escape and habit. Genres such as drama (40 per cent), romance (37 per cent), sci-fi/fantasy (37 per cent), and thriller/horror (34 per cent) dominate, with Hindi leading at 53 per cent while regional languages rapidly gain ground.
Monetisation patterns are equally unique: three in four prefer micro-payments over subscriptions, mirroring India’s wider digital payment culture.
And the future? Surprisingly open to tech. 80 per cent of listeners say they are comfortable with AI-generated storytelling, so long as the narrative connects emotionally.
“India has always been a storytelling nation, from epics to bollywood. What we are witnessing now is a generational pivot,” said Pocket entertainment, co-founder and ceo, Rohan Nayak. “People aren’t abandoning video; they’re choosing audio because it offers intimacy, imagination, and freedom. The future of pop culture will be defined as much by what we hear as by what we see.”
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Axis Bank named Official Banking Partner of DP World PGTI
Partnership supports all tournaments this season to grow professional golf in India.
MUMBAI: Axis Bank just teed up a hole-in-one partnership because when a bank sponsors golf’s biggest swing in India, even the fairways feel more financially secure. Axis Bank has been appointed Official Banking Partner of the DP World Professional Golf Tour of India (DP World PGTI), strengthening its commitment to sporting excellence and community engagement while backing the growth of professional golf across the country.
Under the partnership, Axis Bank will support all DP World PGTI tournaments this season, contributing to talent development, enhanced tournament experiences and wider fan engagement. The collaboration aligns the bank’s values of precision, discipline and trust with the Tour’s focus on performance and opportunity.
Axis Bank executive director Munish Sharda said, “We are pleased to partner with DP World PGTI as its Official Banking Partner. Golf embodies precision, discipline, and a pursuit of excellence qualities that strongly reflect who we are at Axis Bank. This association also strengthens our engagement with India’s growing premium customer segments, where the sport has a deep and enduring connect.”
Professional Golf Tour of India president Kapil Dev said, “We are extremely pleased to welcome Axis Bank as a Tour Partner of the DP World Professional Golf Tour of India. Partnerships of this stature play a vital role in strengthening the foundation of the Tour, enhancing opportunities for our players, and expanding the sport’s reach across the country.”
Professional Golf Tour of India CEO Amandeep Johl added, “Axis Bank’s strong legacy of excellence, innovation, and nationwide reach aligns perfectly with DP World PGTI’s goal to elevate professional golf in India and provide greater opportunities for our players.”
In a sport where every stroke counts and every partnership drives distance, Axis Bank isn’t just backing golfers, it’s investing in the fairway to future, turning India’s greens into a stage where precision meets passion and every drive has the power to inspire.
