iWorld
Semi-urban connect helps FilterCopy attain top slot on Facebook
MUMBAI: It’s time to pour a nice cup of filter coffee because it’s no small feat to beat a giant like Buzzfeed. According to a report by Vidooly, FilterCopy page ranked top on Facebook with more than 71 million (71,128,760) views in new age entertainment category with 27.4 million (2,743,641) lifetime followers.
It has taken over the place of BuzzFeed which reserved the second position with 68.7 million (68,765,209) video viewership. The Glitch co-founder and content chief of the creative Varun Duggirala feels that what may have given FilterCopy an edge was its all-encompassing narrative that cuts across urban and semi-urban people while BuzzFeed is purely urban.
FilterCopy’s relatable entertainment and humour content is what makes it touch emotions, says iProspect India strategist – content marketing Shipra Tandon. She adds: “FilterCopy is creating connecting and customised content that is tuned to the current generation. Brands are connecting with the audiences in the same language and tonality in which they talk which makes people relate the content to their situations and the way they are.”
Duggirala adds, “When we scroll down our feeds only two things make us stop and watch- something our mindset relates to and something that sparks our curiosity. In both cases, the right dash of universal humour or tight-knit narrative is what makes all the difference to grab Indian eyeballs, because we innately relate to anything that sparks an emotional response from us.”
For December, Pocket Aces, which runs the tending content site FilterCopy, will be launching 20 new pieces a day. Over the month there will be six short videos, 300 articles and 20 memes. Two videos have been released as is a new format called FilterCopy Practicals. Plans are underway to launch exciting formats and target the creation of over 500 short videos and over 3000 articles. The team creates everything from scratch. They conceptualise, script, produce, release, and market the whole content.
But the big question is that, is the revenue pouring in? Duggirala feels gaining substantial viewership will enable signing up in-show advertisers as well as building inventory for when Facebook launches a monetisation model.
Pocket Aces co-founder Aditi Shrivastava attributes the success to content that people not only love but also share by tagging others. Innovative content and the audience’s favourite FilterCopy faces like Dhruv Sehgal, Veer Rajwant Singh, Aisha Ahmed, Mithila Palkar, AkashDeep Arora, Kriti Vij, Apoorva Arora and many more, catch more eyeballs on social media.
Currently, Pocket Aces is very much active on its own website, YouTube channel and Facebook. It does not have any plans to launch an OTT platform in the near future. It reaches 40 million unique viewers a week through its channels on social media. Content is also syndicated via Ola Play, Sony Liv, Dainik Bhaskar, Youku Toudo (China) and airlines like Jet Airways, SpiceJet and Etihad.
Started in 2013, FilterCopy is mixed-media offering from Pocket Aces for shareable written and video content includes articles, relatable videos, funny memes and much more. Pocket Aces is a tech-driven digital media entertainment company of India, focused on creating and distributing highly engaging original content for millennial audiences via its channels Dice Media (premium digital web series), FilterCopy (shareable written and video content), and Gobble (all things food).
In the past two years, the company has worked with over 40 advertisers including PepsiCo, Flipkart, Landmark Group, T Series, Marico, Kingfisher, Oyo Rooms, Swiggy, etc. Pocket Aces has a wide range of investors that include Sequoia Capital, Aarin Capital, Axilor Ventures, and North Base Media.
The audience can be assured of new content in the last week but the company is giving a whole week off for its employees to usher in the new year.
iWorld
Netflix cuts jobs in product division amid restructuring
Layoffs hit creative studio unit as leadership and strategy shifts unfold.
MUMBAI: The streaming wars may be fought on screen, but the latest plot twist is unfolding behind the scenes. Netflix has reportedly begun laying off several dozen employees from its product division as part of an internal reorganisation, according to a report by Variety. The cuts are believed to have primarily affected the company’s creative studio unit, which works on marketing assets such as in app trailers, promotional visuals and live experience content for the streaming platform.
The company has not disclosed the exact number of employees impacted.
According to the report, the layoffs were not tied to employee performance. Instead, the restructuring eliminated certain roles while other employees were reassigned to different teams within the organisation.
The roles affected are understood to include designers, producers and creative specialists responsible for marketing and brand experience initiatives.
The job cuts come as Netflix adjusts its leadership structure and reshapes its product and creative teams. Last month, Elizabeth Stone was promoted from chief technology officer to chief product and technology officer, giving her oversight of product, engineering and data operations across the company.
Earlier, in December 2025, Netflix also appointed Martin Rose as head of creative for global brand and partnerships, a move seen as part of a broader restructuring of the company’s brand and product functions.
Despite the layoffs, Netflix remains one of the largest employers in the streaming sector. The company is estimated to employ around 16,000 people globally, with roughly 70 percent of its workforce based in the United States and Canada. In 2023, the company reported approximately 13,000 employees, indicating that its headcount had grown significantly before the latest restructuring.
The workforce changes arrive at a time when Netflix is navigating a shifting financial and strategic landscape in the global entertainment industry.
The streaming giant recently secured $2.8 billion in additional cash after receiving a breakup fee from Paramount Skydance following its withdrawal from a deal involving Warner Bros. Discovery.
Speaking to Bloomberg, Netflix co chief executive Ted Sarandos explained that the company had evaluated multiple scenarios during the negotiations but chose not to match the competing offer once it learned that a higher bid had been submitted.
Netflix had capped its offer at $27.75 per share and ultimately stepped back rather than pursue Paramount’s $111 billion acquisition deal, which included a personal guarantee.
Sarandos also cautioned that the financing structure behind the Paramount Skydance transaction could have ripple effects across the entertainment industry.
According to him, the debt heavy deal could trigger significant cost cutting, with David Ellison, chief executive of Paramount Skydance, expected to eliminate about $16 billion in costs and potentially cut thousands of jobs as part of the integration process.
For Netflix, the current restructuring appears to be part of a broader attempt to streamline operations while continuing to invest in product, technology and global content even as the streaming industry enters a new phase of consolidation and financial discipline.
