iWorld
Spotify acquires Betty Labs to step up live audio foray
NEW DELHI: In an attempt to make its presence felt in the non-musical audio market, Swedish audio streamer Spotify has acquired Betty Labs, the company behind sports-focused social audio app Locker Room. With this acquisition, Spotify aims to pose competition in the live audio sector, which has been heating up since the arrival of Clubhouse.
The popularity of live audio has gained steam during the pandemic months, with Clubhouse – which offers broadcasts, talks, and conversations between internet users – being the clear market leader. Betty Labs also specialises in this niche, and in 2018, it launched Locker Room, which hosts live audio exchanges about sports and watch parties. One of Betty Labs' investors was GV, the private equity arm of Google parent company Alphabet.
In a recent statement, Spotify revealed that it is planning to develop Locker Room into a platform that will be open to a wider range of creators and fans.
It was in February that Spotify initially expressed its ambitions to expand its market to the non-musical audio business. According to reports, the company has already poured hundreds of millions of dollars to build an integrated podcast that could offer an advertising platform and exclusive content.
Meanwhile, social media giant Facebook is developing a platform very similar to Clubhouse, while Twitter is testing a live audio app Spaces, set to publicly launch by April. LinkedIn is also gearing up with the beta testing of the new audio chat feature soon.
"We're doing some early tests to create a unique audio experience connected to your professional identity. We're looking at how we can bring audio to other parts of LinkedIn such as events and groups, to give our members even more ways to connect to their community," the professional networking app said in a statement issued on Tuesday.
Clubhouse is currently available on Apple App Store and has been downloaded more than eight million times. The company is currently working to create an Android version of the app.
iWorld
Epic Company launches unified Epic Studio for films and OTT
Vivek Krishnani to head films business; Samar Khan leads OTT & Television.
MUMBAI: Epic just merged its creative superheroes under one cape because when films and OTT need to fight for attention together, you don’t keep them in separate universes. The Epic Company has launched Epic Studio, a next-generation creative and production powerhouse that unites Juggernaut Productions and Movieverse Studio under a single banner. The move creates a streamlined, scalable platform for premium storytelling across theatrical films, OTT originals, television, digital-first formats and branded content.
Vivek Krishnani has been appointed chief executive officer, Epic Studio (Films), overseeing the theatrical and film business with a focus on culturally resonant narratives across Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Gujarati and Malayalam cinema. Samar Khan continues as chief executive officer, Epic Studio (OTT & Television) and retains his role as chief content officer for Docubay and Epic On.
The Epic Company managing director Aditya Pittie said, “Epic Studio brings together our entire creative ecosystem under one unified studio vision. This is not just an integration of verticals, but the creation of a collaborative environment where writers, filmmakers, creators, and brand partners can seamlessly develop and scale stories across formats and screens.”
Vivek Krishnani added, “We are building an audience-focused mainstream film studio committed to delivering fresh, engaging, and innovative stories for both theatrical and streaming platforms.”
Samar Khan commented, “This alignment allows us to approach storytelling with a unified studio mindset. We are building IP under one creative umbrella, with scale and longevity in mind from inception.”
The unified structure eliminates silos, enabling ideas to flow fluidly from concept to screen while adapting to evolving audience behaviour. Epic Studio positions itself as a creator-led ecosystem championing purposeful, resonant storytelling with commercial strength.
In an entertainment landscape where stories now leap between screens faster than plot twists, Epic isn’t just building a studio, it’s crafting a single launchpad where every tale gets the best shot at soaring across every platform.
