iWorld
Stage secures $12.5m funding to take regional content centre stage
MUMBAI: Stage, the streaming platform championing India’s regional languages and cultures, has secured $12.5m in Series B funding led by Goodwater Capital and Blume Ventures, with Physis Capital and angel investors also piling in.
The platform, which focuses on underserved linguistic communities, has become something of a dark horse in India’s crowded streaming market. Stage now boasts Rs 180 crore in annual recurring revenue, 4.4m paying households and over 20m app installations—impressive figures for a service that began by exclusively targeting Haryanvi speakers.
Stage’s numbers tell a compelling story: a 289 per cent surge in revenue and 286 per cent jump in subscribers over the past year. Popular originals such as Videshi Bahu (Haryanvi), Kaand 2010 (Haryanvi) and Bhawani (Rajasthani) have helped drive growth, alongside the National Award-winning Dada Lakhmi featuring Bollywood veteran Yashpal Sharma.
“What if stories could make people fall in love with their roots? That’s the question we asked five years ago,” reflected Stage chief executive and co-founder Vinay Singhal, on X (foremerly Twitter). “To everyone who’s ever hidden their dialect to sound ‘professional’… Walk taller today. Your culture, your dialect is not a liability. It is a matter of pride. And we’ll keep fighting to prove it. And this funding isn’t just about capital—it’s a resounding validation of India’s regional culture.”
The platform’s success challenges the conventional wisdom that regional content remains a niche play. Harsh Mani Tripathi, chief product officer and co-founder, puts it bluntly: “Every subscriber who joins Stage isn’t just a user—they’re custodians of their culture.”
Ritesh Malik, a Stage board member, waxed lyrical about the company’s mission: “By amplifying underrepresented voices and making regional dialects aspirational, Stage is not just shaping content—it’s shaping culture.
With Bhojpuri content now live, Stage’s roadmap for 2025-26 involves breaking into new cultural territories while deepening its footprint in existing markets. “This isn’t just a growth story. It’s a movement. As we always say: ‘Company Nahin, Hum Kranti Hain!’,” declares Singhal.
Reflecting on the journey, Karthik Reddy of Blume noted with satisfaction: “To see it bloom to Rs 15 crore a month when sceptics said no one would pay or watch this as primary content is very satisfying.”
The once-free Haryanvi app has certainly found its voice—and paying audience.
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.
