The report underscores the global appeal of storytelling and immersive audio experiences over the past year. The platform captivated a broad demographic, with 54% of listeners being Gen Z, 37% Millennials, and 5% Gen X. Gender distribution was nearly even, with 53% male and 47% female users.
The integration of AI-enabled audio series expanded the platform’s content library by 36 times, while human-narrated series saw a twofold increase.
This innovation drove remarkable financial achievements, including seven audio series surpassing $10 million in revenue—a 600% growth from 2023—and 35 series crossing the million-dollar mark, tripling last year’s figures.
Romance and Drama remained the top genres in India and the United States, followed by Fantasy & Sci-Fi and Horror & Thriller. These genres resonated with audiences across cultural and geographic boundaries, contributing to hours of engagement.
Over 200,000 listeners spent more than three hours daily on the platform, while over 10,000 listeners logged more than 3,000 hours annually—an average of eight hours per day.Listening patterns revealed that morning hours (5–8 AM) and commute times (8–11 AM) accounted for nearly 30% of daily consumption. Leisure hours (8–11 PM) marked a shift in behavior, with audiences opting for audio series over traditional television. Late-night listening (11 PM–5 AM) contributed to 22.9% of total consumption. India emerged as a key market, with millions of listeners from cities like Bangalore, Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Pune, Ahmedabad, Surat, Chennai, Jaipur, and Lucknow. Romance, Drama, Fantasy & Sci-Fi, and Horror & Thriller dominated preferences among Indian audiences.
Top-performing audio series highlighted India’s passion for compelling narratives. Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh garnered over 100 million plays, followed by Secret Ameerzaada with 85 million plays, Insta Millionaire with 60 million plays, Insta Empire with 50 million plays, and Super Yoddha with 42 million plays.
“In 2024, we didn’t just grow; we redefined entertainment by establishing audio series as mainstream. Audio series are no longer niche—they are the next evolution of global entertainment,” said Rohan Nayak, CEO and Co-founder of Pocket FM.
“At Pocket FM, we’ve combined human creativity with AI innovation to build a scalable, sustainable content ecosystem that transcends cultural boundaries, reimagining the way audiences consume stories,” he added.
