Pocket FM Creator Economy Hits Rs 300 Crore, Eyes Massive 3X Growth To Rs 1000 Crore By 2026

India’s AI-enabled creator ecosystem is gaining scale, with Pocket FM reporting a creator economy worth over ₹300 crore and targeting ₹1,000 crore by 2026. The platform links this momentum to the India AI Impact Summit conversations and to Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s push to widen access and participation in AI-supported creative work.

The company states that more than 10% of Pocket FM’s monetised creators together earn over ₹50 crore in 2025. Over the past year, more than 300,000 creators have released their first stories on the app. With AI tools speeding up output, Pocket FM expects this number to reach 1 million creators by 2026.

Pocket FM creator economy and changing income patterns

The data from Pocket FM suggests shifting earning models for creative talent. More than 20% of active creators now make above ₹1 lakh every month from their work on the platform. Within this base, the top 1% of creators earn more than ₹50 lakh per year, suggesting a tier of high-performing storytellers.

The platform describes this as a break from older patterns of informal and inconsistent creative income. “This marks the end of the traditional ‘starving artist’ model,” Nayak added. “A creator from anywhere in India can now create professional-quality content and reach audiences at scale without traditional barriers.”

Pocket FM creator economy and AI storytelling tools

Pocket FM positions its AI tools as support for human creativity rather than a replacement. Rohan Nayak Cofounder and CEO, Pocket FM said, “Our vision is clear. Creativity remains human, and Pocket FM’s AI Suite is designed to remove barriers to bringing that creativity to life. This reflects Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi Ji’s vision of an AI-enabled creator ecosystem where a story idea can reach audiences at scale regardless of where it comes from”

According to Pocket FM, the AI suite functions like a digital writers’ room designed for serialised fiction. “Pocket FM’s AI Suite reimagines this process as an AI-powered writers’ room built for serialised fiction. The Planner Agent designs long-term arcs and character journeys, the Context Agent safeguards narrative continuity across episodes, and the Drama Agent refines pacing, tension, and cliffhangers. Together, in a continuous loop of planning, drafting, and refinement, these agents enable creators to build cohesive, long-form stories while preserving creative ownership and significantly reducing execution complexity.” said Prateek Dixit, Co-founder – Product, Tech and AI at Pocket FM

Pocket FM creator economy, access and global reach

Pocket FM reports that around 90% of its creators are publishing stories for the first time. Many of these individuals had story ideas and characters but lacked knowledge about scripting, episode structure, production steps or distribution routes. The platform’s tools and support aim to reduce these barriers, especially for those without industry connections.

Within this creator base, about 25% are students who are writing while continuing their studies. Pocket FM says its AI-enabled production tools simplify workflows that once needed specialist teams. The company maintains that while creativity remains human, the route from concept to published show becomes easier for more people across India.

The firm links this expansion to a larger policy and technology context. As the India AI Impact Summit discusses responsible AI use, Pocket FM highlights a model where creators keep control of their stories, see transparent earnings, and use AI mainly as a production aid. This approach, the company argues, allows technology to scale human-led storytelling rather than replace it.

Global audience demand is also shaping the Pocket FM strategy. With India projected to have over 950 million internet users by 2030, the platform sees an opportunity for India to shift from mainly importing entertainment to originating more content. Pocket FM is working with streaming platforms and production houses that want India-originated IP for films, television series, anime and other formats.

Pocket FM’s international operations underline this export push. In 2025, several Indian intellectual properties were adapted for markets such as the United States and Europe. Titles include Mahagatha, Brahmyoddha – The Destroyer, and Brahmand Ka Rakshak. These stories began in Hindi and are now reaching international audiences as localised audio series.

The company plans to extend this localisation strategy in 2026 to more than 50 Indian IPs. “We always knew Indian stories had global potential. The constraint was infrastructure,” added Dixit. “Our AI stack fundamentally re-architects how content is localised and scaled. We use proprietary multilingual large language models to handle contextual translation and narrative restructuring. Our models are trained on cross-cultural storytelling patterns so they adapt not just words, but references, pacing, and emotional cadence for each market.”

Pocket FM states that its global creator community now exceeds 300,000 creators, generating over 2.2 billion minutes of listening each month from creator-led audio series. Nayak links this growth to national priorities. “Our Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi Ji has consistently emphasised that India’s AI journey must expand access and empower creators,” said Nayak. “Our creators are already demonstrating that this model works. They are building audiences across markets and showing that Indian stories have strong global appeal. Our focus now is to scale this further by expanding into more languages, more markets, and enabling more creators to earn sustainable income.”

The platform argues that this expansion of creator earnings, international reach and AI-supported production reflects wider changes in India’s digital landscape. As more storytellers publish work and generate income, Pocket FM points to the effect of digital access policies, technology adoption and platform design that favour broader participation in the creative economy.