Google Back Toonsutra to develop its own web platform in India

It is not news that India is a huge market for entertainment companies, but what is not mentioned often is that people love to see the content in their own language. according to A recent survey study Through the non -profit Internet and mobile Internet Association in India, more than 870 million Indian sought to obtain videos, music and other content in Indian languages ​​in 2024, and among 57 % of the favorite content in local languages.

Toonsutra, a Webtoons platform in India, is trying to take advantage of the high use of the Internet in the country and this preference for translated content. The company mainly licenses different comedy from different angles in the world, arranges them into rings, and translates them into Indian languages. It currently offers cartoons in English, Hindi, Tamil and Telego via Android and iOS applications.

“We have discussed the problem of India, which lacks access to the UEBTON titles in the coordination of various meals and languages ​​and thought that there is a great opportunity here.” Vical Anand, co -founder and CEO of Techcrunch said: “We want to grow the culture of comedy in India and create Vandum Who is around it.

Toonsutra dominates through the purchases within the application: some episodes in each free address, and users must open the rest by spending “metal currencies” that they can buy either explicitly, or earn by reading more comic stories. The company also experiences subscription plans and purchases of all episodes.

Anand said the platform has more than half a million active users per month, and it grows steadily. This is proper to start operating for less than two years, and it seems that investors love this opportunity to enter this relatively deprived market: I collected TOONSUTRA 5.9 million dollars so far through multiple rounds, Google, and Maiora Capital, as well as Funimation Gen Fukunaga, Founder, Founder Crunchyroll participant Kun Gao, Lightspeed partner Jeremy Liu, co -founder of Twitch Kevin Lin, and founder of Rotten Tomatoes Patrick Lee.

Although it is a big name on your cover table, Google is not new in this space. Technology giant support many startups in India targeting regional content, including Sharechat Social Networkand Lock the screen of the screen applicationCreating the verse (works Josh and News App DailyHunt) And FM sound platform fastening.

Filmon Zira, a participant in the Holtzberk Publishing Group, which runs nature, said that the company decided to invest in Tunis to diversify its regional strategy and coordination. “Investment in Toonsutra gives us the vision in the Indian market, which is a dynamic and growing content market. In addition, startup is an innovative project with new liquefied techniques for success in the market.”

Anand, former CPO for DailyHunt, Toonsutra in 2023 with Sharad Devarajan, CEO of Graphic India and Digital Entertainment Comics Comics.

Toonsutra has a competitor in Matrix Partners India, which is backed by India, which The creation of artificial intelligence is used to create content; Pocketfm, which ventures to create a web. And the Kroft -backed Pratilipi, which has Cartoon platform in Indian languages.

But Anand indicated that Toonsutra is not trying to create a book platform to adapt their stories to the comic stories. Instead, the company wants to rely on guidance and the use of Amnesty International to adapt addresses with different languages. “Our intention is to be Netflix instead of YouTube. Because if people link you with three or four medium titles, it is difficult to build a brand. We are trying to get exclusive titles on our platform with high quality and high confidence.

He added that the company’s partnership with Google also helps it access to the Search Giant models that want to translate and adapt comedy into Indian languages.

Analysts predict Anime and Web It will witness healthy growth in India. For example, the Crunchyroll anime flow service has invested significantly in India – Subscription plans here are designed at the levels of Indian pricesAnd even the face Anime is called some local languages.