It’s not news that India is a huge market for entertainment business, but what’s not mentioned frequently is that people love seeing content in their own language. A recent survey by Indian nonprofits and Mobile Associations found that over 870 million Indians searched for videos, music and other content in the Indian language in 2024.
Toonsutra, the Indian Webtoons platform, is looking to capitalize on the rise in domestic internet usage and this preference for localized content. The company essentially licenses different cartoons from different corners of the world, places them in episodes and translates them into Indian languages. Currently, they offer comics in English, Hindi, Tamil and Telugu via Android and iOS apps.
“We saw the issue of India not being able to access top webtoon titles in snackable formats and access to various languages, and we thought there was a great opportunity here. I spoke to Vishal Anand to TechCrunch.
Toonsutra is monetized by in-app purchases: Some episodes of each title are free and users can either purchase by reading more comics or spend “coins” that can earn money You must unlock the The company is also experimenting with subscription plans and episode-by-episode purchases.
Anand said the platform has more than half a million active users each month, and is growing steadily. This is a decent traction for startups that have been around for less than two years, and investors seem to like the opportunity for this to enter this relatively inadequate market. Toonsutra raised $5.9 million in multiple rounds, including the Sony Innovation Fund and Holtzbrinck. Ventures, Google, and Maiora Capital, Funimation founder Fukunaga, Crunchyroll co-founder Kun Gao, Lightspeed Partner Jeremy Liew, Twitch co-founder Kevin Lin, Rotten Tomatoes co-founder Patrick Lee.
The one on the cap table is a big name, but Google is nothing new to this space. Tech Giant supports several startups in India, including social network ShareChat, lockscreen app eyes, poetry innovation (operating short video platforms Josh and News App DailyHunt), and audio platform Kuku FM.
Filmon Zerai, co-CEO of Holtzbrinck Publishing Group, which operates Nature, said the company has decided to invest in Toonsutra to diversify its ITSS region and format strategy. “The investment in Toonsutra gives us visibility in the Indian market. This is a dynamic and growing content market. Furthermore, the startup has new monetization technologies to succeed in the market. “It’s an innovative venture,” Zerai told TechCrunch.
Anand, a former CPO at DailyHunt, founded Toonsutra in 2023, and founded Animation Company Graphic India and Sharad Devarajan, CEO of digital entertainment company Liquid Comics.
Toonsutra has a rival in Dashton, supported by Matrix Partners India, which uses AI Creation Suite to generate content. Pocketfm is trying to create webtoons. Pratilipi is supported by Krafton, which has a platform for Indian comics.
However, Anand pointed out that Toonsutra is not trying to create a platform for writers to adapt their stories to cartoons. Instead, the company relies on curation and wants to use AI to adapt titles to different languages. “Our intention is to become Netflix, not YouTube, because it’s hard to build a brand if people relate you with three or four mediocre titles. We’re high quality and high We are trying to get an exclusive title on a platform with confidence,” Anand said.
The company’s partnership with Google also helps to provide access to the models of search giants who want to translate comics into Indian language and adapt them.
Analysts predict anime, and Webtoons predicts healthy growth in India. For example, anime streaming service Crunchyroll has invested heavily in India. The subscription plans here are tailored to Indian pricing levels, and the catalogue also includes anime dubbed in local languages.
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