Disney Star Signs Content Deal with Bengaluru-Based Self-Publishing Platform Pratilipi

Disney Star partners with Pratilipi for new content, marking a unique collaboration in the world of entertainment.

on Sep 14, 2023

Disney Star Signs Content Deal with Bengaluru-Based Self-Publishing Platform Pratilipi | Frontlist

Pratilipi has signed a multi-series content contract with media conglomerate Disney Star, which will allow the latter to generate various new fiction television shows based on stories available on the self-publishing platform.

According to a joint statement from the firms, this is the first time a TV series has been adapted and developed from an online self-publishing and audiobook platform. Pratlipi claims to have more than ten million tales on its platform.

"We have always believed in providing high-quality content in a variety of formats to meet the needs of everyone." "Our partnership with Disney Star demonstrates our ongoing commitment to producing multi-format content for a broader audience," stated Ranjeet Pratap Singh, CEO and cofounder of Pratilipi.

Pratilipi, an Indian language storytelling platform founded in 2015 by Singh, Sankaranarayanan Devarajan, Rahul Ranjan, and Sahradayi Modi, connects readers and writers in 12 languages, including Tamil, Malayalam, English, Bengali, Kannada, Hindi, and Marathi.

The startup also claims to have a large readership and listening base of up to 15 million subscribers, as well as more than 9.5 lakh writers. According to the firms, the partnership between Pratilipi and Disney Star allows writers to visualise their stories in a variety of media.

"Our collaboration with Pratilipi underscores our core belief in empowering writers, which is essential for creating compelling content on both TV and digital platforms," said Gaurav Bannerjee, chief content at Disney+Hotstar & HSM Entertainment Network.

Pratilipi has received funding from Tencent, Omidyar Network, WEH Ventures, Times Internet, and Nexus Venture Partners, among others.

In 2020, it acquired Mumbai-based IVM Podcasts. It also acquired The Write Order in 2021 to expand its repository of original stories.

Last year, the startup also entered the traditional book publishing market with the acquisition of Westland Publications.

However, on the back of growing expenses, Pratilipi’s net loss more than doubled to INR 196.44 Cr in FY22 from INR 96.19 Cr in the previous year. On the other hand, its operating revenue surged 41.5X year-on-year to INR 7.88 Cr.