International titles in Indian languages and new genres are among his post-pandemic changes
the Sandman Audiobooks based on Neil Gaiman’s series are a classic example of how a classic in a medium (in this case, comics) can gain a new lease of life, even to a new audience. When it is adapted to another medium. With actors like James McAvoy and Riz Ahmed narrated by Gaiman himself for Audible, the audio version (launched in September 2021) has received great reviews across the spectrum, with good reason. Now, the podcast and audiobook platform has announced that the Indian audience will soon get its Hindi version. the Sandman.
This is one of the announcements made by Audible India this week. He has just released the Audible Plus catalog he can listen to, which has over 15,000 titles available – including those by novelist Anand Neelakantan. Many Ramayanas, Many Lessons, And Kalia Masan Avik by Government – at no extra cost to existing users. There is also a ‘Free Tier’ with over 150 Audible-exclusive podcasts and originals (audio stories) and over 40,000 popular podcasts from around the world. Warrior, a 30-part series on the brave exploits of Indian soldiers narrated by Nilesh Mishra, and black voice, a horror story in 10 parts narrated by Amitabh Bachchan, is a part of the free catalog.
expanding to new audiences
during a virtual conversation with The Hindu WeekendShailesh Savlani, VP and Country GM, Audible India, said, “I think there is a lot of room to grow within the audience that we have already catered to. What we are trying to do with the new Plus catalog is Our aim is to provide greater value to our customers, including those who are prolific consumers of more established forms of media like streaming.” He added that the category is growing at knots in India.
“For Audible, India has been one of the fastest growing markets in its history. Our most engaged listeners stay connected for more than two and a half hours a day, and what we’ve found through their insights and surveys is that they’ve found ways to incorporate Audible into their daily lives—people are now listening. There are audio stories and podcasts in my daily life, while busy with my work.”
Epidemic Programming
According to industry studies, the past few years and the recent pandemic-induced lockdowns have prompted people to spend more time with audiobooks – the average weekly consumption has increased from seven to 16 hours. “There are a number of evidence points from various surveys and studies assessing audiobook and podcast consumption from PwC, KPMG, etc., which tell us that there is a lot of room to grow here,” says Savlani.
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Perhaps that’s why the platform has now invested in a wide variety of formats and stories: from thrillers and comedies to family dramas and ghost stories. Several upcoming movies featuring Bollywood actors – something we’ve seen on Spotify India, which released recently viris 2062Richa Chadha and Ali Fazal lent their voices. in-laws wonder flowerFor example, a Hindi-language romantic comedy starring Sanya Malhotra (Shakuntala Devi, Photo) and Varun Malhotra (fukery), set in a family that runs a sex clinic. Romance novelist Durjoy Dutta the last girl to fall in love Another Hindi-language story set in Pandemic, voiced by actors Anupriya Goenka and Akshay Oberoi.
betting on regional content
Soon, we might get to hear these artists as they adapt your favorite international audio stories into Indian languages (like the ones above) NS sandman Hindi series).
“We are always on the lookout for stories from around the world that we think will do well regardless of language. We have recently released evil eye, which is an adaptation of a popular Audible title, evil eye. Through the industry we know of a number of franchises that are being localized to cater to regional language audiences,” says Savlani, who quickly adds, “A lot of things are in motion regarding which We can’t talk today. And it’s really an opportunity that works both ways; It is also an opportunity for people of Indian origin to reach an international market.”
It is clear that Indian podcast and audiobook listeners are on everyone’s radar, as Audible and its competitors look to make aggressive inroads into an already booming market. In the coming months, listeners can expect more tailored content in multiple languages, more marquee releases and more stories from different walks of life.
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