MUMBAI: Reliance-owned music streaming platform JioSaavn has launched JioSaavn YourCast to enable podcasters to upload their shows onto the platform.

The company said that YourCast helps create an integrated, end-to-end support ecosystem that empowers independent podcasters with tools to get their stories listened to. The new platform also streamlines the content curation process for podcasters, as they can now simply submit basic details and links to their RSS feeds through an online portal.

These details will be verified by JioSaavn’s in-house content team for authenticity and quality, after which approved shows will go live thereafter. The podcasters can reach over 100 Mn engaged JioSaavn users across the globe.

The company says that it has launched several original podcasts while steadily building out the catalogue with partner content. This includes shows such as #NoFilterNeha, Kahaani Express, Take 2 with Anupama and Rajeev, Bhai Ke Raapchik Reviews, Mind Voice with RJ Balaji and its ongoing original music podcast series, Talking Music.

Ishani Dasgupta, who leads the podcast partnerships role at JioSaavn, said, “Through this unique offering, Creators will now be able to make their content available to a large and diverse audience base through the click of a button, platform users will have a large array of culturally relevant podcasts spanning topics and genres that cater to every interest.”

Since 2016, the company says it has registered a 10x increase in its podcasting catalogue and created over 200 hours of original content across a variety of culturally-relevant categories – numbers that can be expected to grow even further with the launch of JioSaavn YourCast.

Podcasts gain traction in India

Audio shows are not a new product for Indians, who are still tuning in to radio devices across the length and breadth of the country. And now with the country’s growing internet penetration and increased smartphone adoption, cheap and easy access to podcasts holds great potential.

Besides podcasts on Google Play Music, JioSaavn, Hungama, Airtel Wynk, Apple Music, SoundCloud and Amazon Prime Music, dedicated podcasting platforms have sprung up recently. The growth of international players has raised the interest of users and enterprises as well as investors in podcasts.

Although the Indian startups and companies are still experimenting with a revenue model, investors have not been shy about making investments in podcast players. The likes of HubHopper, Khabri, Aawaz, KukuFM, Headfone among others have attracted major funding in this space in the past five years.

Mumbai-based podcast startup Kuku FM is looking to tap into regional podcasts and long-form audio content. The platform has 500K monthly active users, which have seen 20% M-o-M growth. In terms of creators, the company says it has over 3K creators who upload 100 hours of content daily.

As of December 2019, 40 Mn Indian internet users have listened to podcasts in India. Although, this market is just one small fraction of the bigger OTT video and music streaming industry.