Pocket FM and the rise of steamy audio
The four-year-old streaming startup is riding high on the back of “romantic” programming and leading a larger wave.
Why read this story?
Editor's note: A mellow, female voice in Hindi introduces the lead character Tanvi. Newly wed, nervous and naive. On a bed decorated with flowers in a palatial room, she is sitting in a nightgown, waiting for her new husband to consummate their marriage. The description of what she feels and goes through is delved into in quite detail over the next 12 minutes of this episode called “Pehli Mulaqat”, or “First Encounter”. The language and the description carefully builds up the sexual tension of the situation for the listener. Another story involves a man who leaves no stone unturned to sleep with his 18-year-old sister-in-law. In fact, the whole purpose of getting married was to win his wife’s sister. A revenge plot devised by the sister-in-law adds a touch of thrill to the raunchy tale. The two examples offer a glimpse into Pocket FM’s library, most of which is filled with steamy and titillating series, much of it in Indian languages. If you’ve heard of it at all, it may be because of its recent ad campaigns on YouTube that dangle stories …
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