India has a new soundtrack, and it’s keeping millions hooked for hours. From the backseats of Bengaluru cabs to the quiet bedrooms of Bhagalpur, millions of ears are plugged in for hours, listening to stories without visuals, they just can’t get enough of.

According to Pocket FM’s Entertainment Insights 2025 report, 86% of Indians surveyed have voted for episodic audio dramas over audiobooks, music or podcasts. In other words, the next wave of growth for India’s entertainment industry may be arriving through earbuds, not eyeballs.

Listening Becomes a Lifestyle 

Nearly half of these listeners binge on 10 or more episodes a day, while 50% spend more than 90 minutes daily listening to audio dramas. Pocket FM, the non-music audio entertainment arm of the Bengaluru-based startup Pocket Entertainment, surveyed 20,538 listeners

across India between June 5 and July 20, 2025, for the study.

Also, people are listening round the clock, and audio series are making their mundane moments magical—be it commuting, exercising, household chores or even relaxing . According to the study, 60% listen during leisure, 48% while commuting, 32% while working. 

A Youth-Led Shift

The numbers highlight just how youth-driven the trend is. According to the report, 84% of listeners are between the ages of 18 and 35. The respondents included 55% male and 45% female. Of them, 40% were students, 28% self-employed or business owners, 22% salaried employees, and 8% housewives. This occupation data adds more context and definitely signals broad appeal.

The trend spans across the nation. Around 58% of survey respondents were from Tier-II cities, while 42% came from metros and Tier-I cities.

 Drama, Romance, and Everything In-Between

And there’s something for every mood. Drama leads the pack (40%), but romance, fantasy, thrillers, and sci-fi all draw massive crowds, serving up twists and cliffhangers. Hindi remains the top language, but regional stories echo just as loud, whether in Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Marathi, or Bengali. 

Social media still dominates how Indians find their daily dose of non-music entertainment, with half the audience discovering new shows through short clips and creator recommendations, while trusted platform suggestions and old-school word-of-mouth seal the deal.

Unlike other audio formats, audio series encourage marathon listening sessions. The study finds about 50% of the listeners spend an average of 90 minutes a day listening to audio dramas, with 49% consuming over 10 episodes every day.

Why audio? The reasons are clear.

For 40% of listeners, audio’s biggest strength is its multitasking capability, the freedom to immerse while going about their day. Another 40% are drawn to its superior storytelling, where voice, imagination, and narrative depth create an unmatched experience. And for 32%, audio is the perfect antidote to screen fatigue, offering entertainment that helps them cut down on screen time without sacrificing engagement.

Monetisation Is No Longer an Afterthought

For years, audio platforms struggled with monetisation, leaning heavily on advertising. According to Pocket FM’s Entertainment Insights 2025 report, that’s changing fast. More than 77% of respondents voted for micro-payments where they can pay only for what they consume. The era of being locked into monthly subscriptions is giving way to freedom and control, episode by episode.

It’s a shift driven by user behaviour. Once hooked on a character or storyline, listeners are willing to pay small amounts to keep the story going. This creates what the report calls “narrative addiction,” a business model that scales more predictably than advertising alone.

The future is AI-powered storytelling

And in a twist that would have seemed outlandish just a few years ago, 80% of listeners say they’re open to AI-powered stories, as long as the feelings and characters ring true. It’s about that emotional connection, not who (or what) wrote the words.

Pocket FM’s findings point to a broader shift in how Indians engage with content, not always through screens, not always in spare time, but often in motion, multitasking, and on the go.

Audio dramas, aka audio series, are no longer the underdog. They’ve found their voice, and India is listening, episode after episode.

Click here for the entire report.