Rusk Media bags Rs 100 Cr funding to expand content play
Mumbai-headquartered Rusk Media plans to expand content franchises, grow Alright! TV, build AI production tools and pursue international audiences.
Rusk Media, a digital entertainment company focused on Gen Z and millennial audience, has raised Rs 100 crore in a pre-Series C funding round led by Nazara Technologies, a listed gaming and sports media company.
Existing and new investors including InfoEdge Ventures, the investment arm of Info Edge, IvyCap Ventures, a homegrown venture capital firm, and a consortium led by Audacity VC also participated in the round.
As part of the investment, representatives from Nazara Technologies and Audacity VC will join Rusk Media's board of directors.
The Mumbai-headquartered company said the fresh capital will be used to expand its content portfolio, strengthen its technology stack and scale its consumer platforms.
A key focus will be taking some of its most successful intellectual properties, into new languages and overseas markets. These include I-Popstar, its talent reality franchise, and Engaged, a reality dating format aimed at younger audiences.
The company also plans to invest in Alright! TV, its proprietary mobile entertainment platform, while developing new sports and audio-first formats targeted at Gen Z and Gen Alpha consumers.
Another major area of investment will be AI. Rusk Media said it intends to build proprietary AI-driven production tools that can lower content creation costs, speed up production cycles and create new monetisation opportunities within the Alright! TV ecosystem.
In media and entertainment, AI is increasingly being used for editing, localisation, audience analysis and content generation, helping digital-first companies improve efficiency and reach.
Founded in 2019, Rusk Media operates across content creation, distribution and monetisation. The company develops mobile-first video formats spanning scripted fiction, unscripted shows, animation, vertical dramas and live entertainment. Its content is distributed through social media platforms, streaming services such as Amazon MX Player and JioHotstar, and its own platform, Alright! TV.
The company also operates Rusk Ads, an advertising business that helps brands connect with digital audiences through content-led campaigns.
Explaining the company’s ambitions, Mayank Yadav, co-founder and chief executive officer of Rusk Media, said, “Our goal has always been to redefine storytelling for the new generation.” He added that the company is combining AI-powered production capabilities with formats across entertainment, sports and audio to build globally relevant entertainment infrastructure from India.
Nazara Technologies' Managing Director Nitish Mittersain said the investment was driven by Rusk Media’s mix of youth-focused IPs, its growing direct-to-consumer platform and what he described as a “technology-first approach to production”.
According to Mittersain, these are the factors that can create long-term value in modern media businesses.
The funding comes at a time when India’s digital content ecosystem is evolving rapidly. Short-form video, creator-led entertainment and mobile-first storytelling are attracting growing investor interest as internet penetration deepens and younger audiences increasingly consume content on smartphones.
Media companies are also experimenting with AI-enabled production and localisation to reduce costs and expand into regional and international markets.
Several Indian creator economy, media-tech and entertainment startups have secured capital over the past year as investors look for scalable content businesses with strong audience engagement and proprietary IP.
Industry participants are also closely watching developments around digital content regulation, data governance and AI adoption, all of which are expected to shape the next phase of growth for online entertainment platforms.
Investors backing Rusk Media believe the company is well positioned to benefit from these shifts.
InfoEdge Ventures partner Amit Behl said unscripted formats have become the “universal language” of younger digital audiences, while IvyCap Ventures founder Vikram Gupta highlighted the company’s position at the intersection of content, technology and audience engagement.