YRF Makes Strategic Investment in Rusk Media

Yash Raj Films (YRF) on Monday announced that it has made a strategic investment in Rusk Media.

Under the partnership, YRF will oversee the creative direction of original animation and vertical micro-drama IP. Rusk Media will be responsible for producing and distributing content through its Alright! TV platform and global digital channels.

“The instinct to evolve has always been central to YRF’s DNA. Platforms are infrastructure, content and IP are culture. Mayank and his team at Rusk Media have built a deep understanding of how the next generation discovers and inhabits stories and that is exactly the kind of vision we want to invest in . Together, the aspiration is to build worlds, not just content,” Akshaye Widhani, CEO at Yash Raj Films, said in a statement.

Mayank Yadav, co-founder and CEO at Rusk Media adds: “Vertical entertainment in India has produced extraordinary reach, but not the enduring IP that defines a category. That is the gap this collaboration is designed to close. We bring a native understanding of how digitally native audiences discover and build community around content, and with YRF’s backing, we are building for longevity, not the algorithm.”

The strategic investment comes shortly after the digital entertainment startup raised INR 100 Crore in a pre-series C funding round led by Nazara Technologies. InfoEdge Ventures, IvyCap Ventures and a consortium led by Audacity VC also joined the round.

The INR 100 Crore funding will be used for growing its Alright! TV, company’s mobile entertainment platform aimed at Gen Z and launching a new pipeline of Gen Z and Gen Alpha consumers-focused content (sports and audio-first content).

It further said it also plans to scale its youth-led intellectual properties like I-Popstar, a talent reality franchise and Engaged, an unscripted reality dating show, to new languages and international audiences.

Founded in 2019, Rusk Media builds mobile first video IPs for Gen Z and millennial audiences across social platforms, OTT services like Amazon MX Player, JioHotstar, etc. as well as its owned platform, Alright! TV.

Back in October last year, the company raised Rs 103 crore ($12 million) in a Series B funding round led by IvyCap Ventures. LC Nueva, InfoEdge Ventures, Woori Venture Partners and the company’s promoters and family also invested.