Podcasts are more than just audio versions of text content

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Hello reader,

I used to listen to a ton of podcasts. I could regularly keep up with five or six basketball ones and one on gaming, the latter of which regularly releases episodes which are over three hours in length.

Now, I only listen to the gaming podcast. Besides simply getting busier and having less time to listen to podcasts, I realized that the gaming one has endured because it gives me something that nothing else does – I really like the hosts. They’re extremely funny.

The basketball podcasts are alright, but since the meat of their content lies mainly in the basketball games themselves, I can get my fix from articles and other sources.

Additionally – and this is no slight to the people behind the pods – most sports podcasters and journalists can’t hold an episode on the power of their personality alone, even if they’re amazing writers.

This is a long-winded way of saying that every medium demands specific skillsets to shine, even if the base material (e.g., the latest news in basketball or gaming) is the same.

I would assume India-based Pocket FM is at least somewhat aware of this fact, seeing as it leads our funding deals this week.

You can find all other important investment deals that happened in the last few days in our weekly funding news wrap-up.

Let’s dive into the biggest deals and M&As that recently took place.

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The biggest deals by market

🇮🇳 Hailing from India, Pocket FM is an audio over-the-top platform for audiobooks and podcasts. It received US$103 million in a series D round led by Lightspeed Venture Partners.

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M&As

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Startups that are raising funds

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Behind the Glasswall

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The rise of Malaysia’s tech ecosystem

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Exclusive listicles

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