SynopsisYash Raj Films is venturing into the burgeoning digital-first entertainment space with a strategic investment in Rusk Media. This move signals YRF's expansion into mobile-first storytelling, focusing on original animation and vertical micro-dramas. The partnership aims to create category-defining intellectual property for global digital platforms, leveraging India's massive mobile audience and establishing the country as a creative force in vertical entertainment.Akshaye Widhani, chief executive of Yash Raj FilmsFilm production company Yash Raj Films (YRF) has invested in digital-first entertainment company Rusk Media, marking the studio's first strategic bet on India's emerging vertical entertainment market as it expands into mobile-first storytelling.The financial terms of YRF's investment were not disclosed.The investment comes days after Rusk Media raised Rs 100 crore in a Pre-Series C funding round led by Nazara Technologies. Existing investors Info Edge Ventures and IvyCap Ventures also participated, alongside a consortium led by Audacity VC.YRF reported operating revenue of Rs 740 crore and a net profit of Rs 56 crore in FY24, according to credit rating agency Acuité Ratings & Research.The partnership comes as mobile-first content consumption continues to grow among younger audiences. Vertical storytelling, or mobile-first videos designed to be viewed in portrait mode, has emerged as one of the fastest-growing digital entertainment formats globally.Under the partnership, YRF and Rusk Media will jointly develop original animation and vertical micro-drama intellectual property (IP) for distribution on Alright! TV and global digital platforms."Theatrical storytelling has always been, and will remain, the heart of YRF," Akshaye Widhani, chief executive of Yash Raj Films, told ET. "This partnership isn't a departure from our vision. Rather, it is a natural extension of it."Widhani said the investment was driven by changing audience behaviour rather than a shift in YRF's long-standing focus on theatrical storytelling. He said India's 377-million-strong mobile-first audience made this the right time for the studio to enter the category."The world's best studios evolve with changing audience behaviours. They don't define themselves by formats or screens. They define themselves by great storytelling, taking compelling stories to audiences wherever they choose to engage," he said.While declining to disclose the size of the investment, Widhani said YRF's ambition was to build original IP that can travel across global digital channels and help establish India as a creative force in the vertical entertainment economy.Rather than adapting YRF's existing film franchises, the partnership will initially focus on creating original IP for vertical storytelling."Vertical storytelling has its own grammar and its own audience expectations. Getting that right with original content is the priority," Widhani said.Mayank Yadav, co-founder and chief executive of Rusk Media, said India's vertical entertainment market has generated scale but has yet to produce enduring franchises."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," Yadav said.Widhani said YRF would judge the partnership's success by whether Rusk Media builds category-defining properties that carry Indian storytelling to global digital audiences over the next three to five years.Read More News on...moreless