Maybe Quibi is lacking AI characters. At least that's what one startup seems to think.
My Drama is a brand new short-form series app with greater than 30 shows, most of that are in soap opera format to maintain viewers engaged. The app is now launching an AI-powered chatbot that can allow viewers to get to know the characters higher, putting it in closer competition with firms like Character.AI, the chatbot startup backed by a16z.
The short drama app was developed by holy watera Ukraine-based media tech startup founded by Bogdan Nesvit (CEO) and Anatolii Kasianov (CTO). The parent company also operates a reading app called My passionespecially known for his romance novels.
Since its launch in April, My Drama has quickly gained traction, boasting a million users and $3 million in revenue. Holywater has a powerful track record with its products, generating $90 million in annual recurring revenue (ARR) across all its offerings.
Believe it or not, the short-form drama app market has taken off, much to Quibi's dismay. Recent app store data shows that in the primary quarter of 2024, 66 short-form drama apps (ReelShort, DramaBox, and more) generated a record $146 million in global consumer spending, based on app intelligence firm Appfigures.
Holywater believes My Drama stands out within the increasingly crowded market due to its extensive library of mental properties. Thanks to the hundreds of My Passion books already published on the reading app, My Drama has a wealth of content to be adapted into movies. Plus, My Passion has a longtime fanbase that can likely be excited to see their favorite characters delivered to life.
My Drama plans to release 100 titles by the tip of the yr.
The company's next attempt is to introduce AI characters that may interact with viewers, creating an immersive storytelling experience.
At launch, My Drama users could have the chance to interact with two fictional characters: Jaxon, the billionaire love interest from “The Shy Beauty and the Billionaire Beast,” and Hayden, the heir to a formidable mafia family in “Love Captive to a Mafia Boss.”
After watching a couple of chapters of the series, the viewer is invited to speak with the character. They may ask the characters to send pictures. (My Drama doesn’t allow NSFW content.)
During a demo we shared with TechCrunch, Nesvit and Kasianov showed us what an interaction with Hayden would appear like. The app helps you construct a relationship with him and gain his trust (he’s a fearsome mafia boss, in any case). He'll ask you questions on events within the series, comparable to the rival gang he's attempting to take down.
At the highest of the screen is a meter that measures your rating on Hayden's Trust Meter. The company explains that this gamification tactic goals to extend engagement on the platform.
The AI companions are also available via a standalone app called My imaginationwhich is currently in beta. The recent app will allow users to have more personal conversations with the characters. Later, they are going to even have the ability to create their very own characters, which is Character.AI's specialty.
It is value noting that the characters Jaxon and Hayden are portrayed by real human actors Nazar Grabar And Bodgan Ruban. At a time when actors are concerned concerning the impact of AI on the industry, it's interesting that two actors would give an organization permission to make use of their likeness as an AI companion. However, it's somewhat reassuring to know that they'll be fairly compensated for it. According to Holywater, the compensation for the role as an AI companion can exceed their regular acting salary.
Nesvit explained: “The payment system consists of a set price plus additional royalties. Depending on the variety of users and the time they spend within the chat, actors can now earn as much as $10,000 monthly. The more users they attract to the chat, the upper their royalty fee.”
The human writers and producers at My Drama use AI for some facets of scriptwriting, localization, and voice acting. In particular, the corporate hires lots of of actors for film content, all of whom have consented to the usage of their likenesses for voice sampling and video generation. My Drama uses several AI models, including ElevenLabs, Stable Diffusion, OpenAI, and Meta's Llama 3.
Like many media firms, Holywater emphasizes the time and value savings of using AI. For example, when it used AI to capture a house fire, the corporate only spent around $100 to create the video, in comparison with the roughly $8,000 it might have cost without AI. By using AI, My Drama can produce content in only one week.
“Our goal is to scale back costs by at the very least 40 percent by the tip of the yr through the usage of AI,” said Nesvit.
In addition, the corporate plans to further refine the AI chatbot feature and add a feature where recent scenes appear after users interact with characters, allowing them to act as co-creators of the series in a way.
Eventually, there may even be video and voice chat features. Character.AI recently introduced the flexibility for users to voice chat with characters.
My Drama is on the market online and on iOS And Android devices. While some episodes might be watched free of charge, the app puts most episodes behind a paywall. Users must purchase one in all the coin packs, which cost between $2.99 and $19.99 per week, to unlock premium titles, ad-free viewing, and early access to content.
