Shemaroo’s blockchain bet: From passive viewers to active participants

Shemaroo Entertainment has taken a decisive step into the blockchain era by partnering with PWR Chain, a Layer 0 blockchain infrastructure that promises high-speed transactions with minimal energy consumption. This collaboration designates PWR Chain as the official blockchain partner for ShemarooVerse, the company’s immersive digital entertainment platform, aiming to redefine content consumption, monetisation, and audience engagement.

As media consumption patterns evolve, Shemaroo Entertainment is leveraging blockchain technology to design new-age business models that align with changing consumer expectations. Arghya Chakravarty, COO of Shemaroo Entertainment, emphasised that blockchain opens up new avenues for audience interaction beyond passive content consumption. “With ShemarooVerse, we are building a blockchain-powered entertainment and social destination where audiences don’t just consume content but actively participate in it,” he said.

The blockchain tech market is exploding, projected to hit $1.43 trillion by 2030, as per Grand View Research. Meanwhile, the media, advertising, and entertainment blockchain segment, worth $915 million in 2023, is set to soar to $27.4 billion by 2032, thanks to a 52.8% CAGR between 2024-2032. Blockchain’s ability to fight fraud and boost ad accuracy with transparent, decentralized records is transforming the industry. It’s cutting fraud, empowering creators, and accelerating royalties, driving paradigm shift. Immutable ledgers cut fraud and empower creators, heralding a paradigm shift.

Blockchain’s ability to facilitate micropayments and usage-based billing could significantly alter monetisation models. While these mechanisms have not yet been fully scaled, Chakravarty believes their potential is immense. “As Web3 adoption continues to grow, we are strategically positioning ourselves to harness its full potential,” he revealed to Campaign, hinting at future plans to experiment with these features.

One of the most pressing concerns in digital entertainment is piracy, which leads to significant revenue losses for creators and distributors. Blockchain’s immutable digital rights management system could provide a robust solution to this issue by ensuring that content ownership and distribution are tracked transparently.

Beyond piracy prevention, blockchain also enhances transparency in digital advertising. By recording ad transactions immutably, advertisers can ensure they are receiving genuine engagement and that their spending results in actual reach.

Chakravarty noted that Shemaroo is running pilot projects in this area, stating, “Currently, we are running pilot projects to refine these models, and the initial results have been promising.” As the ecosystem evolves, he anticipates that blockchain’s key features will be increasingly integrated, strengthening rights management and transparency across the board.

Redefining creator-audience engagement

ShemarooVerse seeks to empower content creators by offering new monetisation opportunities through tokenisation and exclusive digital experiences. By leveraging PWR Chain’s infrastructure, Shemaroo aims to introduce novel revenue streams for creators beyond traditional ad-driven or subscription-based models.

Chakravarty elaborated, “Blockchain is revolutionising how creators monetise their work while helping them connect with their fans better than ever before. With PWR Chain, creators have greater control over their content, allowing them to transform it into interactive experiences that go beyond traditional formats.”

Melanie Mohr, CEO at PWR Labs

Unlike conventional blockchain platforms that require developers to learn entirely new programming languages, PWR Chain allows the deployment of Web2 software applications directly onto the blockchain. This enables Shemaroo Entertainment to integrate blockchain technology without overhauling its existing development infrastructure.

The shift towards decentralisation

The broader trend in media networks is towards decentralisation, which removes intermediaries and facilitates a direct connection between creators and consumers. ShemarooVerse aims to embrace this shift by fostering a more interactive entertainment ecosystem. However, Chakravarty views decentralisation not as a replacement for existing models but as an enhancement.

“Shemaroo has always evolved with the changing media landscape, from home video to satellite TV to digital streaming. ShemarooVerse is the next step in this evolution, creating a space where fans can actively engage with their favourite creators and participate in content experiences,” he said.

Shemaroo Entertainment sees Web3 as a long-term investment rather than a fleeting trend. The company is taking a phased approach to Web3 adoption, keeping an eye on mass adoption trends in India and the broader technology ecosystem.

“Factors like the mass adoption of blockchain in India, the ease of user interaction with Web3 applications, and the rise of immersive technologies like AR/VR will shape our next moves,” Chakravarty explained.

One major signal of blockchain’s mainstream adoption in India is the entry of large enterprises like Jio into the space. According to Chakravarty, this validates Shemaroo’s vision of Web3 as the future of digital infrastructure.

The role of PWR Chain: Scalability and sustainability

PWR Chain distinguishes itself from traditional blockchains by offering scalability without the inefficiencies typically associated with blockchain technology. The platform claims to process over 300,000 transactions per second using just a single CPU core per validator.

Melanie Mohr, CEO at PWR Labs, highlighted the platform’s efficiency: “Unlike traditional blockchains that require industrial-scale validators and energy-intensive hardware, PWR Chain achieves 300,000+ TPS on a single CPU core, surpassing the global max of 65,000 TPS for Visa and Mastercard combined.”

This lightweight infrastructure allows Shemaroo Entertainment to integrate blockchain into its operations without incurring high energy costs or facing scalability bottlenecks. The blockchain’s ability to support Web2 applications directly also ensures seamless integration into existing entertainment ecosystems.

Blockchain presents an opportunity to enhance fan participation through digital ownership and interactive experiences. PWR Chain’s technology enables features like tokenisation and digital collectibles, allowing fans to engage more deeply with content.

Mohr explained, “With blockchain, ShemarooVerse can offer exclusive digital content, behind-the-scenes experiences, and authenticated digital collectibles, allowing fans to engage in a more personal and meaningful way.” She added that this technology could also facilitate community-driven content initiatives, enabling audiences to vote on creative directions or access limited-edition digital experiences.

Beyond audience engagement, PWR Chain’s infrastructure also supports user-generated content (UGC), providing emerging creators with visibility and monetisation opportunities. The decentralisation aspect ensures that creators receive fair compensation without intermediaries taking a large cut.

Balancing sustainability and performance

A common critique of blockchain technology is its environmental impact. However, PWR Chain aims to overcome this issue by designing a highly efficient validation mechanism. Unlike traditional proof-of-work (PoW) blockchains, which rely on energy-intensive mining, PWR Chain operates with a near-zero carbon footprint while maintaining high performance.

Mohr compared this breakthrough to recent advancements in AI, stating, “When ChatGPT first emerged, large-scale AI models were thought to require billions in hardware. Then DeepSeek proved that powerful LLMs could be built at a fraction of the cost, completely shifting expectations in AI. PWR Chain is bringing that same ‘DeepSeek moment’ to blockchain.”

As entertainment moves towards more immersive experiences, blockchain is expected to play a foundational role in enabling these innovations. PWR Chain envisions a future where audiences can influence film storylines in real time, participate in live interactive shows with blockchain-backed voting, and engage in persistent digital experiences across multiple platforms.

Mohr concluded, “For Web3 entertainment to thrive, blockchain needs to feel invisible in the background while unlocking new creative possibilities for content platforms. PWR Chain is built for this next phase, allowing platforms like ShemarooVerse to go beyond passive streaming models and introduce live, interactive, and participatory digital experiences.”

With Shemaroo Entertainment and PWR Chain joining forces, the entertainment industry is on the cusp of a transformation where blockchain’s efficiency, transparency, and engagement capabilities redefine how content is consumed and monetised. Whether this shift achieves mass adoption will depend on how seamlessly these new models integrate into mainstream consumer habits.