Rusk Media is turning its Mumbai base into a production hub for American unscripted television. The Indian digital media company, which focuses on Gen Z and Gen Alpha content, is expanding the hub to shoot US adaptations of three formats it owns: Battleground, Engaged and Playground.
The international push took shape this summer when Rusk opened a Los Angeles-based division under veteran executive Tyler Massey. The first test is a US version of Engaged, filmed in March in India with a 16-person American cast and US showrunner Aaron Catling. It is set for later this year on Rusk’s Alright! TV platform, then YouTube.
The cost logic
The appeal is straightforward. “What we’re doing is creating US shows for a global audience, but we’re saving a lot of money by producing it in India, so it’s a really great model,” Massey said. Rusk is not waiting for a single buyer to underwrite the full budget; its advertising sales division brings in sponsorship money, reducing the risk of exporting a format before a licensing deal is signed.
The formats backing the pitch
- Battleground: a youth fitness-creator competition. Its first season generated more than 20 million views and 2.5 billion social media impressions across India. Banijay acquired global rights after that run.
- Engaged: a dating format with flirty tasks, partner swaps and twists. The Indian first season launched earlier this year on JioHotstar.
- Playground: India’s first gaming reality show, now in its fifth season on Prime Video and Amazon MX Player.
This mix of proof and social scale matters: Rusk is not exporting an untested idea. The company also took new investment from Yash Raj Films earlier this year, and Massey is eyeing microdrama production and a larger licensing business in the US.
The Gen Z gap
Co-founder and CEO Mayank Yadav said Rusk still sees a gap in the market for family-friendly shows aimed at Gen Z. “Our belief is that there is very little programming that’s made for Gen Z audiences that they can enjoy with their family,” he said.
Yadav added that Rusk has the capabilities, infrastructure and data to decide what to produce in the US—and sees growing demand for microdramas and new formats among American Gen Z audiences.
What to watch
For content buyers and media planners, this is a case study in producing for one market from a lower-cost base. The model reduces budget pressure while keeping a local showrunner and cast. The commercial question is whether US Gen Z viewers will respond to shows shot outside the market where they are consumed. Rusk’s answer is that the formats have already proven their pull—and that audience data, not geography, should guide the slate.
Source: C21media
