iWorld
Real Image empowers Mathrubhumi’s digital expansion with Wildmoka
Mumbai: One year after integrating Backlight’s Wildmoka platform into their digital workflow, Mathrubhumi has effectively more than doubled its digital footprint. Real Image, a leading media solutions provider, played a pivotal role in helping Mathrubhumi embrace a digital-first strategy.
The impact of Wildmoka on Mathrubhumi’s digital presence was evident within weeks of its adoption in 2022. Mathrubhumi digital business – director Mayura M S remarked, “As we celebrated our centenary, we sought solutions to expand our digital reach without significantly increasing our operational costs. After a comprehensive evaluation of available options, the cloud-based Wildmoka platform emerged as the natural choice. Over the past year, Wildmoka has not only boosted our digital rankings but has also fuelled non-linear growth in viewership, all the while significantly enhancing productivity. Real Image’s enthusiastic involvement added to our overall satisfaction.”
Wildmoka empowers broadcasters and rights owners to produce and deliver content from any source, to any destination, in any format, at speed and at scale. The solution simplifies most operations with a ‘Single Click,’ making publishing workflows intuitive and efficient. This includes automating tasks like adding overlays such as logos and watermarks, pre-post rolls, thumbnail decoration, selecting destinations with pre-filled metadata and outputting content in the relevant aspect ratio.
Mathrubhumi social media head Joseph Kumpail highlighted, “In addition to enabling rapid publishing, enhanced live streaming and efficient editing, Wildmoka helped us manage the churn through its quick onboarding, reducing the learning curve for our social media teams. Using Wildmoka, our story publishing time has decreased by two-thirds, resulting in a remarkable 120% increase in viewership.”
Real Image product management head S. Shankar Bhat noted, “Through Wildmoka, Real Image has empowered several prominent broadcasters to adopt a digital-first workflow, facilitating swift and efficient content dissemination across all digital platforms. We are delighted to witness Mathrubhumi achieving its desired results and experiencing a substantial return on investment as our partner.”
In an ever-evolving digital content creation and consumption landscape, innovative digital solution providers must adapt swiftly to industry trends and set new standards.
Backlight director – channel sales Jakob Hummes shared, “The Backlight team engages in continuous dialogue with customers and closely monitors industry developments. We are committed to pushing the boundaries of what can be achieved with our Wildmoka product line. Post-IBC, we have introduced exciting enhancements, particularly including our live stream production capabilities.”
iWorld
Meta tests Instagram Plus with stealth features and extended story tools
New paid tier targets everyday users with more control and privacy perks
MUMBAI: Meta appears to be doubling down on subscriptions, quietly testing a new premium tier called Instagram Plus that brings a mix of privacy, control and visibility tools to everyday users of Instagram.
Unlike Meta Verified, which is geared towards creators and businesses, the new offering is aimed squarely at regular users who want a little more control over how they show up and what they see on the platform.
At the heart of Instagram Plus is a rethink of Stories, the app’s most widely used feature. The test introduces the ability to view Stories anonymously, meaning users can watch or preview content without appearing in the viewer list. It also adds “rewatch insights”, allowing users to see how many times their own Stories have been viewed, a metric that has long been a source of curiosity.
There is more. Stories can stay live for up to 48 hours instead of the usual 24, giving posts a longer shelf life. Users can also create multiple audience lists beyond “Close Friends”, making it easier to tailor content for different circles such as work, family or social groups.
For those chasing visibility, a weekly “Story Spotlight” feature lets users push a post to the front of their followers’ feed. Meanwhile, searchable viewer lists make it simpler to track who has seen a Story, and a new “superlike” reaction adds a more animated way to stand out in direct messages.
The feature set may feel familiar to some. Several of these tools have previously existed through third-party workarounds or have been widely requested by users, particularly the ability to browse Stories discreetly.
Pricing for the test is deliberately modest, suggesting a strategy focused on scale. Early trials show subscription costs at roughly $1 to $2 per month in markets such as the Philippines, Mexico and Japan. The feature has not yet rolled out in India, the United States or Europe, though a broader launch later in 2026 is widely expected if the pilot gains traction.
The move reflects a broader shift in Meta’s business model. With digital advertising facing increasing competition and regulatory scrutiny, subscription products offer a more predictable revenue stream. Rivals such as Snapchat Plus have already found success, building a sizeable paying user base with similar premium add-ons.
For Meta, the bet is simple: give users more control, a touch of stealth and a dash of exclusivity, and they may be willing to pay. If the early signs hold, Instagram Plus could turn everyday scrolling into a slightly more curated, and monetised, experience.
