iWorld
Twitter experiments, doubles its tweet character limit
MUMBAI: Twitter has announced that it is expanding the tweet limit from 140 characters to 280 characters – double the existing limit.
Twitter chief executive Jack Dorsey said that it was is a small change yet a significant move for the company. Twitter product manager Aliza Rosen and software engineer Ikuhiro Ihara said it was a pain trying to cram one’s thoughts into a tweet – a longer limit would be tried out in the languages impacted by cramming.
The new limits are only available to a “small group” of users, to check out how it works for the initial users before Twitter decides to roll out the changes widely.
Twitter has planned to leave the old 140-character limit in place for tweets in Japanese, Korean and Chinese because the internal data showed written characters in those languages packed plenty into the allotted space.
A Twitter blog post observed that only 0.4 per cent of tweets sent in Japanese use the complete 140-character limit, compared to nine per cent of English tweets.
Twitter, in the last quarter, reported its base of monthly active users (MAUs) was at 328 million. Its growth has not kept pace with the leader Facebook, which has around two billion users, and its sister company Instagram, with 800 million.
iWorld
Frodoh, Chaupal introduce non-intrusive first-screen ads for OTT platforms
New ad-tech layer unlocks revenue without interrupting OTT viewing
MUMBAI: Frodoh has partnered with regional OTT platform Chaupal to roll out what it calls an industry-first “first-screen” monetisation framework, aimed at helping subscription-led streaming services generate additional revenue without interrupting content viewing.
The new model focuses on connected TV home screens, introducing ad formats that sit within the discovery layer rather than the content itself. In simple terms, viewers may notice subtle brand placements while browsing, but once they hit play, the experience remains ad-free.
The technology is designed to tap into high-attention areas such as session depth, viewing intent and discovery behaviour, turning previously unused interface space into monetisable real estate. For OTT platforms, this opens up a fresh revenue stream without diluting the premium experience that subscribers expect.
Chaupal chief executive officer Sandeep Bansal said the move balances growth with user trust. “By partnering with Frodoh, we are introducing a sophisticated ‘first-screen’ monetisation layer that integrates seamlessly into our UI, ensuring discovery remains native and non-intrusive while keeping content consumption ad-free.”
From Frodoh’s side, the pitch is clear: expand the ad pie without cluttering the screen. Frodoh founder and chief executive officer Russhabh R Thakkar said the framework creates a new category of advertising by unlocking high-visibility home screen inventory that was previously untapped.
Industry watchers see this as part of a broader shift in OTT monetisation strategies, especially as subscription platforms look to diversify revenue without risking churn. With connected TV usage rising steadily, the home screen is quickly becoming the next battleground for attention.
If the model scales, this partnership could signal a subtle but significant shift in how OTT platforms monetise, proving that sometimes, the most valuable ad space is the one you see before the show even begins.
