iWorld
Amazon Prime, Dharma enter licensing deal
MUMBAI: Amazon and Dharma Productions today announced a long-term agreement that will make Prime Video India the subscription streaming home for well-known films and upcoming new releases from Dharma Productions.
The digital premiere will include keenly awaited films like Ae Dil Hai Mushkil starring Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Ranbir Kapoor and Anushka Sharma, Ok Jaanu starring Aditya Roy Kapoor and Shraddha Kapoor, and Badrinath Ki Dulhania, starring Varun Dhawan and Alia Bhatt. With this deal, existing Prime members will have access to unlimited streaming of this popular content as a part of their Prime membership.
“We are excited to have Dharma Productions’ library and future slate of titles for the upcoming launch of Prime Video,” said Amazon Video India country head director Nitesh Kripalani. “We know our Prime members are going to love the broad selection of films and stories – everything from soulful romance to heartfelt and funny family stories – that Dharma does so well.”
“We have kept a close eye on the explosion of digital media, and the increased consumption trends of Bollywood content on Video-On-Demand and OTT Platforms”, said Dharma Productions CEO Apoorva Mehta. “We at Dharma felt that the time couldn’t be more right for us to mark our presence on such sought after platforms. We are confident that partnering with a credible brand like Amazon will go a long way in ensuring that our content will not only be seamlessly streamed, but will also see a huge demand from users of Prime Video.”
The library of films on Prime Video will comprise of blockbuster titles like Kapoor & Sons, Brothers, Shaandaar and Gori Tere Pyar Mein, in addition to successful Dharma films in the recent past like Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, Student of the Year, Kal Ho Naa Ho, and Agneepath, to name a few.
Amazon Prime already offers unlimited free One-day and Two-day delivery to over 100 cities on eligible items from India’s largest selection of products, 30 minutes early access for members on top deals and more benefits for an unparalleled shopping experience.
iWorld
X launches XChat messaging app on iOS with calls and encryption
Standalone app marks shift from “everything app” vision, adds E2E messaging.
MUMBAI: From one big app to many small chats, X seems to be splitting its ambitions. X has rolled out its standalone messaging app, XChat, to iOS users, opening up a new front in its evolving product strategy. The app allows users to connect with existing X contacts through private and group messages, file sharing, as well as audio and video calls. The launch follows a limited beta phase, where the platform tested the product with a smaller user base to refine the experience. Now available publicly, XChat marks a notable pivot from earlier ambitions championed by Elon Musk to turn X into a single “everything app” combining messaging, payments, commerce and more.
Instead, the company under xAI ownership and backed by SpaceX appears to be building a suite of standalone applications, each targeting specific use cases while expanding its broader ecosystem.
At launch, XChat includes end-to-end encrypted messaging, PIN-based access, disappearing messages, and features such as message editing, deletion for all participants, and screenshot blocking. The company has also said the app is free from advertisements and tracking mechanisms, positioning it as a privacy-first alternative in a crowded messaging space.
However, security claims around the platform are likely to face scrutiny. Earlier iterations of XChat drew criticism from experts who argued it fell short of established encrypted platforms like Signal. With the wider rollout, the app is expected to undergo fresh evaluation to assess whether those concerns have been addressed.
Beyond messaging, XChat will also house X’s Communities feature, which is being discontinued on the main platform due to low usage and spam concerns. Migrating these users could provide an early boost to adoption, effectively turning XChat into both a communication and community hub.
The move underscores a broader recalibration at X less about cramming everything into one app, and more about spreading bets across multiple touchpoints, one message at a time.
