iWorld
One Digital Entertainment crosses the 1200+ channel mark
MUMBAI One Digital Entertainment, known for managing digital video content and channels for some of the biggest creators in the country like Sanjeev Kapoor, Honey Singh, Badshah, Speed Records, Raftaar, Rannvijay, Anubhav Sinha, Tiger Shroff, Fever FM amongst others, recently crossed the 1200+ YouTube channels mark, further consolidating its position as the largest multi-channel network in the country. The company that started around three years ago today boasts of an undisputed 20 billion minutes of content that has been consumed on its network so far,
One Digital’s expansive presence ranges from music, entertainment, lifestyle, food, comedy and more. The company is also credited with identifying new talent and creating Internet sensations like Prajakta Koli, who has crossed 37,000 subscribers in less than 10 months on her channel Mostly Sane. The largest content network for YouTube in India and also distributes content across multiple other content publishers and partners. 2016 will also see One Digital foray more actively into original web programming with a line-up of 12 different formats to be launched.
Commenting on this success, One Digital Entertainment COO and CO founder Gurpreet Singh said, “Driving reach & viewership for online video has been a challenge for a lot of entities in this space but One Digital Entertainment has developed its secret sauce to ensure we are able to deliver each creator their due. We are also humbled by the support and the talent of our creators and channels and only look to make this business more meaningful for them”.
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.
