iWorld
Airtel partners Ditto TV; launches new super app
MUMBAI: Competition makes for strange bedfellows. Airtel is partnering with the OTT platform of Zee Digital Convergence Limited’ dittoTV app as it seeks to battle the onslaught of Reliance Jio. Airtel has relaunched its MyAirtel App as a super app housing many other apps amongst which figures DittoTV. The telco said that Ditto TV with over 100 live TV channels and popular TV shows will be available without any subscription charges to its customers.
Other apps which feature in the new MyAirtel app include Hike Messenger, Wynk Music, Wynk Movies, Wynk Games, Airtel Money, Airtel Dialer and Juggernaut. All of them are apparently being made available free to subscribers.
The MyAirtel app also features Airtel Cloud and Airtel Dialer. Airtel Cloud provides 2GB of free cloud storage and back-up. The company said that there are no data upload charges for the scheduled overnight backups for prepaid customers currently, and this benefit will be made available to postpaid customers soon.
Airtel Dialer, on the other hand, offers 50 minutes of free Airtel-to-Airtel calling benefits, in addition to its call management feature.
With the launch of its new app suite, it’s quite clear that it’s going to be a corporate war in the mobile 4G space. First, Airtel, and Vodafone, Idea blocked calls from free call provider Reliance Jio until they were forced to open up to its services. Hence, the other players including Idea and Airtel are gearing up to attack Jio in the app space too. Idea too is currently putting together an app suite which will be unveiled by Q4-2017 and Q1-2018.
Said Bharati Airtel global CIO & director Harmeen Mehta: “As part of our Digital Airtel initiative, we are excited to bring you the new avatar of the MyAirtel App, which now offers a unified interface to the entire suite of our popular mobile apps and several new ones. All these apps have been curated to ensure customers are offered the best of the web, with more exciting apps and partnerships coming in the near future.
Customers who already have MyAirtel App on their smartphone can update to receive the new features, while new users can download the new MyAirtel App from Google Playstore and iOS App Store. The telco said that normal plan or pack data charges will apply on all the mobile applications on MyAirtel app.
Airtel is also working overnight to put together interesting data plans for potential customer. A couple of weeks earlier, the super telco had launched a special 4G data plan which offered data free for 90 days. Now, it is offering 15 GB of 3G–4G data at the price of 1 GB. The offer is valid for its pre-paid customers using Samsung J series of smart phones. Among the models which can opt for this offer include: Samsung J2 (2015 and 2016 models), Samsung J7 (2015 and 2016 models), Samsung J5 (2015 and 2016 models), Samsung J Max and Samsung J2 Pro.
The 3G–4G data is available to customers in 4G circles only. In non-4G circles, viewers can enjoy 1 GB of data any time of the day, but 4 GB can only be utilized between midnight and 6 AM.
iWorld
Spotify Q1 revenue hits €4.5bn as users cross 760 million globally
Subscriber growth and margins rise as platform bets big on AI and discovery
LONDON: Spotify has kicked off 2026 on a strong note, reporting first-quarter revenue of €4.5 billion, up 14 per cent year-on-year in constant currency, as its global user base swelled past 760 million.
The streaming giant said monthly active users rose 12 per cent year-on-year to 761 million, while premium subscribers climbed 9 per cent to 293 million. The steady rise in both free and paid users signals continued demand for its expanding mix of music, podcasts and audiobooks.
Profitability also struck a chord. Gross margin improved by around 140 basis points to 33 per cent, marking one of the company’s strongest first-quarter performances to date. Operating income reached €715 million, comfortably ahead of expectations.
Spotify co-CEO Alex Norström said, “We surpassed 760 million MAU, delivered on the subscriber growth we aimed to achieve, and saw healthy engagement from existing users, reactivations and new users alike.” He added that increased listening and viewing activity in key markets such as the United States reflects confidence in sustained growth and low churn.
The company’s other co-CEO, Gustav Söderström, pointed to long-term ambition, saying the platform’s scale, creator ecosystem and investments in personalisation are opening up “new growth vectors” across formats and user engagement.
Revenue growth was largely driven by the premium segment, which rose 10 per cent to €4.1 billion, supported by price increases and stable average revenue per user of €4.76. However, the ad-supported business saw a 5 per cent dip to €385 million, though it still posted a modest 3 per cent increase in constant currency terms.
Cash generation remained robust, with free cash flow at €824 million for the quarter and €3.2 billion over the past 12 months. The company also benefited from lower-than-expected operating expenses, including €49 million in reduced social charges linked to share-based compensation.
Beyond the numbers, Spotify is leaning into product innovation. New AI-driven features such as “Taste Profile” and “Prompted Playlist” aim to give users more control over recommendations, while tools like “SongDNA” and “About the Song” deepen music discovery. The platform is also expanding audiobook charts in the United States and United Kingdom to boost engagement in newer formats.
Looking ahead, Spotify expects momentum to continue into the second quarter, forecasting 778 million monthly active users, 299 million subscribers, revenue of €4.8 billion and operating income of €630 million.
With €8.8 billion in cash and 7,258 employees, the company appears well-positioned to keep its growth story in rhythm as competition in digital entertainment intensifies.
