iWorld
Airtel partners with VOOT to bring more premium content
KOLKATA: Airtel today announced a partnership with VOOT to bring more premium digital content on to its Airtel Xstream platform. Under the partnership, it will allow users to get access to premium VOOT content across multiple screens.
The rich portfolio of VOOT includes movies, originals, new episodes of their shows from Colors, MTV India and other Viacom-18 owned TV channels. This includes shows like Splitsvilla, MTV Roadies, Naagin, Kaisi Yeh Yaariaan, Choti Sarrdaarni, Bahu Begum, Bepannah in Hindi, the upcoming season of Bigg Boss as well as many regional language shows.
Airtel Xstream users can also enjoy a host of English shows like Feet Up with Stars, Work it Up with Sophie, BFF’s with Vogue, VH1 Inside Access with Miss Malini, Urban Wanderers and Trend Setters amongst others. The content from VOOT comes in seven languages – English, Hindi, Tamil, Gujarati, Kannada, Bengali & Marathi.
India, which has the world’s second-highest number of internet users is seeing a massive surge in demand for video content as smartphone penetration deepens. With this partnership, Airtel Xstream has added to its premium content library of over 10,000 movies & shows and hundreds of LIVE TV channels.
Bharti Airtel content business and partnership head Nupur Chaturvedi said, “We are on a mission to deliver best-in-class digital entertainment experience to our users and make Airtel Xstream app the go-to destination for India’s entertainment needs. We are thrilled to partner with VOOT and bring their premium video content to our users.”
Viacom18 digital ventures COO Gourav Rakshit said, “We at VOOT have been keeping the country’s spirits high during these challenging times through various partnerships to bring meaningful and entertaining content for our viewers. Given the exponential demand for content, our collaboration with Airtel Xstream will help us reach and deliver our content experience to a larger audience base. We are elated to partner with a like-minded brand that resonates with our ideologies and is sure to help us make content viewing an enriching and engaging experience for all our viewers.”
iWorld
Samay Raina returns with Still Alive, confronts 2025 controversy in bold comeback special
Comeback set tackles controversy, blending humour with raw storytelling
MUMBAI: Samay Raina is set to release his new stand-up comedy special, Still Alive, on YouTube on April 7, 2026, marking a high-profile return following a turbulent year.
The trailer for the special dropped on April 5, offering a glimpse into what Raina describes as a raw and unfiltered set that leans as much on honesty as it does on humour.
Positioned as a comeback of sorts, Still Alive draws heavily from the controversy surrounding his show India’s Got Latent in early 2025. The episode led to legal trouble, multiple FIRs, and a lengthy six-hour interrogation by the Maharashtra Cyber Cell, placing the comedian at the centre of intense public scrutiny.
Rather than sidestep the episode, Raina leans into it. The special reflects on the fallout and his personal journey through it, blending observational comedy with moments of emotional candour. Early audience feedback from live performances suggests the tone is less about rapid-fire punchlines and more about storytelling with bite.
The special was filmed during his global Still Alive & Unfiltered tour, which ran from August 2025 to early 2026. The tour saw Raina perform across major international venues, including the Madison Square Garden Theatre in New York, a milestone that places him among the youngest Indian comedians to take that stage.
The title itself signals resilience. “Still Alive” is a nod to navigating both legal and public backlash while choosing to remain unapologetically authentic, a theme that appears to anchor the set.
With the special set to premiere online, all eyes are now on how audiences respond to a performance that promises equal parts reflection and wit. For Raina, the message is clear. He is not just back, he is ready to be heard on his own terms.
