Broadband
Airtel Xstream reports 2 mn paid subscribers; targets 20 million
Mumbai: The telecom operator Bharti Airtel said its video streaming service, Airtel Xstream has achieved two million paid subscribers. Airtel Xstream offers a bouquet of OTT platforms to consumers across mobile and large screen formats.
”We are the fastest-growing OTT aggregator in India with two million paid subscribers,” Airtel Digital CEO Adarsh Nair told a news agency.
Airtel Xstream is well-positioned to solve the challenges faced by both OTT content providers and customers, he added. ”Customers face fragmented viewing experiences, multiple platforms for content, and pricing challenges, which Airtel Xstream solves.”
The accelerated growth is also due to the ability to meet the needs of Indian consumers for compelling regional content. ”In addition to our existing partnership with 15 OTTs such as ErosNow, SonyLiv, Lionsgate, Hoichoi, ManoramaMax, Shemaroo, Ultra, Hungama Play, Ultra, EPICon, Docubay, DivoTV, etc, we have recently partnered with Chaupal TV and Kanncha Lanka, two of the most promising regional platforms with a dedicated viewership base across India, and we will now be able to extend our services to Punjabi, Bhojpuri, and Odia speaking audiences as well,” Nair said.
Consumers are recognizing the value proposition of good content being accessible without the hassles of multiple subscriptions. Airtel Xstream brings multiple OTTs under one login, one experience, and a single subscription price, he observed.
Announcing it has crossed the two million paid subscriber milestone, Airtel Xstream said significant user interest through repeat recharges/ subscriptions was seen in Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh.
The average viewing time on Airtel XStream is about 150 minutes which is increasing consistently and highlights customer stickiness.
”SonyLiv, Hungama, Eros Now, and Lions Gate play are the most searched for content partners on the platform. Multiple content properties from Sony occupy a position in the trending top 10 list,” the company said.
Airtel is looking to achieve the 20 million paid subscriptions mark for Airtel Xstream. The addition of Chaupal TV and Kanncha Lanka will increase the platform’s appeal to the audiences in Punjab and Odisha and the diaspora based elsewhere in the country.
Airtel has also brought onboard Social Swag, an influencer commerce platform backed by celebrities such as Akshay Kumar, Rana Daggubati, and Mahesh Bhupathi.
”Our accelerated growth is due to our ability to meet the needs of the Indian consumer for great regional content. We will be doubling down on our regional strategy with our existing partners and will continue to onboard new partners with stellar regional content catalogues,” Nair said.
Mobile subscribers can select one OTT provider from the bouquet with a minimum recharge of Rs 148.
The large screen format, launched earlier this year as Xstream Premium is also available at Rs 149 and enables access to over 10,500 movie titles and shows along with Live TV from Airtel’s OTT content partners such as Sony LIV, Eros Now, Lionsgate Play, Hoichoi, ManoramaMax, Shemaroo, Ultra, HungamaPlay, EPICon, Docubay, DivoTV among others.
The Indian OTT sector is one of the most competitive emerging markets, with over 40 players in the ecosystem.
The market is growing rapidly and expected to reach $2 billion by 2025, Nair said, adding that Airtel Xstream is “enthused” by the accelerated growth and hopes to maintain the momentum.
Broadband
ACT Fibernet elevates Aditya Singh to chief customer experience officer
Former senior vp to drive service, retention and delivery revamp
BENGALURU: ACT Fibernet has elevated Aditya Singh to chief customer experience officer, effective 1 January, 2026, as the broadband provider seeks to tighten its grip on service quality in an increasingly competitive market.
Singh, who previously served as senior vice-president – customer experience and loyalty at group level, will now join the executive committee and lead the company’s end-to-end customer transformation agenda.
The move gives him oversight of customer service, customer retention and service delivery, alongside a broader mandate to strengthen network resilience and field operations. The company said the reshuffle underlines its intent to deliver a “consistent, seamless and superior” experience to its 2.3m subscribers across more than 30 cities.
Headquartered in Bengaluru, ACT Fibernet, the consumer-facing brand of Atria Convergence Technologies Limited, is one of India’s largest wired internet service providers. It has built its pitch on high-speed connectivity and responsive customer support, at a time when fibre roll-outs and price wars are redrawing the broadband map.
In a statement, Singh said he was “deeply honoured” to take on the expanded brief and join the executive committee as the company sharpens its focus on simplifying customer touchpoints and turning subscribers into brand advocates.
The elevation signals a clear priority: in a crowded fibre market, customer experience is fast becoming the decisive battleground.
