News Broadcasting
Alibaba’s UC news registers 100m active users, browser has 43% share in India
MUMBAI: UCWeb, an Alibaba Mobile Business Group company, today announced that its latest product, UC News, has crossed 100 Million Monthly Active Users (MAUs) in India and Indonesia. With 100 million daily article views, UC News has rapidly grown in India & Indonesia market since its launch in June 2016. UCWeb is augmenting its focus on digital content aggregation and distribution in the world’s second largest internet market, India.
Talking on the latest milestone, Alibaba Mobile Business Group president-overseas business Jack Huang said “We are experiencing a fast rise in the average time spent on UC News. As of this quarter, an average user spends over 23 minutes on UC News. Users are embracing diverse digital content and their appetite for such content is being met by UC News. Going forward, we are also targeting more diversified and localised content on our platform by end of 2017 to make the local content ecosystem stronger. With over 100 million MAUs, UCWeb envisions itself as powerful as Google and Facebook and aims to bring the global mobile internet to an era of ‘GUF’ (Google, UCWeb and Facebook).”
Leading the user-generated content ecosystem in India, UC News recently announced The We-Media Reward Plan 2.0 for self-publishers, bloggers & independent writers with an initial investment of 50 Million INR. UCWeb is investing 2 Billion INR for driving content distribution in India over the next two years. With the changing mobile internet landscape, UCWeb has adopted a strategy of becoming a content distribution platform from being a browsing tool by engaging and aggregating diverse form of content on its platforms – UC Browser and UC News. UC Browser is now the preferred option for mobile browsing and an ideal platform for accessing different kinds of content.
In a recently released report, UC Browser has achieved the highest browser market share in India, according to leading web analytics firm StatCounter. UC Browser is now the most popular browser in India in terms of internet usage across all platforms combined (Mobile, Desktop, Tablet, Console) with a market share at 43.31% followed by Chrome at 36.07% and Opera at 8.34%. UC Browser is also the dominant browser for mobile internet in India with over 100 mn Monthly Active Users (as of Sept 2016).
Indians are amongst the world leaders in terms of internet usage on mobile phones. According to StatCounter, internet usage in India by desktop and tablet fell from 33.2% in January 2016 to 21% this year. Mobile internet usage jumped from 66.8% to 79% over the same time period.
News Broadcasting
CNN-News18 to host Fury in the Gulf conclave on West Asia crisis
Three-hour summit to unpack geopolitical fallout and impact on India
MUMBAI: CNN-News18 is set to host a special three-hour broadcast, Fury in the Gulf – War Conclave, on April 7, aiming to decode the escalating West Asia crisis and its far-reaching implications for India.
Scheduled from 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM, the conclave comes at a time when tensions between Iran and the United States are reshaping global geopolitics and triggering economic uncertainty. With India’s deep energy ties, trade links and large diaspora in the Gulf, the developments carry significant domestic relevance.
Built around the theme ‘Conflict, Consequences, and The Future,’ the programme will feature six curated sessions combining one-on-one interviews and panel discussions. The focus is to cut through the clutter and offer viewers a clearer understanding of the fast-evolving situation.
Key sessions include ‘Diplomacy in Times of War’ featuring Shashi Tharoor, and ‘World After the Iran Conflict’ with voices such as Ram Madhav, Reuven Azar, representatives from the European Union and the Iranian Deputy Envoy. Another session titled ‘Another Dunkirk?’ will bring together K. J. S. Dhillon and Jitin Prasada among others.
CNN-News18 editorial affairs director Rahul Shivshankar said, “In times of war, clarity becomes the most powerful tool. Fury in the Gulf – War Conclave brings together credible voices to address the questions and confusion that arise amid an overwhelming influx of information.”
He added that the initiative is aimed at delivering “facts, perspective, and insight” at a time when misinformation can easily cloud public understanding.
Echoing the sentiment, CNN-News18 CEO– English and business news Smriti Mehra said the conflict marks a defining global moment, with consequences that extend well beyond the region. She noted that the conclave seeks to present the crisis with “depth, nuance and responsibility” so audiences can better grasp its real-world impact.
As geopolitical tensions continue to dominate headlines, the conclave positions itself as an attempt to bring order to the noise, offering viewers a structured, insight-led look at a complex and rapidly shifting global situation.
