iWorld
ALTBalaji witnesses a significant growth in the subscription base
KOLKATA: One of the major players in the OTT space – ALTBalaji (India’s leading homegrown OTT platform) has witnessed higher engagement with the platform, with consumers watching more shows, including older library content that offers a bouquet of different genres of content spread across 62 original shows.
Understanding the changing OTT behaviour in urban towns v/s rural places, the percentage of traffic observed from top eight metros including Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Pune, Bengaluru, Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, and Kolkata during the fourth quarter is 44 percent as compared to viewership from non-metros, tier 2 /tier 3 towns, and cities, which equals to 56 percent. It translates to an increase in subscriber base from the hinterlands, with them spending more time on the platform hence providing a dual advantage.
ALTBalaji CEO and Balaji Telefilms group COO Nachiket Pantvaidya said, “There has been substantial growth in the subscription of ALTBalaji even before the lockdown had begun and more importantly during the three months of lockdown. As per statistics, India’s tier two and three towns have seen an upswing of internet users that has been hugely beneficial to the OTT platforms." .”
There’s no denying the fact that there has been tremendous growth in digital consumption, especially during the Covid-19 lockdown. Naturally, there has been a huge spike in the OTT subscription by the content-hungry populace.
He further added, “The last few months have been beneficial, in terms of content and subscribers’ growth. The growing demand for new seasons of the popular shows including, Baarish 2 and KehneKoHumsafarHain 3, among others, have also added to the brand popularity. Post lockdown, the target is to launch two shows every month, and we have got around 10-12 shows that are in various stages of production. We are the No 1 player with 62 original shows in various genres, and we will continue fuelling that position by putting more shows on our platform.”
According to a recent survey, the percentage of increasing internet users in rural areas is surprisingly more than the urban cities. The latest report by the Internet and Mobile Association of India (published in Times of India) suggests that rural India had 227 million users, 10 per cent more than urban India’s about 205 million.
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.
