iWorld
Apple Maps likely to show in-app ads from next year: Report
Mumbai: Apple is reportedly planning to show search ads in its Maps app on the iPhone. This development is expected to take place next year.
According to MacRumors, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman wrote in the subscriber-only version of the Power On newsletter that he believes the engineering work is already underway. He noted, “I believe the engineering work is already underway to launch search ads in the Apple Maps app, and we should begin to see it be implemented sometime next year.”
“Apple is set to expand ads to new areas of your iPhone and iPad in search of its next big revenue driver,” Gurman wrote, referring to the paid search results expected to be rolled out on the app.
The ads on Apple Maps will differ from the traditional banner ads that we see on websites. They are expected to function more like paid search results, in which a restaurant or business pays to appear near the top of the results when a user searches on Maps.
Gurman added in the report that Apple’s advertising division generates approximately $4 billion in revenue per year and that Apple’s advertising chief Todd Teresi hopes to increase that figure to at least $10 billion per year over time.
While Apple is aggressively pushing its privacy policy, this move is quite surprising to many. In fact, Apple launched a feature called App Tracking Transparency (ATT) last year to support users in keeping a check on apps. It will be interesting to see how Apple will ensure privacy with this feature.
iWorld
Banijay Asia’s The 50 tops OTT charts with 8.1 million JioHotstar views
Reality competition becomes most watched show on JioHotstar in debut week.
MUMBAI: Fifty contestants walked into a palace, but millions of viewers showed up for the drama. Reality competition The 50, produced by Banijay Asia, has emerged as the most watched show on JioHotstar, clocking 8.1 million views in its debut week. The figure, reported by Ormax Media, places the show at the top of the OTT viewership charts and marks a strong opening for the digital reality format.
Adapted from a popular French format, The 50 brings together 50 personalities from television, digital platforms, music and reality shows inside a grand palace setting. Over the course of a 50 day competition, participants form alliances, compete in unpredictable tasks and navigate eliminations as the field steadily narrows.
Guiding the game is a mysterious figure known as The Lion, an unseen game master whose voice introduces twists, challenges and strategic turns throughout the show, adding an extra layer of suspense to the contest.
What distinguishes The 50 from typical reality competitions is its audience driven prize structure. Instead of the winner taking home the final reward, the prize is awarded to one of the winner’s registered followers through the show’s dedicated app. The mechanism effectively turns viewers into participants, allowing fans to have a direct stake in the outcome.
The contestant lineup features a mix of television actors, reality stars and digital creators, including Karan Patel, Urvashi Dholakia, Divya Agarwal, Mr Faisu and Dushyant Kukreja, each bringing their own fan following to the show.
With its blend of celebrity personalities, strategic gameplay and interactive viewer participation, The 50 has quickly carved out a strong foothold in India’s digital entertainment landscape. Its 8.1 million views in the opening week underline the growing appetite for large scale reality formats designed specifically for OTT audiences.
