iWorld
Crunchyroll to launch on Amazon channels in India
MUMBAI: Anime lovers in India are in for a treat. Crunchyroll, the anime OTT from Sony Pictures is being readied for a launch on Amazon channels in India and in many countries in south east Asia.
Speaking at an investor analyst call on 30 June, Sony Pictures chairman & CEO Tony Vinciquerra announced that the rollout of Crunchyroll on Amazon is going to happen in a couple of months.
“We have more that 13 million subscribers,” he said. “Crunchyroll is going to be our prime driver for us. We have not really pushed the service in Asia. We are now building up the inventory for our launch. The Amazon channels deal has done very well for us in the US and we are confident it will do as well in south east Asia and India as well.”
AnimeTimes, another service, from Japanese firm Avex Pictures is already available on Amazon channels in India.
iWorld
WhatsApp tests ‘WhatsApp Plus’ paid subscription tier
€2.49 plan adds customisation tools, messaging and calls remain free.
MUMBAI: Your chats may soon get a glow-up at a small monthly price. WhatsApp is testing a new paid subscription tier called ‘WhatsApp Plus’, signalling a shift towards premium personalisation features while keeping its core services free. The feature is currently being rolled out to a limited set of Android beta users, with early reports from WABetaInfo indicating a price of €2.49 per month (approximately Rs 274). Meta has confirmed the test, stating that it is designed for users who want more control over how they customise and organise their app experience.
Importantly, the subscription remains optional. Core functionalities including messaging, voice calls and community features will continue to be available free of charge, ensuring that the platform’s primary use case remains unchanged.
Instead, WhatsApp Plus focuses on aesthetic and organisational upgrades. These include exclusive sticker packs, new themes, custom app icons and personalised notification tones. On the functional side, subscribers may be able to pin up to 20 chats significantly higher than the current limit of three along with access to custom chat lists and enhanced categorisation tools.
Industry observers suggest the offering is largely cosmetic. Social media consultant Matt Navarra noted that the features lean more towards visual and usability enhancements rather than altering the app’s core functionality.
While global pricing has not been finalised, the subscription is expected to remain a low-cost monthly plan, with reports indicating a possible one-month free trial for eligible users. The feature is still in beta, meaning the final set of offerings could evolve before a broader rollout. Support for iOS users is also anticipated in the coming weeks.
The move mirrors a broader trend in the social and messaging ecosystem, where platforms such as Snapchat and Instagram have introduced similar subscription layers adding premium features without placing core services behind a paywall.
For WhatsApp, the strategy appears clear, keep the conversation free, but charge for a little extra flair around it.
