iWorld
Da Vinci Learning launches kids OTT app
MUMBAI: Lately more and more digital content aggregators are waking up to the potential of offering a kids only digital video platform. Being fast adopters of technology, kids are the first ones to become the digital consumers. In a country where more than one third of the population are kids and youngsters, advertisers too are looking for ways to tap this raw consumer base. Thus kids only OTT apps are on the rise; NexgTV Kids and Voot’s kids only section being the recent few examples.
With an intent to give these a tough competition, German kids television content leader Da Vinci Learning has now entered this market with its very own OTT service.
The platform will provide on the go access to the programming and content of the channel. The OTT service has been launched as a web based service accessible through www.davinci-learning.in and will be soon available via an app as well.
Playing the ‘safe content’ card, Da Vinci Learning’s OTT play is banking on its reputation for curating kids friendly and educational IPs for its viewers.
The platform allows the users to choose from a wide range of content including Maths, Science, Space, Wildlife, Food etc. After logging in, the kid can watch full episodes on all their favourite topics and can also keep a track of the show timings on-air. The portal has different sections like Your Favourites, What’s Hot, Da Vinci’s Superstars where kids can view their favourite shows as well as shows that are popular with other kids. They will also be able to rate, like and add shows to their wishlist. The thematic of the service is built with kids in mind and uses very intuitive and a kids friendly design.
Commenting on the same, Da Vinci Learning marketing director Monomita Mukhopadhyay said, “Today the viewer’s consumption pattern is changing dynamically; kids no more stick to the flat screen and wait for programs, rather they access content anytime, anywhere and on multiple devices of their choice.” She further added, “OTT is expected to grow exponentially in coming years and India will be the second largest market in Asia Pacific according to the Media Partners Asia report. Being in the TV broadcast industry we are committed to keeping pace with the dynamically changing scenario of the industry.”
As a part of their OTT portal launch offering, Da Vinci Learning is offering a limited period free subscription to the portal. Some of the show highlights available at OTT play are Little Einstein, Mind-blowing breakthroughs, Maths is all around us, Gastroblast, Chasing happiness etc.
iWorld
Meta plans 8,000 layoffs in new AI-led restructuring wave
First phase from May 20 may cut 10 per cent workforce amid AI pivot.
MUMBAI: At Meta, the future may be artificial but the cuts are very real. The social media giant is reportedly preparing a fresh round of layoffs, with an initial wave expected to impact around 8,000 employees as it doubles down on its artificial intelligence ambitions. According to a Reuters report, the first phase of job cuts is slated to begin on May 20, targeting roughly 10 per cent of Meta’s global workforce. With nearly 79,000 employees on its rolls as of December 31, the move marks one of the company’s most significant workforce reductions in recent years.
And this may only be the beginning. Sources indicate that additional layoffs are being planned for the second half of the year, although the scale and timing remain fluid, likely to be shaped by how Meta’s AI capabilities evolve in the coming months. Earlier reports had suggested that total cuts in 2026 could reach 20 per cent or more of its workforce.
The restructuring comes as chief executive Mark Zuckerberg continues to steer the company towards an AI-first operating model, committing hundreds of billions of dollars to the transition. Internally, this shift is already visible: teams within Reality Labs have been reorganised, engineers have been moved into a newly formed Applied AI unit, and a Meta Small Business division has been created to align with broader structural changes.
The trend is hardly isolated. Across the tech sector, companies are trimming headcount while investing aggressively in automation. Amazon, for instance, has reportedly cut around 30,000 corporate roles nearly 10 per cent of its white-collar workforce citing efficiency gains driven by AI. Data from Layoffs.fyi shows over 73,000 tech employees have already lost jobs this year, compared with 153,000 in all of 2024.
For Meta, the move echoes its earlier “year of efficiency” in 2022–23, when about 21,000 roles were eliminated amid slowing growth and market pressures. This time, however, the backdrop is different. The company is financially stronger, generating over $200 billion in revenue and $60 billion in profit last year, with shares up 3.68 per cent year-to-date though still below last summer’s peak.
That contrast underlines the shift underway. These layoffs are less about survival and more about reinvention. As Meta restructures itself around AI from autonomous coding agents to advanced machine learning systems, the question is no longer whether the company will change, but how many roles will be left unchanged when it does.
