iWorld
DocuBay Partners with TCL Electronics to offer premium library of documentaries
MUMBAI: IN10 Media Network’s DocuBay, a premium global membership streaming service exclusively for documentary features has entered into a multi-territory distribution deal with TCL Smart TVs, one of India’s fastest-growing TV brands and the world’s second-largest TV manufacturer. This collaboration enables DocuBay to be present on all TCL Smart TVs across regions – India, United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand. DocuBay app will be preloaded on the TCL Smart TV units and will be available on the home screen.
The association enables TCL Smart TV users seamless streaming of high-quality documentary features at their comfort, with a new film released on the platform every day. DocuBay’s wide selection of international documentaries, sourced from more than 100 countries, spans a variety of genres organized in ‘Bays’, like TravelBay, PoliticsBay, ScienceBay, TechBay, AdventureBay, CultureBay, BiographyBay and more. Select titles available in 4K. The rich library encompasses documentaries featuring diverse human experiences, perspectives and narratives to appeal to a wide variety of audience. Additionally, DocuBay features, DocuBytes, which previews short clips of selected features; DailyBay, showcasing the release of the day; DocBuster, highlighting a select title every month; and TrendingBay, featuring relevant films from trending topics.
With this partnership, DocuBay continues to steadfast in its global proposition through a clear and focused content positioning, and achieving deeper consumer penetration across territories.
DocuBay VP – strategy D Girish said, “Launching DocuBay on TCL Smart TVs allows us to reach a new set of viewers to discover and explore DocuBay. We are confident that this partnership will strengthen our commitment to be present where the audience is and advance our OneTribe memberships across the globe.”
TCL India GM Mike Chen said, “We are glad to partner with DocuBay and amidst these stressful times we want to continuously assure our viewers with something new and meaningful. These are unprecedented times faced by India and everyone across the globe. At TCL, we are driven to ensure that our customers are always entertained with something new and innovative.”
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.
