iWorld
Eros Now boosts content slate, announces 46 new titles for 2021
MUMBAI: Eros Now is going big with its content strategy for 2021, in the form of 46 new titles, including 33 film premieres and 13 original series, planned for launch in the coming year. With this strategic announcement, which featured Bollywood stars Ayushmann Khurrana and Kartik Aaryan, the company hopes to engage with its existing global audience and cater to the growing consumer demand for fresh and entertaining online video content.
The comprehensive and diverse content slate, promoted through the campaign – #KahaaniHarRangKi, is based on insights derived from Eros Now’s proprietary user data sourced from target audience in the Indian and global diaspora. The promo featuring Ayushmann Khurrana and Kartik Aaryan showcases Eros Now’s commitment to present differentiated yet entertaining content for audiences across markets in India and worldwide.
Regional language content slate will also get a boost with a range of program formats in varied languages such as Malayalam, Gujarati, Marathi, and Hindi, amongst others. These 33 film premieres and 13 original series will appeal to a diverse audience that is interested in exploring the best of online video streaming. In addition, Eros Now will debut 30 new Quickies and 10 new short films.
In the half-year ended 30 September 2020, Eros Now increased its paid subscriber base by 6.9 million, to a total of 36.2 million. The company is banking on this new content slate to further deepen user engagement and reinforce the platform’s growth.
Ridhima Lulla, chief content officer, Eros Group, said, "We are committed to investing in quality programming that will appeal to the Indian and global diaspora, and this huge content slate adds to Eros Now’s massive entertainment catalogue. India is witnessing significant demand growth driven by the digital shift and the consumer’s desire to watch programming in different formats and in their preferred language. This amazing slate will deepen our connection with the audience and offers entertainment like never before."
The campaign, #KahaaniHarRangKi, will be further promoted through a 360-degree marketing outreach. Eros Now has created videos that will be amplified across digital and social media platforms. Additionally, the OTT platform has recruited several influencers to strengthen the campaign by reaching out to a vast audience and spreading the joy of entertainment to Indian as well as global audiences that enjoy diverse South Asian content.
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.
