iWorld
Eros Now partners with Live Satellite Media to bolster presence across India
Mumbai: South Asian entertainment platform Eros Now has partnered with Mumbai-based Live Satellite Media, part of the ABS group to ensure delivery of video services across all parts of the country. As part of the deal ABS Subsidiary, Live Satellite Media will distribute and enable Eros Now subscriptions through various modes, including unique bundling, prepaid codes, and API integration of the SVOD platform across its extensive customer base.
“We will do bundling of various OTT apps and will distribute to ISP, MSO, LCO & other platforms all India. This will be a unique distribution of bundling of all OTT platforms under one company,” said ABS Group CMD Atul B Saraf. “And, by partnering with Eros Now, we can offer a unique experience of OTT platforms to our customers. We will leverage our 30 years of distribution network management experience to ensure the service reaches the multicultural and multilingual audience at large.”
A noted multi-system operator- ABS Group carries a strong presence in Mumbai for 30 years. Live Satellite Media was founded in 1996 to distribute corporate advertisement on cable networks across India with over 2000 MSO affiliated to it. In 2004 India’s only health & wellness channel was launched by the group with 100 per cent in-house production with more than 1000 hours of library. In 2008 through its subsidiary ABS Media Service had distributed various satellite channels on all platforms for carriage fees & revenue as pay channel. ABS also owns various other companies such as ABS digital cable, ABS broadband services.
The company is now in the process of finalising as many as six OTT platforms. “We should be able to close it by next month,” said Saraf, who has been in the Satellite and Cable TV Industry for over 30 years. In 1994 he founded Seven Star Satellite Cable Network in Mumbai which became one of the biggest Independent Multi System Operators.
Talking about the partnership, Eros Now, senior vice president – distribution and alliances, Manpreet Bumrah said, “This partnership is unique and enables us to tap into Live Satellite Media’s massive distributions network of customers and serve them with Eros Now’s enormous library of Bollywood movies, originals, music, short-format content, and more.”
iWorld
Meta warns 200 users after fake Whatsapp spyware attack
Italy-targeted campaign used unofficial app to deploy surveillance spyware.
MUMBAI: It looked like a message, but it behaved like a mole. Meta has warned around 200 users most of them in Italy after uncovering a targeted spyware campaign that weaponised a fake version of WhatsApp to infiltrate devices. The attack, first reported by Agenzia Nazionale Stampa Associata, relied on classic social engineering with a modern twist: persuading users to download an unofficial WhatsApp clone embedded with surveillance software. The malicious application, believed to be developed by Italian firm SIO through its subsidiary ASIGINT, was designed to mimic the real app closely enough to bypass suspicion.
Meta’s security teams identified roughly 200 individuals who may have installed the compromised version, triggering immediate countermeasures. Affected users were logged out of their accounts and issued alerts warning of potential privacy breaches, with the company describing the incident as a “targeted social engineering attempt” aimed at gaining device-level access.
The malicious app was not distributed via official app stores but circulated through third-party channels, where it was presented as a legitimate WhatsApp alternative. Once installed, it reportedly allowed external operators to access sensitive data stored on the device turning a simple download into a potential surveillance gateway.
According to Techcrunch, Meta is now preparing legal action against the spyware developers to curb further misuse. The company, however, has not disclosed details about the specific individuals targeted or the extent of data compromised.
A Whatsapp spokesperson reiterated that user safety remains the top priority, particularly for those misled into installing the fake iOS application. Meanwhile, reports from La Repubblica suggest the spyware may be linked to “Spyrtacus”, a strain previously associated with Android-based attacks that could intercept calls, activate microphones and even access cameras.
The episode underscores a growing reality in the digital age, the threat is no longer just what you download, but where you download it from. As unofficial apps become increasingly convincing, the line between communication tool and covert surveillance is getting harder to spot and far easier to exploit.
