iWorld
ErosNow user base jumps 58% in six months to cross 30 million
MUMBAI: Eros International’s over-the-top (OTT) service ErosNow has now crossed 30 million registered users worldwide as of 30 September, 2015, which is a jump of almost 58 per cent from the figure of 19 million six months back on 31 March, 2015.
The platform’s user base has been steadily increasing over the months. As of 31 December, 2015, ErosNow’s subscribers were at 14 million and touched 23.8 million as of 30 June, 2015, a growth of 25 per cent as compared to 31 March, 2015.
At last count on 31 July 2015, ErosNow had 26.5 million users. The 30 million registered users for ErosNow represents an approximately 26 per cent increase as compared to 30 June, 2015.
As was previously reported by Indiantelevision.com, the company is eyeing over 100 million registered users with its aggressive content and marketing strategies
The OTT platform’s strategy is to upsell premium subscriptions to the large base. In the future, the services also plans to expand to gaming, e-commerce and other synergistic domains to monetise the large base beyond entertainment.
As was previously reported by this website, ErosNow is planning to launch as many as six new original shows in the near future starring actors like Bipasha Basu, Chitrangda Singh, Radhika Apte, Anil Kapoor, Nana Patekar and Ayushmann Khurrana amongst others.
The company has also introduced its pricing plans for the Indian as well as international markets, which will be rolled out in the coming months.
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.
