iWorld
Hotstar targets Hindi market with free content
MUMBAI: Hotstar has launched a 360-degree marketing campaign, “Hotstar ka vaada, free entertainment sabse zyada”, reaching out to millions of viewers in Hindi-speaking markets who currently have little access to high-quality content for free.
With more than a 60 per cent share of entertainment consumption in 2019, Tier II and III cities have been fuelling the growth of online video consumption in India. However, a large section of the audience in these cities still does not have access to high-quality entertainment and is limited to watching reruns of outdated content. While some have lost access to paid channels following the TRAI tariff order, others are hampered by infrastructure issues such as frequent power cuts. This issue of access is further exacerbated by a single shared TV screen in large households.
Hotstar is bridging the accessibility gap for viewers through its campaign, which spreads the word about its vast library of high-quality free content. Hotstar’s free content includes several movies like Chhichhore, Mission Mangal; TV shows from Star Plus like Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hain, Nazar, Kasauti Zindagi Kay and Star Bharat like Savdhaan India along with News.
Hotstar chief product officer Varun Narang said: “The next wave of growth for OTT platforms will come from smaller cities as adoption picks up. In fact, non-metros today outstrip metros in terms of video consumption. Through this campaign, our endeavour is to engage with our audiences further in Hindi-speaking markets and take digital video consumption to new frontiers.”
Hotstar EVP and business head Sidharth Shakdher said: “We see a huge opportunity in building awareness and encouraging trial across Tier II and Tier III cities around our vast and high-quality library of free entertainment, and thereby, enabling a behavioural shift towards online video consumption. Hotstar’s free content will unlock a new world of entertainment for this audience which currently has to settle for outdated reruns on a limited set of channels.”
The campaign aims to make inroads into Tier II and III markets using mass media vehicles such as TV and print, along with on-ground activations. A unique out-of-home initiative will culminate in a billboard spanning 10,000 sq. ft, the longest ever set up in India, which will feature the variety and scale of content available on Hotstar.
Other high-impact activations include out-of-home billboards and wall paintings across 80 small towns in India along with a branded mobile marketing canter van campaign. This canter will travel across 30 cities for a month, conducting roadshows across 150 congregation points, showcasing Hotstar’s breadth of content. This will be amplified further with unique interventions such as Nukkad Natak and on-the-spot engagement activities.
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.
