iWorld
Indiantelevison.com-Akamai webinar explores what makes UGC platforms tick
MUMBAI: When Chad Hurley. Steve Chen and Jawed Karim created YouTube in 2005, little did they know their brainchild would spawn the phenomenon of user-generated video content. Today, more than 300 hours of video are uploaded by users on Youtube every minute resulting in billions of views per year. Ditto with social media outlets such as Twitter, Facebook, Twitter and hundreds of new entrants such as TikTok, Firework, Roposo etc.
What is the technical architecture that goes into making a successful UGC video service? What is their business model? How have they fared during the pandemic and what kind of challenges are they continuing to face? What are the practices business executives and tech professionals have put in place to optimise and provide a best in class service?
These and many other such questions will be answered by a stellar panel of executives who will be coming together for a virtual round table “The rise and rise of user-generated content and the tech that enabled the rise” organised by indiantelevision.com in partnership with CDN and security provider Akamai Technologies.
Under The Content Hub Tech Series umbrella, it will feature industry’s top practitioners such as Firework head of content & strategic partnerships Sudarshan Kadam, Roposo co-founder and VP product management Glance Avinash Saxena, Samoso Lab founder and ex-CEO Abilash Inumella, Bolo Indya cofounder and CEO Varun Saxena, Akamai Technologies director of products – APJ Media Rishi Varma, Zee5 business head expansion projects and head of products Rajneel Kumar. The virtual roundtable which is taking place on zoom and streamlined lined on indiantelevision.com social outlets will be moderated by Indiantelevision.com founder, CEO and editor in chief Anil Wanvari.
Users can log onto indiantelevision.com’s Facebook page (@ITVNewz) today at noon to watch the interesting chat live as Wanvari gets the senior professionals to get as candid as they can get about this burgeoning vertical.
Indiantelevision.com has over the past year initiated and pioneered a series of virtual round tables in partnership with leading video tech suppliers and video content industry practitioners to help in spreading an understanding of tech and business challenges and solutions around them.
Today’s session is a continuation of that initiative.
Session: Indiantelevision.com’s The ContentHub Tech Series Virtual Rountable powered by Akamai Technologies. “The rise and rise of user-generated content and the tech that enabled the rise.”
Date and Time:12 June 12 noon IST
Registration link: https://lnkd.in/gtzp_DD
Simulcast live on Zoom and Facebook
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.
