iWorld
Koode, a new Malayalam platform enters OTT landscape
KOLKATA: Riding on the regional wave of over-the-top (OTT) platforms, a new independent service has entered the Malayali market. Studio Mojo has launched the Malayalam OTT Koode in September, which is now available across android, IOS devices as well as on android TVs. At present, the streaming service is operating on free model to reach more users.
For the record, Studio Mojo was amongst the first to launch an OTT platform in the country with iStream. While the service did not pick up well back then, the company decided to get back into original programming for OTT platforms with video consumption going through the roof over the past few years.
“This time around we thought of focusing on Malayalam to begin with, since none of the large OTT platforms were seriously looking at Malayalam. Except for movies, original programming was not just happening. And we all know Malayalam creates possibly the finest content amongst all Indian languages, if our movies are anything to go by,” Studio Mojo founder and CEO Radhakrishnan Ramachandran said.
The company is trying to build a new content ecosystem by bringing together a bunch of fresh talent who are looking for an alternate independent platform. Ramachandran said that they are putting together a content creator network in Malayalam. The platform will support these creators in creating compelling content by providing infrastructure support to them along with mentors to fine tune their creative capabilities. He noted that their first studio is soon coming up in Kochi. While most platforms are primarily focusing on movies, Ramachandran added that they would like to bet on a wider range.
He described Studio Mojo as a tech-first media company. He went on to explain that data and analytics will give deep insights into consumers consumption patterns which will greatly help in the content strategy. Although iStream could not make a significant mark in the OTT landscape, Ramachandran recounted lessons from the past which could be applied to Koode as well.
“Betting on the right content is critical. With most of the OTT players struggling with their business model, one needs to spend wisely on content. It needs to be a win-win situation for the content producers and the platform,” he said.
As Koode is running on free model, it will look at branded content as an important source of revenue. The marketing team will focus on bringing brands and creators together. Moreover, it will also be launching a pay per view model very soon for some select exclusive programming.
iWorld
Meta plans 8,000 layoffs in new AI-led restructuring wave
First phase from May 20 may cut 10 per cent workforce amid AI pivot.
MUMBAI: At Meta, the future may be artificial but the cuts are very real. The social media giant is reportedly preparing a fresh round of layoffs, with an initial wave expected to impact around 8,000 employees as it doubles down on its artificial intelligence ambitions. According to a Reuters report, the first phase of job cuts is slated to begin on May 20, targeting roughly 10 per cent of Meta’s global workforce. With nearly 79,000 employees on its rolls as of December 31, the move marks one of the company’s most significant workforce reductions in recent years.
And this may only be the beginning. Sources indicate that additional layoffs are being planned for the second half of the year, although the scale and timing remain fluid, likely to be shaped by how Meta’s AI capabilities evolve in the coming months. Earlier reports had suggested that total cuts in 2026 could reach 20 per cent or more of its workforce.
The restructuring comes as chief executive Mark Zuckerberg continues to steer the company towards an AI-first operating model, committing hundreds of billions of dollars to the transition. Internally, this shift is already visible: teams within Reality Labs have been reorganised, engineers have been moved into a newly formed Applied AI unit, and a Meta Small Business division has been created to align with broader structural changes.
The trend is hardly isolated. Across the tech sector, companies are trimming headcount while investing aggressively in automation. Amazon, for instance, has reportedly cut around 30,000 corporate roles nearly 10 per cent of its white-collar workforce citing efficiency gains driven by AI. Data from Layoffs.fyi shows over 73,000 tech employees have already lost jobs this year, compared with 153,000 in all of 2024.
For Meta, the move echoes its earlier “year of efficiency” in 2022–23, when about 21,000 roles were eliminated amid slowing growth and market pressures. This time, however, the backdrop is different. The company is financially stronger, generating over $200 billion in revenue and $60 billion in profit last year, with shares up 3.68 per cent year-to-date though still below last summer’s peak.
That contrast underlines the shift underway. These layoffs are less about survival and more about reinvention. As Meta restructures itself around AI from autonomous coding agents to advanced machine learning systems, the question is no longer whether the company will change, but how many roles will be left unchanged when it does.
