iWorld
Media veteran Sanjay Samson joins Sanmaan OTT
Mumbai: Media veteran Sanjay Samson on Monday announced that he has joined Sanmaan OTT, a soon-to-be-launched Marathi OTT platform.
Samson took to social media to announce his next move. “Moving on where the future is….happy to share that I have joined OTT ‘Sanmaan’,” he said in a LinkedIn post.
Samson is armed with 29 years of experinece in ad sales, marketing, brand building and corporate relations. He serves as the president of Mumbai-based Kris Mediaworks for revenue and acquisition. Previously, he has worked with Bennett Coleman & Co Ltd (Times Group) as senior general manager for ten years. He was associated with Lokmat Media Group as chief officer for more than 11 years. His past stints also include media companies like Dainik Bhaskar Group, The Indian Express, and Lokshahi News where worked in various roles.
iWorld
WhatsApp tests ‘WhatsApp Plus’ paid subscription tier
€2.49 plan adds customisation tools, messaging and calls remain free.
MUMBAI: Your chats may soon get a glow-up at a small monthly price. WhatsApp is testing a new paid subscription tier called ‘WhatsApp Plus’, signalling a shift towards premium personalisation features while keeping its core services free. The feature is currently being rolled out to a limited set of Android beta users, with early reports from WABetaInfo indicating a price of €2.49 per month (approximately Rs 274). Meta has confirmed the test, stating that it is designed for users who want more control over how they customise and organise their app experience.
Importantly, the subscription remains optional. Core functionalities including messaging, voice calls and community features will continue to be available free of charge, ensuring that the platform’s primary use case remains unchanged.
Instead, WhatsApp Plus focuses on aesthetic and organisational upgrades. These include exclusive sticker packs, new themes, custom app icons and personalised notification tones. On the functional side, subscribers may be able to pin up to 20 chats significantly higher than the current limit of three along with access to custom chat lists and enhanced categorisation tools.
Industry observers suggest the offering is largely cosmetic. Social media consultant Matt Navarra noted that the features lean more towards visual and usability enhancements rather than altering the app’s core functionality.
While global pricing has not been finalised, the subscription is expected to remain a low-cost monthly plan, with reports indicating a possible one-month free trial for eligible users. The feature is still in beta, meaning the final set of offerings could evolve before a broader rollout. Support for iOS users is also anticipated in the coming weeks.
The move mirrors a broader trend in the social and messaging ecosystem, where platforms such as Snapchat and Instagram have introduced similar subscription layers adding premium features without placing core services behind a paywall.
For WhatsApp, the strategy appears clear, keep the conversation free, but charge for a little extra flair around it.
