iWorld
MX Player wins big at 2020 Asian Academy Creative Awards
MUMBAI: Streaming platform MX Player has won big at the 2020 Asian Academy Creative Awards. Its original web series Queen, starring Ramya Krishnan, bagged the best original program by OTT, while Times of Music brought home the trophy for best music/dance program.
An overjoyed MX Player chief content officer Gautam Talwar said, “We are thrilled to be recognised on a global platform like the Asian Academy Creative Awards. Our aim has always been to deliver the best entertainment experiences to audiences, and I’d like to thank the teams of both these projects, who have helped us achieve this honour.”
MX Player is a diverse platform that integrates all forms of entertainment on one platform including video playback, streaming video, music and gaming. It currently operates on an ad supported model and hosts a wide library of over 2,00,000 hours of premium content across 10 languages, including a critically acclaimed slate of MX Original/ Exclusives, movies, web series, TV shows, news and audio music.
The Asian Academy Creative Awards honour excellence in craft and technical discipline across multiple platforms including television, digital, mobile, streaming and any other emerging technologies.
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.
