iWorld
Netflix tunes in to iHeartMedia’s podcast empire
NEW YORK & LOS ANGELES: Netflix has pulled off a coup in the podcasting wars, securing exclusive video rights to more than 15 of iHeartMedia’s top shows. The deal, announced today, will see everything from My Favorite Murder to The Breakfast Club land on the streaming platform in early 2026—video podcasts finally getting their Netflix moment.
It’s quite the roster. Charlamagne Tha God and his breakfast crew, true-crime enthusiasts Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark, and Chelsea Handler doling out advice will all be streaming exclusively on Netflix. The Workaholics lads are coming too, along with Bobby Bones, Fat Joe, Jadakiss, and a battalion of history buffs dissecting everyone from bastards to buried bones.
“Audio podcasting has been the fastest-growing medium over the past 20 years,” says iHeartMedia chief executive Bob Pittman, clearly chuffed about adding pictures to the mix. The partnership gives fans “one more way to connect with the personalities they love,” he adds—presumably whilst folding laundry or pretending to work from home.
Netflix vice-president of content licensing and programming strategy Lauren Smith Is equally enthusiastic about offering members “unmatched variety.” Translation: there’s now something to watch between true-crime documentaries and true-crime podcasts about true crime.
The jewel in the crown is The Breakfast Club, which recently notched up one billion downloads. Hosts DJ Envy, Jess Hilarious, Loren LoRosa and Charlamagne Tha God have been breaking down news and culture to a massive audience—now they’ll do it on camera too. My Favorite Murder brings its two billion lifetime downloads to the party, whilst The Psychology of Your 20s promises to help viewers survive their growing pains through the magic of psychology.
Sports fans get John Middlekauff’s NFL insights, music lovers get Bobby Bones chatting up celebrities, and the perpetually curious get three separate Stuff podcasts examining everything from conspiracy theories to the bits history class forgot.
iHeartMedia keeps all audio-only rights, so the shows will continue their reign on iHeartRadio and other podcast platforms. Audio purists can breathe easy—nobody’s forcing them to watch Robert Evans explain historical villainy whilst they’re on the Tube.
The real question: will people actually watch podcasts, or will these just become expensive screensavers? Netflix is betting that seeing Chelsea Handler’s facial expressions whilst she dispenses wisdom is worth the bandwidth. With over 300 million paid memberships to tap, they’ve got a decent shot at finding out.
One thing’s certain: the podcast industrial complex just got a whole lot more visual. Whether that’s progress or just podcasting with extra steps remains to be seen.
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.
