iWorld
OTT player HOOQ makes India debut; prices subscription at Rs 199
MUMBAI: Competing with over the top (OTT) players such as Star India’s Hotstar, BoxTV and Big Flix, Asian video-streaming service Hooq has made its Indian debut.
As reported by last month by Indiantelevision.com, the OTT video service from Singtel, Sony Pictures Television and Warner Bros. Television was looking at expanding in the Asian region by launching in countries like India, Philippines, Indonesia and Thailand.
While Hooq will officially go live in India in June, beta access will be available to select users beginning 27 May.
Hooq’s one-month subscription will cost Rs 199 and consumers will be able to pay using credit card, debit card, cash card, internet banking as well as PayTM.
“We are very excited to bring to Indian consumers the ultimate ad-free video-on-demand service at an amazingly low price. HOOQ will offer India the largest and best catalogue of Hollywood and Indian content of any service available today,” said Hooq CEO Peter Bithos.
Hooq will offer over 15,000 international and local titles to consumers in the country including the likes of Harry Potter, Spider-Man, Iron Man, Pulp Fiction, Nikita, Shield, Friends, Lost, Grey’s Anatomy, Chennai Express, Vishwaroopam, and Andaz Apna Apna.
For the local content, the company has partnered with movie studios like Yash raj Films, Sun TV, UTV Disney, Rajshri, Reliance, Shemaroo, and Sri Balaji AP International amongst others. At launch, Hooq plans to offer over 10,000 videos including Bollywood, Tollywood and Kollywood movies along with TV shows.
Hooq users will be able to access their account on five devices at any given point of time and stream content on two devices simultaneously. The ad free Hooq also offers download support for offline viewing. Movies can be streamed for an unlimited amount of time anytime and anywhere.
Hooq is accessible over the web at hooq.tv as well as via official Android and iOS applications.
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.
