iWorld
SonyLiv plans to take unique food content to 8k hrs by Sept ’18
MUMBAI: Who is the first mover in the OTT space to introduce food as a genre? SonyLiv has — on World Food Day (16 October) — introduced the food genre to its existing line-up of diversified content.
Not only that, SonyLiv is committed to bringing the best of world cuisine to its viewers and will double its exclusive food content from the existing 4000 hours, in the next 12 months.
Giving its viewers a new level of experience of engaging with food, SonyLiv has joined hands with Padma Shri awardee, Chef Sanjeev Kapoor, Rajshri Food, a popular YouTube channel featuring renowned chefs like Varun Inamdar and Ruchi Bharani, to satiate the taste-buds of food lovers and enthusiasts alike and take them on a gastronomic delight.
SonyLiv will feature Rajshri’s episodes spanning a duration of 5-7 minutes each.
FoodFood, an Indian food and lifestyle TV channel since 2011, will continue its run on SonyLiv by bringing the best from the culinary world to your devices, as well as engaging discussions between Kapoor and other celebrated Indian chefs like Harpal Singh Sokhi, Amrita Raichand, Anupa Das, Ajay Chopra, Shailendra Kekade, Saransh Goila, Shilarna Vaze, Vicky Ratnani, Rakesh Sethi, Shantanu Gupte and Pranav Joshi.
Sony Pictures Networks India EVP and head – digital business Uday Sodhi: “With the introduction of the food genre, SonyLIV is committed to engaging its viewers with the best of world cuisine curated by top celebrity chefs. We have displayed our pioneering edge by being the first OTT platform in India to introduce the category of food. It is going to be a major genre on SonyLiv, going forward, in addition to entertainment and sports.”
Kapoor says: “Via this association with SonyLiv, I hope to repeat the same success in the digital world. Experimentation and innovation are the key pillars for any chef, and we will display the best that world cuisine has to offer.”
Rajshri Foundation trustee Neha Barjatya says: “Rajshri YouTube channel has over 800 pure vegetarian recipes. This association will add to the richness of content available on SonyLiv.”
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.
