iWorld
SonyLIV ramps up content portfolio with live sports, dubbed regional show
KOLKATA: After months of waiting to see Team India in action, SonyLIV is here with a breather for all cricket lovers. The much-hyped India Tour of Australia will go live on the platform starting 27 November. In one of the most high-octane series in international cricket, Kohli’s Men in Blue will take on the Aussies for three ODI’s, three T20’s and four test matches on their home turf till 15 January 2021. With simultaneous feeds across four languages, the much-anticipated tour will be available for viewing to SonyLIV’s premium subscribers.
Post a successful period of quarantine, the teams are now set to lock horns this Friday onwards across venues in Brisbane, Adelaide, Sydney, and Melbourne. Team India will begin with a slight edge over the hosts in the ODI’s, with a 12-10 win-loss record against them in the recent past. However, Australia, who recently defeated world champions England on their home turf, will look to replicate the victory, led by Aaron Finch. Premium subscribers will get access to the live feed without any delay.
There’s a lot to rejoice for soccer fans as well on SonyLIV with the popular UEFA Champions League 2020-21, the 66th season of Europe's premier club football tournament along with UEFA Europa League and Serie A matches going live on the platform. 2021 brings another sporting spectacle – Australian Open with Rafael Nadal headlining the event next year in Melbourne.
And there’s more in store for SonyLIV’s patrons. Following its stupendous success amongst audience and critics, Scam 1992 – The Harshad Mehta Story will now be available for regional audiences with dubbed versions in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada; along with a host of other titles like Avrodh: The Siege Within, Your Honor, Undekhi, and more.
In addition to this, the platform has recently launched titles like Uncommonsense by Saloni, Daan Sthapana hosted by author and speaker Devdutt Pattnaik and Mahabharat- Ant ya Aarambh, an 11-episode animation series. Highly acclaimed English shows like The Good Doctor S4 and For Life S2 are also up for viewing for the Indian audience. So, whether you are a cricket lover or a football enthusiast, an ardent fan of stand-up comedy or a devout believer in mythology, SonyLIV is the place to be.
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.
