iWorld
SonyLIV’s KBC Play Along heightens consumer delight with KBC 12
KOLKATA: SonyLIV makes staying-at-home rewarding with an unprecedented offering of ‘Har Din 10 Lakhpati’ under ‘KBC Play Along’. As the most awaited reality show makes a grand comeback, SonyLIV takes audience engagement notches higher with this innovative extension. This season KBC Play Along’ is aimed at rewarding the Aam aadmi like never before.
A crowd puller since its inception in 2018, ‘KBC Play Along’ registered more than eight million users (1 billion interactions) on the platform last year. This season, SonyLIV takes the excitement notches higher by upgrading it to ‘Har Din 10 Lakhpati’, where ten winners across India will stand a chance to win 1 lac each every day through the season. SonyLIV also adds on the feature of playing in teams this year. With this, users can invite their friends and family and form their own teams. The team score will be the total sum of the Individual players’ scores and the top-scoring team will win 1 lakh prize money every day. There is also the chance for referrals. A user can invite/refer friends and family to win additional points and earn a free subscription to SonyLIV for themselves.
Adding further excitement to the competition are the numerous prizes like a car, television set, mobile phones, bluetooth speakers amongst various electronics and gift cards that the users stand to win through the season.KBC has always been a beacon of encouragement. In times like these, KBC Play Along is excited to offer moments of happiness to its users by winning big from the comfort of their homes.
“From the first ever digital auditions on SonyLIV to a resounding response online, this has been a year of innovations for Kaun Banega Crorepati. Our new feature ‘Har Din 10 Lakhpati’ is an extension in that direction to build the momentum around KBC Play Along and make winners out of our viewers. By gratifying 10 lakhpatis everyday, we not only intend to reward viewers sitting at home and expand winners’ numbers but also cater to aspirations of countless Indians for participating in India’s biggest reality game show,” SPN digital business marketing head Aman Srivastava said.
“KBC Play Along this year brings together an interesting blend of the existing and the new. While we retain the magic of the game, we are also bringing alive new features like Teams to add another dimension to user experience and take second screen engagement to a new level. Therefore, to innovate further, this season with ‘Har Din 10 Lakhpati’ we are aiming to gratify the fans of KBC and turn home seats into hot seats,” SonyLIV digital business programming and new initiative head Amogh Dusad said.
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.
