iWorld
Times Play plugs into India’s biggest OTT bundles for wider digital reach
MUMBAI: Times Play is no longer playing solo. The digital OTT platform from Times Network has rolled out one of the broadest distribution launches seen for a new streaming service, plugging itself directly into India’s leading telecom OTT bundles and content aggregation platforms.
With this move, Times Play is now available on JioTV+, Airtel Xstream Play, Vi Movies & TV, Tata Play Binge and OTTplay, significantly expanding its footprint across India. The integrations allow users to access Times Play seamlessly within platforms they already subscribe to, without the friction of managing another standalone app or payment.
The rollout marks a major milestone for Times Play, positioning it as a pan-India OTT offering embedded within everyday digital consumption habits across both mobile-first users and large-screen viewers. Alongside telecom and aggregator tie-ups, the platform is also available across major connected TV ecosystems and operating systems, including iOS, Android, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Samsung Smart TVs and LG Smart TVs.
In content terms, Times Play aims to be a one-stop destination that blends live television with video-on-demand. Developed by Times Network, the platform brings together Hollywood films, web series, short-form content, live television and sports under a single subscription. Its live TV offering spans 11 channels, covering entertainment, lifestyle, business and news.
Premium channels on the platform include Romedy Now, Movies Now, MNX, MN+, Zoom, Times Now, Times Now Navbharat, ET Now, ET Now Swadesh, Mirror Now and Pickleball Now. The inclusion of Pickleball Now reflects the platform’s focus on emerging sports alongside mainstream entertainment and news.
Times Television Network CEO and chief growth officer for media & entertainment Ashish Sehgal said the distribution strategy was central to the platform’s design. “Times Play is built to combine the experience of live TV and VoD content for digital users, and this launch across India’s leading telecom OTT bundles and aggregators brings that vision to life,” he said.
Sehgal added that availability within established ecosystems was key to scaling reach. “Times Play’s presence across platforms allows us to reach audiences at scale, within environments where they already consume content. It enables a unified viewing experience across screens, without the friction of multiple applications or subscriptions.”
For Times Network, the expansion reinforces a broader push towards building a robust digital content ecosystem that balances credibility and scale. By distributing Times Play through trusted telecom and aggregator platforms, the network is betting on convenience and familiarity to drive adoption, rather than relying solely on direct-to-consumer downloads.
As competition in India’s OTT market intensifies, Times Play’s bundled-first strategy signals a clear intent: meet audiences where they already are, and make discovery easier by folding premium content into everyday digital routines.
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.
