iWorld
Viacom18 Digital Ventures ties-up with technical partners for VOOT
MUMBAI: Viacom18 Digital Ventures has announced the line-up of technical partners for its upcoming digital Video On Demand (VOD) platform VOOT. To build and roll out its Over-the-top (OTT) streaming service, Viacom18 has roped in partners with an extensive international experience.
Kaltura, one of the global majors in OTT and video streaming services, is on-board as the platform provider and will build several customized features for the OTT platform which will be totally unique and relevant for the Indian market.
For the user experience and user interface design, Viacom18 has roped in US based A Different Engine (ADE), a company which has extensive experience and specialization in building UX/UI for large multi-platform video streaming services.
While Web Dunia is on board for web services and website development, the company is also playing the critical role of a system integrator.
The mobile applications are being developed by one of India’s leading developers Robosoft Technologies.
Speaking on the partnerships, Viacom18 Digital Ventures COO Gaurav Gandhi said, “In this business, product and technology play a pivotal role. While we work towards bringing popular and engaging content in this space for our viewers, we were equally focused on working with the best technology and design partners to build a world-class, differentiated product with superlative user experience.”
VOOT, an ad-supported VOD service, will aim to cater to the constant content consumption cravings of the always-on digital generation. The platform will also have a big focus on originals content created only for the service.
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.
