iWorld
Voot partners Google to launch VoD PWA
MUMBAI: Viacom18’s ad-supported OTT service Voot has turned its mobile website into a Progressive Web App (PWA) using features such as add to homescreen and a service worker. PWA allows reliable, fast, and engaging experience for users on mobile web.
Viacom18 Digital Ventures COO Gaurav Gandhi commented, “In this business both content and technology have equal equity in realizing the potential of our consumer proposition. While content is our domain expertise, to push the envelope in terms of technology, we continuously work with partners from around the world. We are delighted to work closely with Google to launch Voot on the PWA platform. This launch significantly enhances the experience for all Voot users on mobile browsers and we believe this is a big step where users can have an equally rich experience of our service without downloading the app.”
Voot is available as both a native app and a mobile web app. It offers close to 35000 hours of premium content that includes not only exclusive shows from theViacom18 network channels like Colors and MTV, but also original series created for Voot. It is also the largest online destination for kid’s content under its brand Voot Kids.
Voot launched its new UI first on mobile web, ahead of desktop web and native app. Within days of launch, the video watch time on mobile web is jumped over 39 per cent and is comparable to that of native apps. The improvements also had a significant positive impact on reducing load times, reducing abandonments, and much better conversions.
“We have moved the needle very significantly when it comes to user experience on the Mobile Web by adopting PWA,” said Viacom18 Digital Venture product and technology head Rajneel Kumar. Kumar further added, “All the time and effort we’ve spent on technology and UI changes as well as optimizations seem to be showing very positive results. We are going to continue to refine this further and we are confident that we will continue to see significant consumer lift.”
“We are delighted with the Voot implementation of a Progressive Web App. PWAs are well suited for India, where the mobile web allows publishers to reach a large audience across a highly diverse set of devices and bandwidth. The early numbers on performance are very encouraging, and demonstrate the potential of mobile web media distribution, ” said Google product manager John Pallett.
Voot PWA includes offline page caching functionality, fast loading, responsive interface and push notifications. The ‘Add to Home Screen’ feature of PWA allows the user to launch the page from their home screen like a native app and a service worker decreases load times. Voot is an early adopter of this technology and it is only a matter of time before PWAs become the new standard for web interactions, just as responsive design has become the norm rather than an exception.
While 4G services have recently launched, there are many users who access the Internet via 2G and 3G networks, with slow and sometimes expensive data transfer rates. To reduce the data transfer, VOOT has optimized its images specifically for mobile. The site now dynamically serves either JPEG or WebP images depending upon browser capabilities that minimize image data size, resulting into seamless viewing experience.
These optimizations resulted in a 63 per cent reduction in first-view page load data transfer and an 86 per cent reduction in data transfer for returning visitors. Page loads became five times faster for first-time visitors, and almost seven times faster for returning users.
iWorld
Snap hits $1B revenue as subscriptions cross 25 million
Snap’s paid products boom with Snapchat plus, Lens plus and creator subscriptions
CALIFORNIA: Snapchat’s subscription push is paying off handsomely, with the platform’s direct revenue business now cruising past a $1 billion annualised run rate. At the heart of this milestone is a loyal global subscription community that has just topped 25 million Snapchatters.
Since its launch in late 2022, Snapchat plus has grown rapidly to become one of the fastest-growing consumer subscriptions worldwide. What began as an early-access perk for the platform’s most engaged users has scaled into a robust revenue engine alongside Snap’s ad business.
Snapchat plus thrives because it taps into something deeply human. With more than 946 million monthly active users, Snapchat is fast approaching the one-billion mark. Its subscription service offers personal touches that matter in everyday chats. From pinning a best friend to customising chat wallpapers or adding a Bitmoji Pet, these simple features bring warmth, context and joy to conversations.
But Snap isn’t stopping there. The company has expanded its direct revenue offerings with paid versions of Lens plus, Snapchat Platinum, and Memories Storage Plans. Lens plus gives subscribers advanced AI and AR creative tools, including exclusive generative AI Lenses and unlimited use of the Imagine Lens for instant image creation. Snapchat Platinum delivers an ad-light experience focused on friends and creators, while Memories Storage Plans give heavy users the option to upgrade storage and keep thousands of their most cherished Snaps safe.
Snapchat is also opening doors for creators. Its new creator subscriptions let fans pay directly for exclusive content, priority engagement, and ad-free Stories, giving influencers fresh ways to connect with their audience.
Snap credits its 25 million subscribers for helping shape the future of the platform. Their creativity, feedback, and enthusiasm not only inspire new features but also fuel Snap’s growing direct revenue business.
With these moves, Snap is proving that personalisation, self-expression, and friendship aren’t just buzzwords, they’re the secret sauce behind its subscription success.
