iWorld
VOOT Studio partners with TikTok to launch “Work It Up” a celebrity chat show with an educational-fitness twist
MUMBAI: VOOT, India’s second largest premium video on demand platform has collaborated with TikTok, world’s leading short video platform, to make B-town favorites sweat out secrets as they ditch the usual couch and ‘Work It Up” in the all new celebrity chat show- TikTok India presents “Work It Up”. Hosted by Bollywood insider and fitness queen, Sophie Choudry, the show is all set to engage its viewers with fun, fitness and diet stories from their favorite Bollywood celebrities, whilst they get candid and reveal their fun and edgy locker room secrets. The show will go live starting 13th October 2019, exclusively on VOOT.
Launched in April, VOOT Studio is a playbook for advertisers and brands across categories that has been built using a combination of creative storytelling, in-house production expertise, interactivity offerings, and platform reach all coming together to meet the brand objectives. The upcoming show “Work It Up” has been conceptualized by VOOT Studio for TikTok under the #EduTok initiative, one of TikTok’s most successful knowledge-based campaigns that encourages TikTok users to create educational, inspirational and meaningful content across themes, including fitness and well-being. This is India’s first chat show under #EduTok where Voot Studio and TikTok have come together to bring a healthy change in the society with leading Bollywood celebs sharing their fitness mantras with Voot viewers and TikTok’s 200 million strong community of users
After the massive popularity of VOOT’s celebrity chat show Feet Up with the Stars, the all new quirky and category first chat show presented by TikTok India will reveal fitness regimes, fun workouts, and more, that make B-Town celebs stunning and popular
amongst their fans. “Work It Up” is a 7part series featuring leading Bollywood faces such as Kriti Sanon, Vaani Kapoor, Malaika Arora and many more.
Speaking about the show, Akash Banerj, Head – AVOD Business, VOOT said “VOOT has continuously created content that is immersive and provides an ideal opportunity for brands to integrate and effectively deliver their brand proposition. The recently launched VOOT Studio is focused on leveraging this story telling capability by providing high engagement, innovative and relevant brand solutions for advertisers beyond the conventional 30 seconder format.
“Work it Up created in association with TikTok India is one such initiative that will entertain while educating its viewers through the #EduTok initiative. We are sure that audiences will enjoy the show while also learning from the fitness stories of their favorite stars.”
Speaking about the association with VOOT, Sachin Sharma, Director-Sales and Partnerships, TikTok India said, “#EduTok was conceptualised with an aim to ensure that learning becomes fun and engaging. Fitness is a popular and prominent category among on TikTok’s #EduTok. We are thrilled about our collaboration with VOOT as it’s the perfect platform to encourage people to adopt fitness as a lifestyle and inspire them through some of their favourite celebrities. We are excited to see the reaction of our users for the show and look forward to being a part of something that is entertaining and trendy yet inspirational.”
Set to stream soon exclusively on VOOT, TikTok presents “Work it Up” With Sophie Choudry will give you a sneak peek into the glamorous, sassy, chic and charismatic lives of your favorite stars who have made gym looks popular.
iWorld
Meta plans 8,000 layoffs in new AI-led restructuring wave
First phase from May 20 may cut 10 per cent workforce amid AI pivot.
MUMBAI: At Meta, the future may be artificial but the cuts are very real. The social media giant is reportedly preparing a fresh round of layoffs, with an initial wave expected to impact around 8,000 employees as it doubles down on its artificial intelligence ambitions. According to a Reuters report, the first phase of job cuts is slated to begin on May 20, targeting roughly 10 per cent of Meta’s global workforce. With nearly 79,000 employees on its rolls as of December 31, the move marks one of the company’s most significant workforce reductions in recent years.
And this may only be the beginning. Sources indicate that additional layoffs are being planned for the second half of the year, although the scale and timing remain fluid, likely to be shaped by how Meta’s AI capabilities evolve in the coming months. Earlier reports had suggested that total cuts in 2026 could reach 20 per cent or more of its workforce.
The restructuring comes as chief executive Mark Zuckerberg continues to steer the company towards an AI-first operating model, committing hundreds of billions of dollars to the transition. Internally, this shift is already visible: teams within Reality Labs have been reorganised, engineers have been moved into a newly formed Applied AI unit, and a Meta Small Business division has been created to align with broader structural changes.
The trend is hardly isolated. Across the tech sector, companies are trimming headcount while investing aggressively in automation. Amazon, for instance, has reportedly cut around 30,000 corporate roles nearly 10 per cent of its white-collar workforce citing efficiency gains driven by AI. Data from Layoffs.fyi shows over 73,000 tech employees have already lost jobs this year, compared with 153,000 in all of 2024.
For Meta, the move echoes its earlier “year of efficiency” in 2022–23, when about 21,000 roles were eliminated amid slowing growth and market pressures. This time, however, the backdrop is different. The company is financially stronger, generating over $200 billion in revenue and $60 billion in profit last year, with shares up 3.68 per cent year-to-date though still below last summer’s peak.
That contrast underlines the shift underway. These layoffs are less about survival and more about reinvention. As Meta restructures itself around AI from autonomous coding agents to advanced machine learning systems, the question is no longer whether the company will change, but how many roles will be left unchanged when it does.
