iWorld
Vuclip to launch cricket comedy show ‘What The Duck’ on OTT
MUMBAI: Premium video on demand service for emerging markets, Vuclip announced the unveiling of Viu Originals on its OTT platform Viu with the cricket comedy chat show series ‘What The Duck’. Hosted by Vikram Sathaye, the show will be produced and co-created by Fluence. Vuclip says that CA Media Digital’s celebrity network will feature cricketing greats such as Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Zaheer Khan, Harbhajan Singh, Gautam Gambhir, Murali Karthik, Irfan Pathan among others.
The quirky chat show hosted by Vikram Sathaye, stand-up comedian, cricket humourist and author of the best seller How Sachin Destroyed My Life will be the first offering from Viu Originals. Each episode will have a total run time of 13 minutes.
At the intersection of cricket and comedy, ‘What The Duck’, is a freewheeling chat show that will reveal the funnier side of India’s cricketing legends. A dream come true for cricket fans, the show marries two of India’s greatest passions – cricket and entertainment. Laced with the host’s signature humour, each installment of the ten-episode series will feature a cricket celebrity along with some fascinating anecdotes and insightful stories. New episodes will be uploaded each week on Viu.
The series kicks off today on Viu with the interview of the Nawab of Najafgarh, Virender Sehwag opening the series innings in the same swashbuckling manner that he did on the cricket field. It will be available exclusively only on Viu.
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.
