iWorld
Watcho launches new original web series ‘Avaidh’
Mumbai: Dish TV’s OTT platform Watcho kicked off the new year with an original web series Avaidh based on illicit relationships inspired by true-life incidents. Avaidh is an anthology of eight stories about illicit relationships, each with unexpected endings that will keep viewers glued to their seats. The web series will premiere exclusively on 13 January.
Avaidh has a stellar cast that includes Urvashi Dholakia, Nasir Khan, Vikas Verma, Rakesh Paul, Priyanka Sood, and Ashish Narula, to name a few. The storyline of the show is based on sexual exploitation at work, a love triangle within a family that affects the couple’s lives, a struggling actress’s relationship dealing with social complications, a one-night stand, and a love affair between a teenager and a middle-aged man.
Commenting on the launch, DishTV & Watcho marketing head Sukhpreet Singh said, “This series will entertain as well as compel viewers to think about the intricacies of relationships and long-term consequences. This interesting anthology, inspired by actual life incidents, features an amazing cast and hard-hitting performances.”
“Watcho strives to keep its viewers entertained with fresh and engaging content. The launch of Avaidh is an attempt to bring forth an intriguing story with a captivating narrative. We are sure that this new series will have our viewers hooked and will be a perfect addition to our ever-expanding bouquet of content,” he added.
An eight-part series, Avaidh, is directed by Tarun Chopra, written by Dilshad Patel and Vikash Kumar and produced by Crescendo Films production, Suresh Thomas, and Mohit Shrivastav.
While speaking exclusively to Indiantelevision.com, Chopra said, “I’ve been in the industry for the past 30 years. This is my 54th show. I’ve done around 4,000 TV episodes, 150 ad films, one film, and various events. This is my first web series; in movies, the requirements are different; in television, drama works better; fortunately, we are in the OTT space, which is in between both of these mediums; it’s an innovative space where you have to explore realistic things, and this is the first time I’ve had the opportunity to tell stories without barriers.”
He further shed light on his experience working with OTT. “OTT is a magic box; I enjoy working in this space because you can tell different stories; there are no constraints; and you can work on any real-life stories that would not work for TV or cinema. Both TV and OTT will coexist in the future. OTT’s share could be different. It will rise, there is no TRP pressure, but appreciation and feedback pressure will always be there,” he added. “Producer Suresh Thomas had done a show with Watcho, and he wanted an innovative show that is not a typical crime show but something to learn from, so this show was created. We decided not to do anything vulgar, so we worked on it and there was no obscene scene, and we creatively incorporated it into dialogues.”
Watcho content head Simarjot Kaur agreed with Tarun, saying, “OTT is not about fantasy; it is about reality. Real stories are working for us; everyone feels a connection; DishTV has provided us with leverage, and we have taken stories from our viewers and created shows in response to fantasy budget increases. It does not happen in real-life stories. OTT has a bright future in which we can experiment; it is limitless and can be viewed by anyone in the world.”
While talking about the cost of content on OTT, she added, “Cost is determined by the content or project; it is never determined by the medium; we make certain that the stories are true, so the cost is determined accordingly.”
Avaidh is all about the complexities of relationships, the unfolding of storylines, and the consequences of decisions. Avaidh is an engrossing anthology that will leave viewers debating what is right and wrong.
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.
