iWorld
YuppTV forays into Sri Lankan market
MUMBAI: Focusing on providing international content to subscribers and expanding its network in markets around the world, YuppTV has launched premium channels SirasaTV and Shakthi TV, part of Capital Maharaja Group, in homes worldwide.
Sirasa TV is a Sinhala language channel broadcasting entertainment, news and current affairs, while Shakthi TV broadcasts in the Tamil language in Sri Lanka. Its content includes entertainment, sports, current affairs, children’s programmes and news.
YuppTV CEO Uday Reddy said, “We are thrilled to launch Sri Lanka’s top television channels Sirasa TV and Shakthi TV for the first time in markets across the world today. It is our constant endeavour to offer viewers from varied ethnicities and backgrounds top quality television viewing experience. We welcome viewers from Sri Lanka into the YuppTV family. The Capital Maharaja Organisation owns Sri Lanka’s largest Media network and a respected Sri Lankan brand. This launch will give viewers across the world access to the channels’ premium content. We trust subscribers in different markets will receive this launch very well. We are soon to add more Sri Lankan channels to make it a complete package of entertainment to the Sri Lankan viewers worldwide.”
The Capital Maharaja Organisation group director electronic media business Nedra Weerasinghe said that being a forward thinking media network, moving into new territories was of prime importance. “As Sri Lanka’s most innovative local content and trusted news provider we realise that OTT will play an important role in allowing consumers to access services in the way they want. We believe consumers will enjoy content ‘any time, any place’ through a range of devices including mobile phones, iPads, game consoles or connected TVs, all connected to a central content gateway. It is our pleasure to partner with YuppTV on this venture,” said Weerasinghe.
Channel head Chammantraj added, “Since its inception, the Capital Maharaja Organisation has always believed in setting new benchmarks as far as its business strategy is concerned. We are excited to partner with YuppTV in offering two of our premium channels Sirasa TV and Shakti TV for the first time to subscribers across the globe and trust this will mark the beginning of a new and exciting international partnership.”
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.
