iWorld
YuppTV launches in India; to raise $50 million for expansion
MUMBAI: The OTT (over-the-top) game in India just got more competitive. US-based YuppTV, an internet based TV streaming service provider has launched its service in India and is planning to raise $50 million to fund its expansion plans.
At the launch of the service in Hyderabad, YuppTV founder and CEO Uday Reddy said that while the company had raised $11 million so far, an additional $50 million will be raised over the next three – four months.
While last year, the company’s turnaround was $15-16 million, Reddy said that in the current financial year YuppTV had set a target of $20-30 million.
Yupp TV will offer 200+ channels in 12 languages. Apart from the Live TV experience, it will also offer Catch-Up TV technology for the first time in India where viewers can watch TV content from the past seven days.
Viewers will also have access to more than 5000 movies and hundreds of TV shows. As part of the Video-On-Demand (VOD) service, YuppTV has over 25,000 hours of video content in its catalogue. The company claims that it adds 2500 hours of content every day.
Some of the unique features that the service will provide to enhance TV viewing experience are: (1) real time recommendations on most trending Live TV channels using advanced analytics, (2) Timeshift technology that enables broadcasters to provide viewers capability to pause and rewind live TV for upto two hours. If viewers are late for a TV show, they can watch the same from the beginning using this start over feature.
YuppTV service is accessible on smart TVS, smart phones, tablets. The app can be downloaded on Android & iOS devices.
Given the limited high speed Internet infrastructure in India, YuppTV will use adaptive bit rate technology to give viewers a buffer-less TV viewing experience.
Reddy said, “There’s no other platform where you can watch linear TV, catch-up, videos, movie on demand and TV shows. We are breaking stereotypes, disrupting the market with OTT technology, providing easy access to unlimited content over public internet.”
Also present at the launch were Telangana Information Technology Minister K.T. Rama Rao, cricket legend Brian Lara and actress Parineeti Chopra.
Rao said, “It is a privilege to support YuppTV, a company whose 97 per cent employee base operates from Hyderabad made to Top 100 companies of North America, getting a Red Herring award in 2015. Launch of YuppTV OTT services is in line with our vision to foster growth of Digital India. Over the past few years technology has been changing lives and YuppTV service is one of those innovations fuelling this change.”
Lara, who is the brand ambassador of YuppTV in Trinidad, added, “I feel excited to be part of YuppTV’s launch in India. With just one touch of entertainment, YuppTV is providing a phenomenal change in Trinidad with high quality internet TV service and I hope to see the same in India.”
Chopra added, “I like to listen to music and have other entertainment whole day. When I am travelling abroad, YuppTV app is just a click away, providing me with Bollywood news and the latest feeds I want. Finally, I can look forward to experience the same now in India! Glad to have been part of this launch.”
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.
