Tag: Google Play Store

  • Netflix to make mobile game titles available on App Store for iOS users: Reports

    Netflix to make mobile game titles available on App Store for iOS users: Reports

    Mumbai: Earlier this month, Netflix announced that it is making four mobile gaming titles available to Android OS subscribers worldwide. The company is working on an iOS version however Apple’s App Store policies may prevent it from making these games available via its app.

    App Store policies bar third-party apps from functioning as a centre for games. Netflix’s mobile games are currently available on Android via a dedicated tab on the Netflix app and users are only able to launch the games from within the app. These games have to be downloaded individually from the Google Play Store.

    According to a report by ANI, Netflix plans to skirt Apple’s policies by making its games available via the App Store. This means that the games won’t be downloadable or playable via the Netflix app. Users will only be able to launch them from there.  

    Other platforms such as Facebook have got around these policies by developing a web app for their games. Cloud gaming services such as Xbox Cloud Gaming, Nvidia Geforce Now, and Google Stadia have been unable to offer their games from within their apps.

  • MX Player crosses one billion downloads on Google Play Store

    MX Player crosses one billion downloads on Google Play Store

    Mumbai: OTT streaming platform MX Player has crossed one billion downloads on Google Play Store over two years after its launch.

    According to data, there are only 15 non preinstalled apps, worldwide, that have more than one billion downloads (70 apps if default Google Apps on Android are included).

    MX Player has over 280 million monthly active users in India and features alongside Netflix, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, and Spotify as one of the apps that has more than a billion downloads.

    It ranks in the same league as Microsoft Word, Skype, ShareIt, and popular games such as Subway Surfers and Candy Crush Saga.

    “We are very excited to have crossed the one billion downloads mark, which is a testimonial to Indian audiences adopting this platform as their preferred destination for all things entertainment,” said MX Media chief executive officer Karan Bedi. “Our vision since the launch has been to cater to the true Bharat and in just over two years since the launch of our OTT offering, we’ve managed to achieve this iconic business milestone. We are looking forward to continuing this momentum on the back of compelling content and innovative product offerings in the imminent future.”

    The OTT platform’s hit shows include “Ek Thi Begum 2,” “Aashram,” “High”, “Chakravyuh – An Inspector Virkar Crime Thriller,” “Hello Mini” season 2 and 3, and “Samantar 2,” with upcoming shows like “Matsya Kaand” and “Girgit” amongst others.

    The video streaming platform was the first to upgrade its video encoding and compression technology to H.266 (versatile video coding) that slashes data usage for streaming videos by more than half.

    MX Player’s diverse content library ranges from their exciting slate of MX originals, MX exclusives, MX vdesi – international content dubbed in local Indian languages, and branded content as MX specials. The platform has also expanded its OTT service internationally in March 2020 across 12 territories including UAE, US, Canada, UK, Australia, New Zealand, Bangladesh, Nepal, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Maldives, and Bhutan.

  • Snapdeal crosses 100 million app downloads

    Snapdeal crosses 100 million app downloads

    Gurugram: Snapdeal, India’s leading marketplace, has crossed 100 million app downloads on Google Play Store.

     Snapdeal’s growth, built basis a sharp focus on serving India’s vast and growing value-conscious segment, is reflected in the rapid growth in its app downloads, which have grown rapidly in the last 12 months – climbing from 73 million in October 2018 to crossing 100 million in October 2019, a gain of 37%.

    “The 100 million android app downloads are a reflection of our leadership and granular understanding of Bharat-focused e-commerce. We are delighted that our efforts to improve access, convenience and value for millions of users across India continues to grow and deepen the e-commerce market in India”, added Snapdeal.

    Snapdeal has made several additions in its app to cater to the comfort and convenience of those starting their online journeys. This includes a continuous feed that is personalized for each user, allowing users to discover relevant products in an engaging way. In addition, the app features SD TV – which has thousands of short product videos highlighting the functionality and salient features of popular products.
     
    Based on feedback from users, Snapdeal has added various fun and engagement activities on its app. More than a million sessions of Spin the Wheel, Scratch Cards, Daily Visits Recorder, Timer-based challenges etc are unlocked every day on the Snapdeal app. These gamification initiatives incentivize users in a variety of ways through instant rewards, special deals etc.

    Snapdeal’s growth is also evident from its growing traffic. In October 2019, the monthly traffic to Snapdeal crossed 240 million visits – recording an all-time high.

    As per SimilarWeb data of September 2019, Snapdeal with its 848 million visits to its web & mobile sites in the last 12 months is the third-largest e-commerce platform in India after Amazon and Flipkart.

    It is more than four times the size of the Chinese e-commerce platform, Club Factory –  which with its 205 million visits in the last 12 months is a distant #4 in the Indian market.

    Snapdeal is now eight times the size of Paytm Mall, which recorded about 106 million visits to its web and mobile sites during October 2017-September 2018.

    Snapdeal’s growth is based on a strategy of pursuing growth basis healthy unit economics while simultaneously maximizing the operating efficiency of the marketplace. As per audited financials for the FY 2019-20, Snapdeal’s consolidated revenues grew by 73% (from Rs 535.9 Cr in FY 18 to Rs 925.3 crore in FY19). Simultaneously, it also reduced its loss by 71% (from Rs 611 Cr in FY 18 to Rs 186 Cr in FY 19).

    Pursuant to its Snapdeal 2.0 strategy unveiled in August 2017, Snapdeal has sharpened its focus on the needs of the value-conscious buyers in India. This market of 400 million potential buyers is the fastest-growing segment in Indian e-commerce. In the recently concluded Diwali season, Snapdeal saw growth not just in terms of traffic and app downloads but also witnessed 52% increase in order volumes this festive season, with 90% of its orders coming from non-metro users.

    Snapdeal’s growth in traffic and increase in volumes is also due to the deepening of its focus on value-priced merchandise. In the last two years, Snapdeal has added 60,000+ new seller partners, who have added over 50 Million new listings aimed at building a deep assortment of products relevant for value-savvy buyers. Snapdeal now has more than 500,000 registered sellers, who have more than 200 million listings on the marketplace.

  • ZEE5 SIGNS KUNAL KEMMU FOR UPCOMING ORIGINAL ‘ABHAY’

    ZEE5 SIGNS KUNAL KEMMU FOR UPCOMING ORIGINAL ‘ABHAY’

    Mumbai: ZEE5 is known to create and present great content across genres and with the launch of Abhay, it announces one of the first procedural format crime thrillers; a genre not explored in the OTT space yet. Produced by B.P. Singh’s (popularly known for the famous crime TV series CID) Fiction Factory Productions, the series marks the digital debut of popular actor Kunal Kemmu who essays the role of SP Abhay Pratap Singh. The eight-episode crime thriller premieres 7th February, with two episodes unfolding each month, disrupting the traditional binge viewing habit of content on OTT platforms.

    Based on real crime stories, Abhay is a crime thriller that follows the inverted detective format of storytelling. In his digital debut, Kunal Khemu plays an investigative officer who solves bone chilling murder cases while dealing with his own personal demons.

    Speaking on his digital debut, Kunal Kemmu said, “It’s exciting to explore new formats and push your boundaries as an actor, and Abhay had it all. I am an avid consumer of long format web series like everyone else, and hence I know that a series such as Abhay has all the ingredients that the OTT viewer is looking for. Very excited to partner with ZEE5, given the content that they have produced and are planning to do in the coming months and I look forward to reach out to the audience with this action-packed concept.”

    With over 3500 films, 500+ TV shows, 4000+ music videos, 35+ theatre plays and 90+ LIVE TV Channels across 12 languages, ZEE5 truly presents a blend of unrivalled content offering for its viewers across the nation and worldwide. With ZEE5, the global content of Zindagi as a brand, which was widely appreciated across the country, has also been brought back for its loyal viewers.

    Availability: The ZEE5 App can be downloaded from Google Play Store http://bit.ly/zee5 and iOS App Store http://bit.ly/zee5ios. Also available at www.zee5.com, as a Progressive Web App (PWA), and on Apple TV and Amazon Fire TV Stick. ZEE5 also supports Chromecast.

    Pricing: Freemium pricing model with both free and paid premium content (including Originals) to cater to a mix of audiences. Viewers who subscribe to the ZEE5 subscription pack will get access to the entire library of content using the limited period special subscription offer – 99/- for 2 months and 499/- for a year. Offer valid till 31st October.

  • OOYALA POWERS STARHUB’S NEW STREAMING BOX

    OOYALA POWERS STARHUB’S NEW STREAMING BOX

    Singapore: StarHub, a leading broadcaster and telco operator in Singapore, launched a brand new all-in-one entertainment destination – the StarHub Go Streaming Box, powered by the Ooyala Online Video Solution. This box is the first in the world to run on the Operator Tier version of Android TV Oreo, and comes pre-loaded with the best of StarHub’s content catalog. With the Ooyala Online Video Solution simplifying and streamlining the OTT content preparation and publishing process, StarHub can deliver a great viewing experience for its audiences.

    “The StarHub Go Streaming Box offers customers seamless and easy access to our breadth of content, our Partners’ apps, as well as the Google Play Store,” said Chong Siew Loong, Chief Technology Officer, StarHub. “Ooyala’s Online Video Solution plays a vital role in content management and video playback, ensuring that our customers enjoy a fuss-free content viewing experience.”

    The Ooyala Online Video Solution is a suite of content management and video publishing apps that deliver high quality, personalized video experiences across multiple devices for media owners, allowing them to keep their viewers engaged, and monetize their content easily.

    “Media companies today invest heavily in content and look to maximize their ROI by making the content available through multiple channels,” said Jonathan Huberman, CEO, Ooyala.  “Ooyala solutions allow them to do exactly that, by simplifying millions of workflows and delivering content anytime, anywhere, to any device.”

    “We’re excited to expand our collaboration with StarHub, a major entertainment provider in Asia,” said Huberman. “StarHub is an important customer of Ooyala, and we have once again proven that our platform is flexible to support integrations with other applications to meet our customers’ requirements. Our strong Asia Pacific services team, based in Singapore, worked closely with StarHub to deliver the project on time, allowing them to launch this innovative service successfully.”

  • Q India Launches Mobile App Targeting 300M+ Smartphone Audience in India

    Q India Launches Mobile App Targeting 300M+ Smartphone Audience in India

    MUMBAI: QYOU Media (TSXV:QYOU; OTCQB: QYOUF), announced today its launch of the Q India mobile app on the Google Play store. Featuring content from top local creators and talent, the direct-to-consumer app significantly expands Q India’s footprint within India, and to the additional tens of millions of expatriate fans of Indian-created content globally.

    The mobile app market has exploded worldwide, with India surpassing the US in mobile app downloads, and now second only to China. The Q India app, available globally through the Google Play Store, will allow users access to the channel’s 24/7 linear stream of premium digital-first content from India’s top creators, along with individual video on-demand offerings of all episodes.

    Curt Marvis, CEO and Co-Founder of QYOU Media, commented: “India is one of the fastest growing mobile markets in the world and provides the perfect opportunity for us to launch a new, youth-oriented mobile app that taps into this. We know from working with leading digital creators in India – like Culture Machine, Pocket Aces, The Comic Wallah and others – that there is a real appetite from young Indians for content that reflects local themes and culture. Q India is fast becoming recognized as having the best of this content all in one place, and now with the app we are also enabling audiences that have grown-up watching online video on a daily basis to access their favorite curated content on their favored devices.”

    The launch follows on from the appointment earlier this year of former president of Sony Pictures Worldwide Networks, Andy Kaplan, as Non-Executive Chairman of Board of Directors of QYOU India Pvt (QYOU India). It also adds to the 230 million+ consumers on mobile and TV that are already engaging with QYOU’s curated content through partnerships with leading TV and mobile providers in the region.

  • NBA and Dream11 to bring fantasy basketball to India

    NBA and Dream11 to bring fantasy basketball to India

    MUMBAI: The National Basketball Association (NBA) and Dream11 today announced a partnership making Dream11 an official fantasy partner of the NBA in India.

    Beginning this season, the NBA and Dream11 will introduce an official NBA daily fantasy game, which allows fans to simulate the role of an NBA general manager. In daily fantasy, fans create virtual teams of NBA players and accumulate points based on their selected players’ statistics in real life.

    The free-to-play game will offer a variety of prizes as rewards, including NBAStore.in gift cards, NBA merchandise, Dream11 game bonuses, and the opportunity to win a trip to the U.S. to attend the 2018 NBA Finals.

    “We are excited to partner with the NBA to add basketball to our growing set of fantasy sports offerings,” said Dream11 CEO & Co-Founder Harsh Jain. “Fans of the official NBA fantasy game will enjoy a fast and responsive platform which delivers a rich user experience. We believe that avid and casual fans alike will enjoy this simple and easy to understand way of engaging with the NBA.”

    “The official NBA fantasy game with Dream11 will be a great platform for fans to engage with the league alongside millions of NBA fans,” said NBA India Managing Director Yannick Colaco. “Fantasy basketball provides an engaging fan experience and can help drive tune in to our NBA game broadcasts on Sony SIX and Sony Ten 3.”

    The official NBA fantasy game will reside on NBA.com, the NBA’s official digital destination in India.

    Follow the NBA on Facebook (Facebook.com/NBAIndia), Twitter (@NBAIndia) and Instagram (@NBAIndia), and download the NBA App on iOS and Android for the latest news, updates, scores, stats, schedules, videos and more.

  • Offline first & good on slow Net: YouTube Go beta launched

    MUMBAI: In last September’s Google for India event, YouTube Go was announced. YouTube app has been reimagined for the next generation of YouTube users. 

    Today, after months of expanded testing and refinement, Google is happy to announce that it’s making the beta version of YouTube Go available for download on the Google Play Store in India.

    Every aspect of YouTube Go was designed from the ground up, with four main principles in mind: It’s relatable, with fresh and relevant video recommendations tailored to your preferences; the app is designed to be offline first and improve the experience of watching videos on a slower network; it gives you more control over data usage, by providing choice and transparency into the amount of data spent on streaming or saving videos. And finally, it’s social, allowing you to share videos quickly and easily with friends nearby.

    Key features of YouTube Go include:

    ●        A home built for you: YouTube Go home screen features trending and popular videos in your area, so that you can find and discover videos that you and your community care about.

    ●        Preview videos before you save or watch: On YouTube Go we’ll show you a preview of the video when you tap on a thumbnail, giving you a better sense of what the video is about before you decide if you want to watch it.

    ●        Choose your resolution when saving or streaming videos: You can choose to save a video for offline viewing later or stream it now. And we also allow you to choose the amount of data you’d like to spend on that video.

    ●        Share videos with friends nearby: Share videos with friends and family nearby without using any data. You can send and receive videos instantly and offline with others using the YouTube Go app.

    To get us to this point, Google has worked hard on refining the features that you’ve inspired us to build, gaining new insights along the way. 

    Some things learned in the run-up to this beta release include making the home screen fresher and more relevant for users, so they can find amazing videos easily. Google has also worked hard behind the scenes to make sharing videos with nearby friends an even more seamless experience, and ensuring that the app works well across a wide range of phones and connectivity. 

    While the app is in its beta release, Google will welcome consumer feedback and improve the app before launching more broadly. We’ll also be holding several activities in Udaipur over the upcoming weeks to glean more insights from users on the ground. If you’re in India, Google hopes one downloads the beta from the Google Play store.
    With the rapid transformation sweeping India’s mobile internet landscape, Google is aware there will be an even greater demand for a fast and accessible video app. 


     

  • Big Magic Ganga announces ‘Mele Ka Big Star’ season 7

    Big Magic Ganga announces ‘Mele Ka Big Star’ season 7

    MUMBAI:  Reliance Broadcast Network’s regional channel Big Magic Ganga has launched season 7 of Mele ka Big Star, after a resounding response for the previous 6 seasons. Combining the biggest melas of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, Mele ka Big Star will bring forth hidden talent from across the Hindi heartland.

     

    The channel has roped in Dabur Red Paste as a presenting sponsor and Reliance Cement as the powered by sponsor.

     

    With 92.7 Big FM as the Radio partner, Mele ka Big Star is spread across nine cities and nine mela’s and will reach out to more than 15 million people from the region. Viewers can also tune in to Big Magic Ganga for details or submit their auditions through Mele ka Big Star app which is available at the Google Play Store.

     

    In addition to this, a high decibel marketing approach to the show will facilitate an extensive forum for marketers to directly connect with their consumers. The show will be promoted through TV, radio, digital and print.

     

    Speaking about the property, a spokesperson from Big Magic Ganga said, “ Mele ka Big Star has come a long way, ever since we launched the first season in 2012. The response from the audience has been overwhelming and it only encourages us to go out there to put up a bigger and better show with every passing season. With season 7, we are trying to raise the bar in terms of audience engagement. Like every year, our aim is to bring talent from the Hindi heartland to the world at large, and we are confident of yet another successful season.”

     

    The grand finale will be aired on Big Magic Ganga and the winner will be presented with the title of Mele ka BIG Star-season 7 and an opportunity to showcase his or her act on one of Big Magic Ganga’s special shows.

     

    The show has already travelled to some of the biggest melas of the Hindi heartland including Kumbh, Sonepur, Meerut Nauchandi, Aligarh Numaish etc. More than 7,500 performers have lived their dream on Mele Ka Big Star’s unique platform.

  • MouthShut.com launches Mobile App for Android users

    MouthShut.com launches Mobile App for Android users

    MUMBAI: MouthShut.com – India’s leading consumer review website – has launched its multi-faceted feature free mobile application, MouthShut, to reach out their millions of consumers.

     

    The mobile app will be available for Android users and can be downloaded for free from Google Play Store. The company will soon be introducing the App for iOS and Windows users.

     

    According to Faisal Farooqui, Founder & Chief Executive Officer, MouthShut.com, the entire world becoming glocal (Global + local), it is important that everything fits the pocket. “Consumer reviews have become an integral part of every Indian’s experience. MouthShut.com’s App is now putting reviews and more in the pockets of every Internet user,” he added.

     

    The MouthShut Mobile App has reviews on a variety of products and services across the top six most-used categories: Automotives, Mobile, Movies, Health & Beauty, Travel & Restaurants and Online Shopping. Reviews are sorted in four divisions: popular, most-reviewed products, rating and recommendations.

     

    “The MouthShut Mobile App has a broad range of movie reviews, including Bollywood, Hollywood, Tamil and Telegu movies. The App also looks up restaurants as per the preference: proximity, type of cuisine, ratings by consumers and recommendations. The App can be used to spot the exact location of a restaurant, hospital, pubs, hotels and much more on Google map,” Farooqui said.