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High-end Japanese brand Final’s headphones and earphones now available in India

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Final’s unique headphones and in-ears are now available in India. Traditional Japanese headphone brand Final has established itself as one of the few high-end audiophile manufacturers. Their headphones and IEMs are an outstanding combination of perfect engineering, Japanese craftsmanship and elegant design. Their range is now available at Headphone Zone (www.headphonezone.in).

“To create the kind of product that can be used for years, until it becomes an antique, we have to create something that we as the creators deem to be truly good,” is how Hosoo san, CEO of Final, describes the philosophy of his company, which has been developing and manufacturing high-end products since 1974.

Final is in partnership with retail brand Headphone Zone. “Final has carved a name for itself amongst audio enthusiasts worldwide and we’re very excited for audiophiles in India to experience Final audio products,” says Raghav Somani, CEO of Headphone Zone about Final.

Final makes use of high precision Japanese engineering with focus on finesse and accuracy. Adopting cutting edge technology with great attention to detail and the highest quality of audio design, Final has been recipient of several awards over the years. To name a few: Major Hi-Fi, VGP 2018, VGP 2019, VGP 2020, VGP 2021, Headphone Award 2017, Headphone Award 2018, and many more.

The team at Final strongly believes in creating earphones and headphones that are revered by audiophiles and casual music listeners alike. Final earphones, like Swiss wristwatches and German Cars are built to last forever and used as valuable antiques. The result of such careful consideration is a long-lasting, rational & emotionally valuable asset with the best sound quality and best design.

At the Final factory, the team of audio designers are dedicated to innovating audio products through research. Unlike other OEM manufacturers, they believe in designing their products in-house. This facilitates internal feedback between various teams and departments, encouraging the process for developing a long lasting product.

Final A8000: Flagship Grade IEM

The Final A8000 is the company’s flagship-grade IEM created with the most cutting edge technology and materials. To achieve transparent sound for the A8000, Final has applied its own proprietary Perceptual Transparency Measurement (PTM) evaluation methodology, resulting in improved efficiency of the components within the IEM. Considering the results of the evaluation, an ultra-thin Beryllium foil (Truly Pure Beryllium Diaphragm) is embedded. With a specific gravity of 1.85 and a sound propagation velocity of 12,900 m/s, second only to that of a diamond, Beryllium has ideal characteristics for a diaphragm material.

The clarity of sound produced is extremely high and offers unparalleled clarity to your music. The ear tips for the Final A8000 have been designed from soft silicone for superior comfort and noise isolation. These come in 5 sizes and the right and left earbuds have different coloured markings for easy recognisability and the different sizes also ensure that the sound is transmitted directly to the eardrum.

These earphones also come bundled with an aluminium hybrid silicone carry case and dust filter. For the A8000, Final has shaped the dust filter in such a manner that it can be removed and replaced by the customer, and a replacement dust filter is included as an accessory. The A8000 is retailed at Rs 149,999.

Also Read: Defy BassX DWH01, the dual-pairing over-ear wireless headphone with 15hr battery life launched

Final E series

The E series comprises 5 IEMs: the E1000, E2000, E3000, E4000 and the E5000. With an elegant design and premium packaging, these are great for beginner audiophiles. They come with oxygen free (OFC) cables. The Final E series have been designed to provide utmost comfort and durability. Featuring a unique swing-fit mechanism allowing the earpiece to be able to move left and right and tilt towards the audio canal for a perfect fit. These prevent changes in shape owing to the aperture of the earpiece coming into contact with the auditory canal. The sound is transmitted directly to the eardrum, delivering clear sound. The E series ranges from the entry level model E1000 that’s priced at Rs 1,799 to the E5000 which is priced at Rs 24,999.

Final B series

The Final B series is designed with modular elements which allow disassembly and easy repairs. This design has been implemented keeping in mind the factor of being able to use the IEMs for a long time and if any issue arises, it can be solved with ease. The design for the chassis of the Final B series has been completely reimagined and re-engineered to offer utmost comfort. The B series comprises 3 models: B1, B2 and B3 and the price ranges from Rs 27,999 to Rs 59,999.

Final D8000 and Final D8000 Pro Edition

The Final D8000 and D8000 Pro Edition, are the company’s flagship-grade planar-magnetic headphones. Innovative engineering and precision are reflected in every element of the headphone. They can reproduce sound that combines the delicate high-frequency range of a planar magnetic driver while the low-frequency ranges are open, feeling more like a dynamic headphone.

Traditionally, planar headphones use a zigzag pattern coil, but with these headphones, Final designed a spiral coil to significantly improve the bass response. This is possible by incorporating the newly developed damping system to make sure the headphones outperform any planar magnetic or dynamic headphone.

The Air Film Dampening System solved the problem of the diaphragm contacting the magnet, so it was possible to achieve sound quality that has both the sensitive high ranges of planar magnetic models and the volume and open feel bass tones of dynamic models. With this technology, these headphones redefine the possibilities of what a headphone can do. The D8000 and D8000 Pro editions are retailed at Rs 2,99,999 and Rs 3,29,999 respectively.

Belkin India offers a suite of accessories solutions for the new iPhone 13, iPad series

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Belkin India recommends a dynamic range of accessories perfect for the recently unveiled iPhone 13 series (iPhone 13, iPhone 13 Mini, iPhone 13 Pro, iPhone 13 Pro Max). Additionally, Belkin also offers an array of accessories for the new iPad and iPad mini. Belkin’s total solution can be classified into four categories: ‘Screen Protection’, ‘Magnetic and MagSafe accessories’, ‘Wireless and high-speed charging’, and ‘Audio’.

Kartik Bakshi, Country Manager, Belkin India said, “Belkin has always been at the forefront of designing customer centric products. We work closely with Apple to ensure that innovation is at the heart of designing products for Apple users and fans. The exciting new range of Belkin accessories are a right combination of style, connectivity, and reliability to ensure customers are able to fully enjoy the Apple ecosystem.”

Screen Protection

ScreenForce Tempered Glass Anti-Microbial Screen Protectors for iPhone 13 mini, Pro, Pro Max.

Engineered from high-quality Japanese Asahi glass, this protector can absorb high impact and prevent scratches. It also contains an anti-microbial agent to protect the screen from microbial growth.

It has also been awarded a hardness and scratch resistance score of 9H. With its anti-fingerprint coating, and touch sensitivity and crystal clarity, the intelligent glass composition reacts like your phone’s own screen.

Belkin Screen Protectors with its easy align tray enables a flawless, bubble-free application at home.

Belkin Magnetic & MagSafe Accessories

Belkin also offers a range of magnetic charging styles that are compatible with MagSafe. With the BOOST?CHARGE Magnetic Wireless Charger Stand 7.5W (available in black and white), you can make a video call or consume video content in landscape orientation while charging your phone by placing it on your desk. The perfect alignment of MagSafe delivers efficient and secure charging, with easy one-handed placement. BOOST?CHARGE Magnetic Portable Wireless Charger Pad 7.5W (available in 2 colours – Black and White) is like a doctor’s stethoscope, and it charges your iPhone with a small circle-shaped charging pad at the end of a thin and long cable, providing excellent space efficiency and portability. Belkin’s 2,500mAh BOOST?CHARGE Magnetic Wireless Power Bank 2.5K is a portable power bank that attaches securely to the back of your iPhone, so you don’t need to connect any cables to charge it.

The Belkin Magnetic Car Vent Mount, a magnetic car mount and Car Vent Mount PRO with MagSafe featuring official MagSafe technology, both safely keep iPhone 13 conveniently and securely on display through all the road’s bumps and bends. The sturdy base and vent clip keep your mount safely in place while a powerful magnetic module provides easy one-handed mounting. Start your playlist in portrait and flip to landscape with the twist of your wrist for navigation. When the trip gets long, plugging in is easy with intuitive cable management that keeps your charging cable cleanly out of the way while still within reach.

Powerful and Portable Wall Charger

Give two compatible devices a fast charge at the same time with our BOOST?CHARGE Dual USB-C PD Wall Charger 40W. This USB-C Power Delivery certified charger delivers 20W of power from each USB-C port, charging an iPhone 13 from 0-50% within 30 mins and an iPad from 0-50% in 40 min. Our dual-port charger is also universally compatible with the latest USB-C PD enabled smartphones and tablets, giving you a safe and fast charge for all your devices.

Also Read: BalleBaazi to host National Fantasy Cricket Championship starts October 23

True Wireless Sound

The SOUNDFORM True Wireless Earbuds’ advanced touch controls give a device-free experience while its IPX5-rated splash and sweat resistance will help you focus on the deep bass and crystal-clear acoustics of Belkin sound. A one-step Bluetooth pairing while its easy and intuitive touch controls help make your experience device-free and focused. You can play for a 5-hour non-stop playtime, its compact charging case provides the Soundform True Wireless Earbuds all-day connection—a full 24 hours of charge without plugging in. Available in two colours – black and white.

Accessory for the iPad

Meanwhile, Apple released the iPad 9th generation and iPad mini 6th generation together, and it is interesting that the USB-C type was added to the iPad mini as a charging port. In particular, expansion through the multimedia hub is essential for users who expect the functionality of a notebook from an iPad based on the improved chip performance. Belkin’s USB-C Multimedia Hub has an Ethernet port instead of a micro SD and 3.5mm audio input/output port. All of them can be easily and safely connected to devices optimized for USB-C type, and are characterized by easy portability. For charging, we recommend a boost-up 40W dual USB-C PD fast charger that supports dual 20W outputs, and powers the iPad by 50% in 40 minutes.

Accessories for the AirTag

Secure Holders with Strap / Key Ring for AirTag (Available in 4 colours, Black, Blue, Pink, White) – The Belkin Secure Holder is the newest addition to the company’s portfolio of accessories designed exclusively for Apple products. Available in two variations – with Key Ring or with Strap – the Belkin Secure Holder features an innovative twist-and-lock closure to keep AirTag safely secured in place, while raised edges help to protect against scratches. The Belkin Secure Holder is available in four colors – black, white, pink and blue – for a personalized look. Whether you’re attaching AirTag to car keys or a backpack, the Belkin Secure Holder ensures AirTag is locked in place and protected.

BalleBaazi to host National Fantasy Cricket Championship starts October 23

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This T20 World Cup brings a chance for the Indian Cricket Team and the fans alike to be crowned as the Champions!

India’s first-ever National Fantasy Cricket Championship (NFCC) goes underway on the October 23, giving every die-hard Indian cricket fan an opportunity to taste the glory. This novel free-to-play concept challenges every fan to show their skill, and aims at changing the perception about the online fantasy sports industry from being “just about money” to “all about glory.”

Taking the World Cup fever a notch higher, the 23-days long multi-tier tournament will be hosted on BalleBaazi.com. The grand finale will be held on the same day as the final T20 World Cup match, November 14, where 11 Fantasy Cricket Champions will be crowned who will meet the World Cup 2011 hero, Zaheer Khan, and 1st on the podium will win the championship trophy and a free trip to the Mecca of Cricket, Lord’s, England. The ten other India’s best fantasy sports champions will take home a golden bat along with daily and exclusive leaderboard cash prizes.

The NFCC will have a total of 33 matches, with the first 30 being qualifiers chances one, two, and three, followed by the quarter finals, semis, and the grand finale.

Saurabh Chopra, Co-Founder & CEO of BalleBaazi.com said, “NFCC is all about “for the fans, by the fans.” It’s about giving the greatest fans of the game their “Dare to Dream” moment, a chance to lift the Championship Trophy alongside the T20 World Cup-winning team. The concept has been kept absolutely free of cost since its idea is to recognize fantasy sports beyond the means to make money and perceive it as a game of skill and honor.”

BalleBaazi.com recently introduced ace cricketer Zaheer Khan as the brand ambassador. With this association, Khan will spearhead the company’s campaigns and special tournaments, exhibiting the skills required for playing and excelling in online fantasy sports (OFS).

Additionally, Astro Pay and FHMax have come together to promote and encourage NFCC as the official Wallet and E-commerce fashion partner cum sponsors. Understanding the highly growing dynamics of the segment, the proud sponsors will be an important and valuable part of the championship league.

Also Read: Defy BassX DWH01, the dual-pairing over-ear wireless headphone with 15hr battery life launched

Currently, India accounts for more than 100 million fantasy sports users and the NFCC will further boost the popularity of the skill-based sport after having introduced glory and bringing forth the honor it brings to one’s skill.

Register for the NFCC and become a national champion:

  • To participate in NFCC tournament, one must download the BalleBaazi app and join any free or paid league from the World Cup Matches
  • The participants will get three chances to qualify (October 23 – November 8)
  • Each chance to have 10 matches
  • Users will have to play all 10 matches to secure a spot in the Quarter-Finals
  • Users can make up to 25 teams per match
  • Best teams of every user will be qualifying for the NFCC Leaderboard
  • The players will have one chance each in the quarter-final (on November 10), Semi-Final (on 11th November) and Final (on November 14).

Defy BassX DWH01, the dual-pairing over-ear wireless headphone with 15hr battery life launched

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Be it pure music, intense gaming or heart-stopping action flicks, the audio performance and soundstage are what makes the huge difference. And to ensure that big difference, Defy invites you to switch to its next audio accessory – the ‘Defy BassX DWH01.’ Defy, is a homegrown audio brand created by famous Indian artist Guru Randhawa to celebrate the stories of the music industry with a range of exciting new products for audiophiles. Defy ensures carefully crafted audio wear and accessories including headphones, earbuds, and speakers that are both performance-oriented and value-driven. The new Defy BassX DWH01 fulfills your hunger for audio pleasure with large 40mm drivers that make you feel the bass.

Guru Randhawa, Creator Defy, said, “When it comes to music, movies or gaming, it’s the audio performance that makes that sheer difference.  Being an artist myself, it’s difficult to digest the fact that many people use standard audio gear to listen to high-quality music. Sadly, good performing audio gear attracts a deep pocket, and we want to completely change that perspective. Hence, in order to bring justice to your music, movies and gaming while being pocket-friendly at the same time, Defy is all set to break the clutter once again. With the Defy BassX DWH01, now anyone and everyone who seeks pure audio pleasure at super-affordable prices. These cans can deliver a beastly performance apart from long-running battery life and a super-comfortable ergonomic design for all-day use.”

The Defy BassX Defy DWH01 will be available exclusively on Flipkart starting today, for an introductory price of Rs 1,099, and a standard warranty period of 1 year.

MetricStream ropes in Aravind Varadharajan to lead India business

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MetricStream, the market leader in governance, risk, and compliance (GRC) products and solutions, today announced Senior Vice President Aravind Varadharajan’s expanded role as Managing Director of India. Based in Singapore, Aravind will now oversee the growth trajectory for the company in India.

As part of the company’s continued expansion in APAC where organizations are adopting digital services faster than ever before, they named Aravind to lead the entire region, covering customer needs to provide comprehensive solutions for integrated risk management.

“India continues to be at center stage for us, with the talent and expertise propelling us forward,” said Bruce Dahlgren, Chief Executive Officer. “We continue to leverage that talent to support our clients through the digital disruption and regulatory changes with our GRC solutions. With Aravind’s experience and leadership, we shall forge forward with our cutting-edge solutions and closer customer ties.”

Aravind is a highly seasoned business leader with over 20 years of experience across sales and business management in Japan, ASEAN, and global markets across multiple business verticals. Prior to joining MetricStream, Aravind was Managing Director – Sales of Intelligent Cloud and Infrastructure at Accenture, leading the cloud business across the APAC region.

“The year 2021 heralds a new moment where the focus on resiliency, compliance and proactive risk management is going to be at the core of many business decisions. I am delighted to lead MetricStream’s team in India and offer our cloud platform and cutting-edge solutions to the broad base of companies in the region to meet their critical requirements of GRC,” said Aravind.

MetricStream offers an enterprise wide GRC approach that empowers a culture of proactive risk and compliance management through a comprehensive suite of solutions enabling customers to address risks, operational governance, and regulatory mandates. Their innovative product roadmap for the MetricStream Platform has won them analyst citations, broadened their industry and geographic outreach, and poised them for aggressive growth.

Tech NewsWrap: Vivo T1, T1x with 5G connectivity launched… and more

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Vivo T1, T1x with 5G connectivity launched

Vivo T1 and Vivo T1x have been launched. Both the smartphones sport 6nm chipsets, ample batteries, fast charging, and include up to 256GB of onboard storage. In terms of distinction, Vivo T1 has dual rear cameras and a waterdrop-style display notch. On the other hand, Vivo T1x carries triple rear cameras and has a hole-punch display design. The new Vivo T1 comes with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G SoC, whereas Vivo T1x is powered by a MediaTek Dimensity 900 SoC. The price of Vivo T1 starts at CNY 2,199 (roughly Rs 25,800). In contrast, Vivo T1x price starts at CNY 1,699 (roughly Rs 19,900).

Instagram now lets you post from desktop

Instagram is adding a bunch of new features to its Reels and Feed. The Facebook-owned photo-sharing platform will finally allow you to create posts on the desktop. The company tested the feature a few months ago but now it has finally confirmed that users will be able to post from web starting on October 21. Besides, the platform has announced that it is testing the Collabs feature to strengthen the relationship between content creators. It will soon introduce a new feature that allows creators to collaborate on posts and Reels.

Also Read: Soundcore launches Saina Nehwal special edition ‘Life Note E’ TWS with 50% more bass

iQOO Z5x with MediaTek Dimensity 900 launched

iQOO has unveiled the Z5x in China, which is a new mid-range smartphone from the brand. It comes equipped with a high refresh rate display and a big battery. It is built around a 6.58-inch FullHD+ 120Hz LCD and runs Android 11-based OriginOS 1.0 out-of-the-box. The device is powered by a Mediatek Dimensity 900 chipset and supports up to 8GB RAM and up to 256GB storage. The iQOO Z5x comes in three memory configurations – 6GB + 128G, 8GB + 128GB, and 8GB + 256GB, priced at CNY1,599 (Rs 18,795), CNY1,699 (Rs 19,970), and CNY 1,899 (Rs 22,321).

Redmi Smart TV X 2022 are official

Redmi announced its new line of smart TVs Redmi Smart TV X 2022. These are the brand’s new high-end models for this niche market, however, with a much more advantageous price than other similar proposals. In an announcement made in China, the company introduced Redmi Smart TV X 2022 television line, consisting of two proposals of 55-inch and 65-inch. Both are extremely elegant, set in a metal frame and have extremely small margins. The new smart TVs are announced with prices starting at 362 €.

Soundcore launches Saina Nehwal special edition ‘Life Note E’ TWS with 50% more bass

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Soundcore by Anker announced the launch of its Saina Nehwal special edition TWS – Life Note E. The truly wireless earbuds come at a pocket-friendly price of Rs 2,799 and now available on a launch price offer i.e. Rs 1,999. The product is paired with several key functionalities, including 32h playtime, 3 EQ modes, and big bass. Life Note E TWS with 18 months warranty is available on Flipkart.

Life Note E true wireless earbuds come with oversized triple-layer 10mm drivers, to fuel powerful sound with 50% more bass for a mesmerizing listening experience. It also comes with the unique and signature 3 EQ Modes – Soundcore Signature, the default EQ that delivers well-balanced sound with realistic mids, soaring treble and rich bass, while Bass Booster enhances bass-heavy music by over 50%, and Podcast makes voices stand out clearly. To switch to a different mode, quickly press the right earbud 3 times and enjoy music, videos or more.

Soundcore Life Note E is equipped with an AI Algorithm to enhance voice pick up and ensure seamless calls. The ergonomically designed earbuds come with snug & secure fit that lets the user feel the music and never the weight of the earbuds. The tiny true wireless earbuds weigh just 0.16oz (4.6g), which is 10% lighter than standard earbuds. They’re so small and lightweight that they feel practically weightless when in use. The earbuds come with a carrying case that acts as a portable charger that extends the playback time of the earbuds by up to 32 hours, i.e., 4X times its normal capacity. The earbuds deliver up to 8 hours of music with a single charge.

Also Read: VideoMeet makes Diwali celebrations special with alluring offers

Saina Nehwal – Indian Professional Badminton Player, said, “I am very overwhelmed and thrilled to launch my first signature audio collection with one of the most loved audio brands of India – Soundcore by Anker. The product Life Note E resonates with today’s generation needs. It comes with new, fresh, and exciting power-packed features with no compromise on style. Easy on the pocket and heavy on tech, this product with Soundcore shall be a game-changer for the industry.”

Life Note E true wireless earbuds ensure one-step pairing and a single earbud mode & the latest Bluetooth 5.2 technology for an ultra-stable connection. The earbuds are IPX5 water-resistant, making them ideal for a variety of uses.

VideoMeet makes Diwali celebrations special with alluring offers

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VideoMeet has decided to make Diwali celebrations of their user base filled with adornment by offering new custom designs, filled with animated Diyas and glitters feature. The application provides avenues to celebrate Diwali digitally with friends, family, and co-workers, thus making it more fun. For establishing smooth and engaging non-verbal communication, wide arrays of reactions are also added by the app.

The Made in India video-conferencing application has always been prepared to amaze its users with its frequent feature upgrade. On this special occasion of Diwali, VideoMeet has come up with unlimited recording and playback features for users to record their cheerful and light-hearted moments. The application has also added custom designs with full event production supported by animated Diyas and Glitter for creating festive aura, thus a unique interface of “Diwali Celebration Space” for each user will be created that will witness them enjoying the festival virtually with their near and dear ones.

VideoMeet is also offering these interactive services at incredible prices with long-term membership benefits specially curated for the new users. The features are available to new users, once they create an account on VideoMeet for free, whereas the paid subscribers have full access to the new and advanced features subjected to their plans. An online free training session is also being exclusively provided by the application for getting users accustomed to the new features & method on apps, thus resolving the feature-related queries initiated from users’ end.

Also Read: TCL lights up the festival month with ‘TCL Diwali Dhamaka’ offerings

Ajay Data, Founder, VideoMeet said, “Diwali is all about family gathering and parties. On this Diwali, we are offering new features in our app to make users’ Digital Diwali more bright and joyful. These features are available for Pan India VideoMeet’s users. Soon, we are hoping to hit the target of 5 Lakh app users with these experiential features. We’ve already boarded several clients for collaboration with us and more are in pipeline.”

TCL lights up the festival month with ‘TCL Diwali Dhamaka’ offerings

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With the festival of lights just around the corner, TCL has come up with an exciting festive affair, ‘TCL Diwali Dhamaka’, to brighten the mood of customers. It is a four-week event that has already commenced on October 18 and will run until November 12. The event is divided into three electrifying activities: TCL Wish & Win, TCL Diwali Star Card & Live streaming with Jannat & Siddharth and TCL YouBuyWePay lucky draw.

TCL Wish & Win is a website engagement activity where users can put their Diwali wishes on the Wish & Win page. They can also ask their friends and loved ones to light up diyas for them. Those with the most genuine wishes and the highest number of diyas will get a chance to win TCL Mini LED TV, AC and earphones.

TCL Wish & Win social media campaign (TCL Diwali Star Card) is another online activity, where users are required to find twenty TCL Diwali Star Cards hidden in creatives that the brand shall be posting. In phase 2, users will have to drop their wishes for XYZ TCL gift post in the comment box and explain why they want that particular gift. In the next step, two popular KOLs will select a few lucky users and connect with them via a video call on TCL TV to grant their wishes by giving away TCL tabs, earphones and gift vouchers.

Also Read: ‘Daiwa-li Smart Utsav Offers’ goes live by Daiwa, for its range of Smart TVs in India

In TCLYouBuyWePay lucky draw, lucky users can get their hands on TCL’s Mini LED, Video Call QLED, Video Call 4K TVs and smart ACs every week. All they need to is buy any TCL product either online (by clicking on or offline (scan the QR code on store standee, fill in the invoice and submit). It is an automated selection process via non-human intervention and TCL will announce winners on TCL website and social media handles every week. This is for the first time TCL is hosting lucky draw on both online and offline channels.

Justin Zhong, Marketing Head, TCL India said, “Diwali is a huge festival for Indians, where people worship ceremonies of Lakshmi, light fireworks, decorate their homes with diyas and Rangoli. However, apart from these activities, they also do a lot of shopping during this festive season. At TCL, we are striving to make this celebration worthy and rewarding for our customers. Through our ‘TCL Diwali Dhamaka’ campaign, not only are we making smart TVs and gadgets accessible at affordable price points but we are also transforming the entire shopping journey by adding exciting elements to it. We hope our customers will love these offerings and have a good time by participating in this event.”

User retention still a challenge for Indian video sharing apps: Bolo Live CEO

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India’s move to ban dozens of Chinese apps has found favor among local start-ups, some of whom have seen an upsurge of active participation from users. One of them is a social Live Streaming App called Bolo Live, formerly known as Bolo Indya. The homegrown app is getting immense popularity among Indians and currently has crossed 10 Lakhs of download on Google Play Store. Varun Saxena, CEO and Founder of Bolo Live, spoke to Shweta Srivastava about the rise of short-form video platforms in India, his plans to take the app ahead, and more. Excerpts from his interview:

What’s the idea behind changing brand name to ‘Bolo Live’ from Bolo Indya?

Name change is in sync with our plans to go global. We already have close to 7% of our paying users from outside India, who come to the platform in order to appreciate Indian talent across genres that is live streaming on Bolo Live.

We strongly believe in taking Indian talent global and the name change helps us to penetrate global markets where our primary target is Middle East, South East Asia and North American emerging economies. We have already seeing a further increase in our global traction post the name change.

BOLO LIVE

How has been the people`s response so far and what’s your expansion plan to make Bolo Live large?

We today have over 1.5 million captive audience which comes to the platform to witness over 1 lakh live streamers across genres. Time spent by users on the app is close to 57 min on a daily basis already while live streamers spend close to 2 hours daily on the platform. Our top live streamers are making north of INR 90,000 already on the platform.

We see this as a good start for the first made in India social live streaming platform like us that comes at the intersection of UGC live streaming, gamification and micro transactions.

Do rural and regional areas also form a large user base for your app?

Close to 37% of our users are from Tier 3 and 4 cities of the country. Live streams happen in multilingual format where in addition to main regional languages, hyperlocal languages of Haryanvi, Rajasthani and Bhojpuri are also often used by the live streamers to connect with the audience from the respective regions.

What’s your view about the surge in Indian video-sharing apps after the country bans Chinese apps and what would happen once the ban is lifted?

There was a huge gap in the video sharing platform immediately after the ban of Chinese apps and some of the Indian apps have been able to successfully fill that gap in terms of attracting the creator side. User retention still remains the challenge for Indian video sharing apps and I am sure all the platforms are building in their own way to address this challenge as well.

If and when the ban is lifted, I believe that Indian apps would have created their own place in the heart of users and it will not be a cakewalk at the time of comeback for Chinese apps.

There are already many established apps and video sharing platforms, how does your app stand out among other platforms? What’s the USP of Bolo Live app?

USP of Bolo Live is the way it is enabling content creators to leverage active engagement of live streaming and be able to monetize their captive audience through micro transactions on the platform while watching their live streams. This positions Bolo Live at the unique intersection of UGC Live streaming, gamification and micro transactions.

In one line, making Bolo Live Indian Twitch for Non Gamers.

We already have over 50K live streamers who are monetizing on the platform, and the top earners are making north of INR 90,000 per month from the platform.

Typical short video apps do not provide such opportunities to every content creator from day 1 of joining the platform.

Social media commentary is mostly negative in terms of nature. Many popular apps like Instagram and Twitter are coming with new features to stop the online abuse, what’s your strategy to curb the hate messages on your platform?

BOLO LIVE

We being a live streaming platform adopt a multi-pronged approach, and with a very active involvement of community in the same. Most of the popular live streamers have moderators appointed from captive and trusted audience base as well to curb any such messages from the audience side, in addition to tech algorithms which are regularly enhanced by Machine Learning to identify and curb such messages.

In case a live streamer adopts to such an act, users can report the live streamer and if it is found that the report was a valid one, live streamer may be penalized with a temporary to a permanent ban basis the case’s seriousness. In addition, we also have in house moderation team which keeps doing random visits on live streams to identify any unwarranted messages being given in live streams which might not be in sync with community guidelines.

Is there a plan to take Bolo Live app outside India?

We already have close to 7% of our paying users coming from outside India. Countries like UAE, Oman, Malaysia, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, Italy, Germany and Switzerland are showing strong traction.

We will soon be going to South East Asia and North America for live streamers and them to earn through Made in India app, Bolo Live.

We look forward to create world’s largest active engagement and behavioral science driven entertainment platform from India, with love for the globe.

Brief us about your marketing plans

We are continuously experimenting on different user acquisition and branding channels, and you will soon start seeing us actively visible on multiple platforms – be it online, OTT, print or using cricket as a medium.

Also Read: Online gaming industry is multiplying and spreading across the landscape: Baazi Games Co-Founder

Tell us about Bolo Live app’s monetization model?

Our model is based on gamification and is very simple for users to understand.

Users purchase in-app currency of diamonds through actual micro transactions on the platform. These diamonds are used to give gifts to live streamers during their broadcasts. These gifts get stored in streamer’s wallet in form of beans (1:1 diamond to bean ratio) and these beans can be redeemed as actual cash to bank account through UPI or Paytm wallet by the live streamers. Platform takes a small fee at the time of redemption by the live streamer.

Similarly, there are multiple gamified hooks for non-streamer audience too for using the diamonds within the app to participate in multiple engagement activities, or to win beans by participating in in-app contests from time to time.

What is making you hopeful for 2022?

More trust on online platforms for online micro transactions, faith on people we meet online and openness in sharing appreciation for content creators by Gen-Z and millennials is what excites us for 2022.

Our users love to spend time on internet and they like to do that while actively engaging with people they meet online, make friend and bring the entire social dynamics of an offline town onto an online platform, and this is what makes us hopeful for 2022, not only from userbase growth perspective, but from high stickiness and retention of users.