/
•
•
Context is everything.
Detailed stories on technology startups, business and economic current affairs.
Detailed stories on technology startups, business and economic current affairs.
Faced with rising competition and a paucity of funds, one of India’s earliest TikTok clones seems to be giving up on the short-video fad. A lesson for those looking to cash in on temporary sentiments?
Editor's note: This time last year, short-video app Mitron was all the rage. The Indian government had just banned the very popular short-video app TikTok, along with 58 other Chinese mobile applications. And close to 250 million TikTok users were up for grabs. For the many platforms which mushroomed around that time—from Mitron TV and DailyHunt-owned Josh to MX TakaTak and ShareChat’s Moj—this was as euphoric as it got. Amongst all of them, vying for a piece of the action, Mitron was at the forefront. For weeks, these platforms made headlines and held press appearances to build their base, attract money and sound like they were TikTok’s replacement. A year on, it looks like the market is made and the first casualty is Mitron TV itself. Unlike most of its rivals, Mitron had no video, content or even social media history when it started. It was founded by two engineers and former MakeMyTrip employees—Shivank Agarwal and Anish Khandelwal—to cash in on the nationalistic wave unleashed by border tensions with China last year. Everything about Mitron was opportunistic. Even its name “Mitron” (Hindi …
Faced with rising competition and a paucity of funds, one of India’s earliest TikTok clones seems to be giving up on the short-video fad. A lesson for those looking to cash in on temporary sentiments?
Editor's note: This time last year, short-video app Mitron was all the rage. The Indian government had just banned the very popular short-video app TikTok, along with 58 other Chinese mobile applications. And close to 250 million TikTok users were up for grabs. For the many platforms which mushroomed around that time—from Mitron TV and DailyHunt-owned Josh to MX TakaTak and ShareChat’s Moj—this was as euphoric as it got. Amongst all of them, vying for a piece of the action, Mitron was at the forefront. For weeks, these platforms made headlines and held press appearances to build their base, attract money and sound like they were TikTok’s replacement. A year on, it looks like the market is made and the first casualty is Mitron TV itself. Unlike most of its rivals, Mitron had no video, content or even social media history when it started. It was founded by two engineers and former MakeMyTrip employees—Shivank Agarwal and Anish Khandelwal—to cash in on the nationalistic wave unleashed by border tensions with China last year. Everything about Mitron was opportunistic. Even its name “Mitron” (Hindi …
Countries across the world are coming to the consensus that children aged under 15 must not have access to social media. India, which has over 300 million children under 15 and among the cheapest data tariffs, needs to have this conversation sooner rather than later.
For far too long, the Dailyhunt parent has dodged questions around its grand numbers and claims. With accusations of fake business dealings with Builder.ai and recent auditor concerns, it’s time we get some answers.
The digital media company appears to have quietly changed its strategy, after the failure of its short-video platform Josh and amid a rush to get to a public listing.
Countries across the world are coming to the consensus that children aged under 15 must not have access to social media. India, which has over 300 million children under 15 and among the cheapest data tariffs, needs to have this conversation sooner rather than later.
For far too long, the Dailyhunt parent has dodged questions around its grand numbers and claims. With accusations of fake business dealings with Builder.ai and recent auditor concerns, it’s time we get some answers.
The digital media company appears to have quietly changed its strategy, after the failure of its short-video platform Josh and amid a rush to get to a public listing.
