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Don't watch local TV stations? DirecTV will shave $12 off your monthly bill if you drop them

Business InsiderBusiness Insider · 1y ago
Don't watch local TV stations? DirecTV will shave $12 off your monthly bill if you drop them
Medial

DirecTV has introduced a new package that allows customers to opt out of local stations, giving them a discount of around $12 per month. Customers can choose to drop local channels during certain months and add them back when desired. The move comes as many consumers are seeking more affordable options and more control over their content choices. This comes amidst the pressure for TV providers to adapt to cord-cutting trends. DirecTV customers can reconfigure their package over the phone or online soon. The decline in television viewership has also affected local broadcasters, with free streaming service Zeam now providing local news coverage from approximately 300 stations across the US.

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Unicorn India Ventures leads $2 Mn round in PeLocal

EntrackrEntrackr · 11m ago
Unicorn India Ventures leads $2 Mn round in PeLocal
Medial

Fintech startup PeLocal has raised $2 million in a seed funding round led by Unicorn India Ventures. The Chennai-based company had previously raised $1.06 million in the same round from Future Monk Investments and others. The proceeds will be used to expand and enhance the platform and also help accelerate go-to-market strategies for rolling out large-scale projects, PeLocal said in a press release. Launched in 2021 by Vivekanand Tripathi, PeLocal is a payment solutions provider within WhatsApp, advancing digital transactions for clients like Delhi Metro, Indraprastha Gas, Mahanagar Gas, and insurance providers. The platform specializes in transit ticketing, utility payments, and financial services, delivering secure solutions across government and private sectors. It aims to empower secure and end-to-end solutions leveraging cutting-edge communication channels. PeLocal aspires to leverage technologies like WhatsApp for seamless, secure, and customer-centric transactions. It also bridges the gap between merchants and consumers, envisioning the idea of being ‘Vocal for Local.’ The company plans to go aggressively on payments in WhatsApp and further strengthen its leadership position in the payments solutions market. In the last 12 months, PeLocal claims to have grown from 500K monthly payment transactions to 3 million monthly payment transactions. The company aims to touch 10 million monthly payment transactions on WhatsApp in the next 12 months. It is planning to launch a Marketing Catalog on WhatsApp with payments and an SMB payments platform on WhatsApp. It competes with other players in the space like Yellow.ai, Gupshup, and others.

boAt and Noise’s growth decline in Q3 amid market slowdown: IDC report

EntrackrEntrackr · 11m ago
boAt and Noise’s growth decline in Q3 amid market slowdown: IDC report
Medial

India's wearable device market saw a second consecutive quarterly decline, dropping 20.7% year-over-year to 38 million units in Q3 2024, as per IDC's India Monthly Wearable Device Tracker. As per the report, this decline was driven by fewer product launches and cautious inventory management, even during the festive season. Notably, the average selling price (ASP) for wearables increased for the first time since Q2 2019, rising 1.3% to $21.3 in Q3 2024. While wrist bands saw a 48% decline to 56K units in Q3 2024, smartwatches and earwear saw 44.8% and 7.5% drops in the number of shipments. Smart watch and earwear’s total shipments stood at 9.3 million 28.5 million units respectively. With a 32% market share, boAt is the top smart wearable company (including watches and earphones). Noise, Boult, Realme, and Oppo (Oppo + OnePlus) had 11%, 9.7%, 5.8%, and 5.5% market shares, respectively. However, boAt saw a 14.5% decline in Q3 2024 compared to Q3 2023, and Noise faced a 19.2% decline during the same period. Notably, Boult and Realme recorded 32.5% and 56.5% growth, respectively, in the quarterly period. Breaking down further, boAt led in the true wireless stereo (TWS) category with a 36.8% market share, while Noise was on top in the smartwatch segment with a 27.4% market share. The smart ring segment continued to expand in Q3 2024, with over 92,000 units shipped and a 16.2% YoY drop in the average selling price (ASP) to $162.1. Ultrahuman led the market with a 36.8% share, followed by boAt (Imagine Marketing) at 20.5%, and Pi Ring at 16.3%. The rising appeal of smart rings is reflected in decreasing prices and the anticipation of new product launches in the coming quarters. Market leaders boAt and Noise also saw slow growth during the last fiscal year. While boAt's revenue decreased by 5% to Rs 3,122 crore in FY24, Noise’s revenue from operations grew a modest 0.4% to Rs 1,431 crore in the last fiscal year. However, both companies, which are based out of Gurugram, maintained EBITDA profitability in FY24.

CRED launches credit card ‘Sovereign’ with IndusInd Bank

EntrackrEntrackr · 1m ago
CRED launches credit card ‘Sovereign’ with IndusInd Bank
Medial

CRED has officially rolled out its much-anticipated co-branded credit card with IndusInd Bank, a high-profile entry into the premium cards space. Named Sovereign, the card is crafted in 18K gold and will be available strictly on an invite-only basis. Entrackr was the first to report in August that the Kunal Shah-led company was working with IndusInd Bank to launch a co-branded card. The announcement confirms the development, positioning CRED among a growing lineup of fintechs tapping into this segment. This launch takes CRED beyond its usual services like bill payments, lending, and commerce. The company has also added features like credit score tracking, shopping, travel, and insurance management, paving the way for a premium card like Sovereign. CRED has over 13 million monthly active users as of June 2024. According to startup data platform TheKredible, the fintech has raised more than $1 billion across nine funding rounds, including a $75 million down round led by GIC in May 2025 that valued the company at $3.64 billion, a 45% drop from its $6.4 billion valuation during the $140 million Series F round in 2022. CRED is aiming for full-year profitability in FY26, but in FY24 its net loss widened by 22% to Rs 1,644 crore, which also included ESOP-related costs and taxes. In the same fiscal, the company’s revenue grew 66% year-on-year to Rs 2,473 crore. The FY25 annual report is yet to be filed. In repeating its initial ‘invite only’ approach with Sovereign, Cred might be exhibiting the first signs of being anchored in the past rather than forging its own way ahead. The reason is simple. IndusInd Bank doesn't have the kind of premium aura to go with such a pitch. While it will be interesting to see the kind of benefits Sovereign offers to drive desire, it faces a very cluttered and competitive market for sure.

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