NEW DELHI: India’s charismatic cricket captain, Virat Kohli, signed up with short video sharing application MX TakaTak on Wednesday. Within 24 hours, he posted six videos and garnered a following of over 16,000 on the platform.
“Users will get a chance to see Virat’s candid side here. I am sure he will post videos of his fitness regime. We may even see him post videos with (wife) Anushka. The platform will enable him to interact with a huge fan base, who want to see the fun side of their idols,” said Karan Bedi, CEO, MX Player, which owns the app. MX Player is a video streaming platform.
In four of the videos that last 10-15 seconds each, Virat is seen working out in his RCB jersey. In another one, he is seen dancing with his teammates AB De Villiers and Glenn Maxwell.
“We are sure that Virat’s presence is going to attract more sportspeople and celebrities from other fields on the platform. He chose TakaTak organically. It’s a huge step for the short video industry and an indication that they have become mainstream. It will be a medium for the future,” Bedi said, adding that the demography of the app currently is young Indians.
MX TakaTak, founded in June 2020, hosts user-generated videos and has an exhaustive music library, several filters, sound mixing techniques and voiceover recording features. It has seen a meteoric rise since its launch barely a year ago, having been downloaded by over 200 million users. The platform has a monthly active user base of over 150 million. The app is available on both iOS and Android.
The app has also partnered with seven IPL teams, including Delhi Capitals, Kolkata Knight Riders, Mumbai Indians, Punjab Kings, Rajasthan Royals, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Sunrisers Hyderabad, as their short-video streaming platform. Under the partnership, the teams post several videos, ranging from net practice and locker room discussions, to behind-the-scenes moments. TakaTak also has other celebrities and influencers, including singers Neha Kakkar and Tony Kakkar, social media stars Priyanka Mongia, Gima Ashi and Deepak Joshi.
“Generally, that’s how big companies start. When Facebook started, most of its users were young college students. But now Facebook is used by people of all ages. Short videos platforms will follow the same trajectory,” Bedi said.
