Airtel Competes With YouTube in India, Debuts Wynk Tube for Videos

Airtel is the latest telco in India to launch its own video-streaming app for mobile users in the country.

YouTube’s got new competition in India and it’s called Wynk Tube.

(Photo: The Quint)

Content play for telcos is getting stronger by the day, which is why Airtel has launched a video-streaming app called Wynk Tube in India this week. The app and its content can be accessed for free by Airtel users, allowing them to download unlimited titles and stream them as well.

The telco has stated that Wynk Tube (no marks for creativity with the name, Airtel) is launching with a collection of 40 lakh songs and related videos. Put that into the context of YouTube, the largest streaming platform in the world, and the comparison isn’t even a drop in the ocean.

For non-Airtel users, they get free trial period of 30 days to use the app, after which they will have to pay to access the content on offer.

The app supports local languages like Hindi, Punjabi and even Bhojpuri as of now, with more likely to be added in the coming weeks. You can browse through the app in Hindi and English and hopefully Airtel’s team will be adding more options as things move.

Airtel eyeing users in the non-metro cities for Wynk Tube.(Photo: The Quint)

Offering these languages, goes in sync with Airtel’s strategy for Wynk Tube, which it claims has been built to serve the growing demand for digital entertainment on smartphones in Tier 2, 3 towns and villages.

Airtel has designed the app with a size of 5MB, so that it works on basic smartphones, including Android Go phones that cost under 7K. 

Playlist created based on your listening history.(Photo: The Quint)

Wynk Tube will curate playlists on a weekly basis, depending on the kind of music they listen to regularly. The app will pick up the music stored on the smartphone and create a playlist out of it.

Streaming quality options on Wynk Tube.(Photo: The Quint)

In terms of the streaming quality, Wynk Tube, depending on the network, will switch between HD, High, Medium and Low. When it comes to downloading content, Airtel claims that HD content takes up to 12MB of data, while high, medium and low consumes 8MB, 5MB and 1MB respectively.

Video and music streaming is growing exponentially in India, again, thanks to the cheap data prices one pays to get access to the internet on mobile.

But here’s the interesting thing about Wynk Tube. It is picking up content from somewhere, but when it comes to the videos, it says YouTube on the app.

This means, Airtel wants to compete against YouTube with its Wynk Tube platform, by sourcing content from YouTube! 

Shape of You from Ed Sheeran playing on Wynk Tube.(Photo: The Quint)

You can switch between audio and video content (if available), similar to how it works on the YouTube Music app.

The audio/video toggle switch is useful option.(Photo: YouTube Music screen grab)

Mobile users already have plenty to choose from, and Wynk Tube is just another app added to the increasingly crowded music streaming space in the country.