The digital content creation space has seen a major boost over the past couple of years, particularly with the growing popularity of TikTok, owned by Beijing-based ByteDance.
However, things came to a grinding halt for TikTok in June 2020 when the Central Government decided to ban the short-video app in addition to several other Chinese apps. The total number of banned Chinese apps now stands at over 170.
While there were new competitors that took shape post the TikTok ban, some apps have been around for more than 2 years. Chingari is one such app.
This app is touted as the “original Indian short video app” given the fact that it was established in November 2018. This is a free download on mobile platforms like Android, iOS, as well as Huawei’s App Gallery.
We reached out to the makers of Chingari to explain their growth over the past couple of years, particularly since June 2020 when TikTok’s ban was announced. Talking to Mumbai Live Sumit Ghosh, CEO and Co-founder Chingari talks about growth for the app and future plans.
Q: What do you think of the growth of digital content in the country, especially in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities?
Chingari Spokesperson: With the growing availability of smartphones in every price range and the easy accessibility of the internet, digital content is growing at a fast pace in tier 2 and tier 3 cities. Also, the availability of content in multiple languages plays a major role in digital content growth. People are keen to invest time in experiencing digital content.
Q: What are the challenges behind monetizing apps today?
Chingari: In these tough times where everyone is rattled, it is very difficult to monetize. But during these times, more entrepreneurs are made than ever before. Tapping into the skill sets and setting the right goals, also seeking out experts’ help, and planning a safe budget will help to make money in this pandemic situation.
Q: Has Chingari seen brand participation on the platform?
Chingari: The platform has been doing really great right from the beginning. Recently, we had a tie-up with Tseries which is a very huge thing. Also, we are in talks with several other brands and in the near future, we will be announcing the collaborations.
Q: Any plans to take Chingari beyond India?
Chingari: To expand markets beyond India, performing in-depth market research and developing a customized market entry strategy plays a vital role. Chingari right now is focused on making a strong base in India and in the near future, we will be surely expanding our wings globally.
Q: What are some of the challenges the Chingari team faced and/or has overcome?
Chingari: In today’s ultra-competitive business we have faced a number of challenges like keeping up with the market, welcoming the pandemic change, planning ahead, building the UI, filling the gap which TikTok left, and a lot more. With our team’s constant support and our hard work, we were able to overcome these challenges.
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