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Tag: Amagi

  • Amagi announces world’s first watermark-Based OTT Ad insertion mechanism ‘Thunderstorm’

    Amagi announces world’s first watermark-Based OTT Ad insertion mechanism ‘Thunderstorm’

    MUMBAI: Amagi one of the leaders in cloud-based broadcast infrastructure and targeted TV advertising, today announced Thunderstorm, a new OTT ad-insertion platform that delivers personalised and targeted advertising for premium live sports and news feeds using a patented content watermarking technology. With Thunderstorm, TV networks can dynamically insert ads on the server side, as opposed to the traditional client-side insertion, monetising video on every screen without dependency on device apps. Amagi will showcase the new platform in booth SU13006 at the 2016 NAB Show, taking place April 18-21 in Las Vegas.

    “The dynamic nature of live sports and news broadcast on OTT platforms calls for a responsive and accurate ad-insertion capability,” said Amagi co-founder Baskar Subramanian. He further adds, “For the first time in the OTT advertising landscape, we have used watermarking-based ad insertion to simplify the broadcast workflow, increase flexibility, and eliminate huge integration efforts into existing broadcast traffic systems. Amagi’s patented watermarking technology is already in use by TV networks worldwide to deliver millions of targeted ad seconds every month, and through Thunderstorm we have extended this successful platform to OTT feeds.”

    Thunderstorm adds more power to the ad-insertion workflow by enabling server-side ad stitching and personalization. When multiscreen ads are delivered via client-based ad insertion systems, broadcasters and advertisers lose control over the advertising playout process. Often, viewers skip or block the ads, and the decision whether ads are played or not, can be left to the OTT service provider. Amagi’s Thunderstorm platform transforms this workflow, enabling TV networks to take control over the ads aired in their content, boost monetization, and enhance viewer satisfaction across the multiscreen environment.

    Thunderstorm will also allow broadcasters to integrate multiple ad formats, including bugs, L-bands, and linear video, for ultimate flexibility. Since ads are stitched on the cloud into the linear stream. Thunderstorm eliminates the need to create device-driven OTT ads, making ads compatible across various screens. The platform packages content and targeted ads together into a linear stream, undetected by ad blockers, leading to a smoother overall user experience.

    Amagi has a proven track record in watermark-based targeted advertising on traditional TV for well-known international broadcasters. Using Amagi’s content watermarking technology, broadcasters can identify replacement triggers and achieve frame-accurate ad splicing. In addition to Amagi watermarks, Thunderstorm also allows TV networks to use traditional triggers such as SCTE-35. By allowing TV networks to efficiently deliver personalized advertising on OTT streams as well, Amagi expands their media pack and strengthens revenue streams.

  • Amagi enables virtualized playout with Cloudport 3.0

    Amagi enables virtualized playout with Cloudport 3.0

    MUMBAI: Aiming to increase operational efficiency, scalability, and cost savings for broadcasterscloud-based broadcast infrastructure and targeted TV advertising platform Amagi has adopted use Cloudport 3.0, the latest version of its cloud-based playout platform.

    Cloudport 3.0 enables TV networks to operate virtualized playout on the cloud. This gives TV networks greater flexibility and agility to spin new channels and create regional feeds instantly to keep pace with changing viewer dynamics and preferences. Available as a commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) platform using Intel servers, Cloudport 3.0 can also be deployed at operator headends while retaining full control over operations with the broadcasters.

    The new playout platform is IP-enabled, supports live broadcast, and is 4K UHD compatible. Complete with multi-feed monitoring, the platform offers remote playout management, creating a live MCR-like experience on the cloud.

    “Building on the successful global deployments of Cloudport, Amagi has further enhanced the platform’s capabilities in response to the broadcast industry’s evolving needs for virtualized playout,” said Amagi co-founder K A Srinivasan. “With Cloudport 3.0, TV networks can respond to market needs quicker, as well as operate multichannel playout and delivery with zero CAPEX when compared to traditional playout and broadcast models.”

    Offered as a platform-as-a-service model, Cloudport 3.0 is packed with advanced features such as near-live asset changes to broadcast playlists, real-time social media integration, and enhanced digital video effects for a better end-user experience.

    “Given its flexibility to be hosted on the cloud, Cloudport 3.0 can be used to create broadcast-quality OTT feeds. It can also double up as a cost-effective option to meet disaster recovery needs of TV networks. There is no longer a need for broadcasters to stay invested in expensive, traditional delivery models,” Srinivasan added.

    Cloudport 3.0 will be showcased by Amagi at the 2016 NAB Show in Las Vegas, April 16 to 21.

     

  • Amagi enables virtualized playout with Cloudport 3.0

    Amagi enables virtualized playout with Cloudport 3.0

    MUMBAI: Aiming to increase operational efficiency, scalability, and cost savings for broadcasterscloud-based broadcast infrastructure and targeted TV advertising platform Amagi has adopted use Cloudport 3.0, the latest version of its cloud-based playout platform.

    Cloudport 3.0 enables TV networks to operate virtualized playout on the cloud. This gives TV networks greater flexibility and agility to spin new channels and create regional feeds instantly to keep pace with changing viewer dynamics and preferences. Available as a commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) platform using Intel servers, Cloudport 3.0 can also be deployed at operator headends while retaining full control over operations with the broadcasters.

    The new playout platform is IP-enabled, supports live broadcast, and is 4K UHD compatible. Complete with multi-feed monitoring, the platform offers remote playout management, creating a live MCR-like experience on the cloud.

    “Building on the successful global deployments of Cloudport, Amagi has further enhanced the platform’s capabilities in response to the broadcast industry’s evolving needs for virtualized playout,” said Amagi co-founder K A Srinivasan. “With Cloudport 3.0, TV networks can respond to market needs quicker, as well as operate multichannel playout and delivery with zero CAPEX when compared to traditional playout and broadcast models.”

    Offered as a platform-as-a-service model, Cloudport 3.0 is packed with advanced features such as near-live asset changes to broadcast playlists, real-time social media integration, and enhanced digital video effects for a better end-user experience.

    “Given its flexibility to be hosted on the cloud, Cloudport 3.0 can be used to create broadcast-quality OTT feeds. It can also double up as a cost-effective option to meet disaster recovery needs of TV networks. There is no longer a need for broadcasters to stay invested in expensive, traditional delivery models,” Srinivasan added.

    Cloudport 3.0 will be showcased by Amagi at the 2016 NAB Show in Las Vegas, April 16 to 21.

     

  • Free commercial time on Zee News and IBN7 for winners of special Amagi contest

    Free commercial time on Zee News and IBN7 for winners of special Amagi contest

    MUMBAI A new contest has been launched for people who want to advertise on TV on the Dubsmash platform by the Amagi which claims to be the country’s largest TV ad network.

    The winner of the ‘EK Lakh Ka Dubsmash’ contest will be awarded Free Commercial Time worth Rs One lakh on Zee News and IBN7. The winner will have the option to choose Free Commercial Time in one out of Delhi, Mumbai, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Gujarat, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, rest-of-Maharashtra, West Bengal, Jammu & Kashmir, North East, Chhattisgarh, and Jharkhand.

    The contest will accept submissions from 23 March to 13 April.

    Contestants should download the Dubsmash app on a smartphone, create a Dubsmash video lip-syncing with Amagi’s ‘Bada Socho TV Socho’ commercial (which can be found in the Dubsmash library) and upload this video to YouTube.

    The YouTube link needs to be shared on social channels across Facebook and Twitter using #BadaSochoTVSocho. On completion, contestants will have to fill out a form on the Amagi website and include a link to their YouTube video.

    The winner will be determined by the highest number of YouTube views on their ‘Amagi Bada Socho TV Socho’ Dubsmash video.

    The steps have been explained in the promo.

  • Free commercial time on Zee News and IBN7 for winners of special Amagi contest

    Free commercial time on Zee News and IBN7 for winners of special Amagi contest

    MUMBAI A new contest has been launched for people who want to advertise on TV on the Dubsmash platform by the Amagi which claims to be the country’s largest TV ad network.

    The winner of the ‘EK Lakh Ka Dubsmash’ contest will be awarded Free Commercial Time worth Rs One lakh on Zee News and IBN7. The winner will have the option to choose Free Commercial Time in one out of Delhi, Mumbai, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Gujarat, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, rest-of-Maharashtra, West Bengal, Jammu & Kashmir, North East, Chhattisgarh, and Jharkhand.

    The contest will accept submissions from 23 March to 13 April.

    Contestants should download the Dubsmash app on a smartphone, create a Dubsmash video lip-syncing with Amagi’s ‘Bada Socho TV Socho’ commercial (which can be found in the Dubsmash library) and upload this video to YouTube.

    The YouTube link needs to be shared on social channels across Facebook and Twitter using #BadaSochoTVSocho. On completion, contestants will have to fill out a form on the Amagi website and include a link to their YouTube video.

    The winner will be determined by the highest number of YouTube views on their ‘Amagi Bada Socho TV Socho’ Dubsmash video.

    The steps have been explained in the promo.

  • Times Network to use Amagi services to enable geo-targeted advertising

    Times Network to use Amagi services to enable geo-targeted advertising

    MUMBAI: Amagi has announced that the Times Network  will use its services to enable geo-targeted advertising on five of its channels – Times Now, ET Now, Romedy Now, Zoom, and Magic Bricks Now.

    Amagi’s technology will enable the broadcaster to split ad inventory and provide regional ad spots to different brands. Times Network’s partnership with Amagi means that advertisers will also have the flexibility to buy regional ad spots on its channels at optimised costs. While this enables bigger advertisers to optimise their media spends, the smaller and regional advertisers can also advertise on national TV and target only markets of their choice and pay only for that.

    Commenting on the same Times Network CEO and managing director MK Anand said, ‘’Our network specialises in delivering decision makers at the top end of the Indian population. Our audiences are comparable with english newspapers. With the ability to provide geo-targeted reach, we will now be able to offer city specific solutions complimentary to english newspaper campaigns at very efficient costs.”

    “The partnership with Times Network is an evidence of the industry’s belief in Amagi’s core value proposition. Our endeavour is to help industry players recognize innovative and efficient technology-driven ad solutions. A unique patented technological platform has helped us emerge as a reliable choice for TV broadcasters to enable geo-targeted advertising. This marks another landmark step in Amagi’s growth and we are bullish about delivering exceptional results.’’ added  Amagi co founder Baskar Subramanian.

    Among some of the  channels that have used Amagi services include Zee TV, Zee News, Zee Cinema, Zee Bangla, IBN7, B4UMusic, B4UPlus and B4UMovies.

  • Times Network to use Amagi services to enable geo-targeted advertising

    Times Network to use Amagi services to enable geo-targeted advertising

    MUMBAI: Amagi has announced that the Times Network  will use its services to enable geo-targeted advertising on five of its channels – Times Now, ET Now, Romedy Now, Zoom, and Magic Bricks Now.

    Amagi’s technology will enable the broadcaster to split ad inventory and provide regional ad spots to different brands. Times Network’s partnership with Amagi means that advertisers will also have the flexibility to buy regional ad spots on its channels at optimised costs. While this enables bigger advertisers to optimise their media spends, the smaller and regional advertisers can also advertise on national TV and target only markets of their choice and pay only for that.

    Commenting on the same Times Network CEO and managing director MK Anand said, ‘’Our network specialises in delivering decision makers at the top end of the Indian population. Our audiences are comparable with english newspapers. With the ability to provide geo-targeted reach, we will now be able to offer city specific solutions complimentary to english newspaper campaigns at very efficient costs.”

    “The partnership with Times Network is an evidence of the industry’s belief in Amagi’s core value proposition. Our endeavour is to help industry players recognize innovative and efficient technology-driven ad solutions. A unique patented technological platform has helped us emerge as a reliable choice for TV broadcasters to enable geo-targeted advertising. This marks another landmark step in Amagi’s growth and we are bullish about delivering exceptional results.’’ added  Amagi co founder Baskar Subramanian.

    Among some of the  channels that have used Amagi services include Zee TV, Zee News, Zee Cinema, Zee Bangla, IBN7, B4UMusic, B4UPlus and B4UMovies.

  • B4U Television Network chooses Amagi’s Cloudport for global operations

    B4U Television Network chooses Amagi’s Cloudport for global operations

    MUMBAI: Amagi announced that B4U Television Network has now chosen Amagi’s Cloudport 2.0 channel play out platform for its global operations following the successful implementation in India last year. 

     

    Utilizing the next-generation channel playout platform, B4U Television Network is now delivering its popular B4U Movies and B4U Music TV channels in the United States, Canada, Caribbean, U.K., Mauritius, and APAC regions as well as its B4U Aflam and B4U Plus TV channels in the Middle East.

     

    Cloudport provides B4U with an efficient, reliable, and cost-effective cloud-based TV broadcast infrastructure that integrates well with satellite and fiber-based delivery models used in certain geographies of the TV network’s operations.

     

    “The traditional playout approach we were using was not only expensive but also restrictive in terms of the lack of ability to scale, accessibility across locations, frequent technology upgrades, and disaster recovery safeguards. We needed a playout solution that would reduce costs without compromising broadcast quality,” said B4U International business head Ashok Shenoy.  

     

    “Transitioning from a traditional playout model to a next-generation cloud infrastructure powered by Amagi’s playout platform has allowed us to be at the forefront of cutting-edge technology adoption. Cloudport increases the flexibility of our broadcast workflow, making it easy for us to deliver content relevant to each region while reducing OPEX and CAPEX.”

     

    “Amagi is proud to be B4U Television Network’s global playout partner. We are delighted to extend the efficiencies, cost savings, and flexibility that Cloudport offers to B4U’s bouquet of channels,” said Amagi co-founder K.A. Srinivasan. “As B4U looks to monetize and expand into new geographies in the future, Amagi will enable new feeds to be launched in less than four weeks, supporting multiple delivery models of cloud, satellite, and fiber with a natural extension to OTT multiscreen experience. This is precisely why Cloudport  is a future-ready playout platform.”

     

    B4U Television Network has migrated all of its content assets previously hosted in legacy data centers to the cloud. In addition to remote asset management and playlist scheduling, Amagi’s Cloudport platform supports advanced dynamic graphics capabilities, enabling B4U Television Network to provide a rich viewing experience to subscribers. This feature is especially useful for B4U’s music and movie channels that feature advanced digital video effects.

     

    With content hosted on the cloud, B4U Television Network has transparent and remote access to the entire play out chain and feed, all from Cloudport’s Web-based user interface. By providing more visibility and control over TV channels, Cloudport makes it easy for the network to manage multiple channels with distribution across disparate regions of the world.

     

    Since Amagi offers seamless integration with third-party scheduling, automation, and asset management systems, B4U was able to quickly adopt the Cloudport platform with minimal changes to its existing workflows. 

  • B4U Television Network chooses Amagi’s Cloudport for global operations

    B4U Television Network chooses Amagi’s Cloudport for global operations

    MUMBAI: Amagi announced that B4U Television Network has now chosen Amagi’s Cloudport 2.0 channel play out platform for its global operations following the successful implementation in India last year. 

     

    Utilizing the next-generation channel playout platform, B4U Television Network is now delivering its popular B4U Movies and B4U Music TV channels in the United States, Canada, Caribbean, U.K., Mauritius, and APAC regions as well as its B4U Aflam and B4U Plus TV channels in the Middle East.

     

    Cloudport provides B4U with an efficient, reliable, and cost-effective cloud-based TV broadcast infrastructure that integrates well with satellite and fiber-based delivery models used in certain geographies of the TV network’s operations.

     

    “The traditional playout approach we were using was not only expensive but also restrictive in terms of the lack of ability to scale, accessibility across locations, frequent technology upgrades, and disaster recovery safeguards. We needed a playout solution that would reduce costs without compromising broadcast quality,” said B4U International business head Ashok Shenoy.  

     

    “Transitioning from a traditional playout model to a next-generation cloud infrastructure powered by Amagi’s playout platform has allowed us to be at the forefront of cutting-edge technology adoption. Cloudport increases the flexibility of our broadcast workflow, making it easy for us to deliver content relevant to each region while reducing OPEX and CAPEX.”

     

    “Amagi is proud to be B4U Television Network’s global playout partner. We are delighted to extend the efficiencies, cost savings, and flexibility that Cloudport offers to B4U’s bouquet of channels,” said Amagi co-founder K.A. Srinivasan. “As B4U looks to monetize and expand into new geographies in the future, Amagi will enable new feeds to be launched in less than four weeks, supporting multiple delivery models of cloud, satellite, and fiber with a natural extension to OTT multiscreen experience. This is precisely why Cloudport  is a future-ready playout platform.”

     

    B4U Television Network has migrated all of its content assets previously hosted in legacy data centers to the cloud. In addition to remote asset management and playlist scheduling, Amagi’s Cloudport platform supports advanced dynamic graphics capabilities, enabling B4U Television Network to provide a rich viewing experience to subscribers. This feature is especially useful for B4U’s music and movie channels that feature advanced digital video effects.

     

    With content hosted on the cloud, B4U Television Network has transparent and remote access to the entire play out chain and feed, all from Cloudport’s Web-based user interface. By providing more visibility and control over TV channels, Cloudport makes it easy for the network to manage multiple channels with distribution across disparate regions of the world.

     

    Since Amagi offers seamless integration with third-party scheduling, automation, and asset management systems, B4U was able to quickly adopt the Cloudport platform with minimal changes to its existing workflows. 

  • Amagi’s Cloudport enables Horse & Country TV to go global

    Amagi’s Cloudport enables Horse & Country TV to go global

    MUMBAI: Horse & Country TV (H&C TV) has deployed Amagi’s Cloudport optimize the delivery of new channels around the world.

     

    The channel, which broadcasts exclusive sports event coverage, news, documentary, and personality-led programming, utilised Cloudport, which offers end-to-end broadcast workflow capabilities on the cloud. With this, H&C TV is now able to reach a wider global audience at a fraction of the cost of traditional satellite-based playout methods, while improving its transmission quality.

     

    “We transitioned to Amagi’s Cloudport platform in Benelux and Sweden in 2013 and then in the UK in 2014. We have since expanded into Australia and Germany. Amagi’s Cloudport platform resolves our challenge of reaching high-value, non-contiguous geographies, enabling us to launch new channels affordably and with a short time to market of just four weeks. With traditional satellite technologies that would never have been commercially viable and the lead times would have been longer,” said H&C TV CEO and chairman Heather Killen.

     

    The Bengaluru-based company’s Cloudport platform offers 99.99 per cent guaranteed broadcast SLAs, and can be deployed at the edge, at the teleport, or even at the data center to suit the broadcaster’s distribution requirements. 

     

    With Cloudport, H&C TV can support dynamic graphics as well as live sports content, while localising each channel via subtitles, additional language audio tracks, and channel logos in order to best address regional audience preferences. Furthermore, Cloudport gives H&C TV the flexibility to monetise new markets through targeted advertising.

     

    “H&C TV is a great example of an award-winning TV network that is best served by leveraging cloud-based channel playout technology versus satellite feeds,” added Amagi co-founder Srividhya Srinivasan. “Through Cloudport, H&C TV is able to perform hyper-localised and cost effective international distribution of its channels.”