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Tag: FAST

  • Amagi acquires OTT recommendation & automation specialist Argoid AI

    Amagi acquires OTT recommendation & automation specialist Argoid AI

    MUMBAI: This is an Indian tech company which has been winning rave views in every market in which it operates. In fact, in most places it is  mistaken for an American firm. Now, Amagi – one of the top companies globally in  cloud-based SaaS technology for broadcast and connected TVs (CTVs) – is  gearing up to add some more  trophies to its already well-stacked award gallery. The company has acquired Argoid AI – a company specialising in recommendation engines and programming automation for OTT platforms.

    Amagi believes the acquisition strengthens its mission to empower media companies with intelligent content planning, distribution, and monetisation solutions.

    Argoid AI has as developed innovative AI products that enhance content recommendations and enable real-time programming decisions. Its solutions have been pivotal in increasing viewer engagement and optimising channel operations for customers in the streaming media space. By integrating Argoid AI’s advanced algorithms into Amagi’s existing platform, the  acquisition will significantly boost the functionality of Amagi’s product suite, Amagi Now and Cloudport’s offerings, enabling media companies to make faster, smarter, and personalised content scheduling decisions at scale.

    It will also allow Amagi to deepen its AI-powered content programming, metadata enrichment, and recommendation engine services, which are crucial for transforming to personalised streaming as part of the  FAST 2.0 innovation.

    Argoid's founders

    “Amagi has been investing in AI/ML over the last couple of years. We strongly believe in AI/ML’s pivotal role in transforming the media and entertainment industry, creating efficiencies, enhanced monetisation, and a superlative viewer experience,” said Amagi co-founder & CEO  Baskar Subramanian. “With this acquisition, Amagi will integrate Argoid’s AI components into its award-winning cloud solutions, significantly enhancing value for our customers. The combined tech expertise of both companies will address key challenges in the streaming industry, such as content discoverability, viewer retention, and intelligent programming.”  

    Argoid’s founders, Gokul Muralidharan, Soundararajan Velu, and Chackaravarthy E will join the Amagi team, contributing to the future roadmap and further integrating AI into Amagi’s offerings. The three founders have one commonality: they all worked at the Walmart-owned Flipkart in Bengaluru around the same time.

    “We are thrilled to join forces with Amagi, a true leader in media technology,” said Gokul Muralidharan. “This partnership allows us to scale our AI-driven solutions, delivering even greater customer value. Together, we will revolutionise how content is programmed and distributed in the digital era.”

    Amagi provides a complete suite of channel creation, distribution, and monetisation solutions. The company’s clients include some of the world’s biggest names, including Hearst Networks UK, ABS-CBN, Astro, Cox Media Group, DAZN, Globo, Lionsgate Studio, NBCUniversal, Tastemade, and VIZIO.
     

  • RunnTV engages Sumit Chauhan as sales director

    RunnTV engages Sumit Chauhan as sales director

    MUMBAI: Digital sales has been his playground for most of his career. And now Sumit Chauhan has jumped on board the Runn Media Labs train as sales director. The Manish Sinha-founded firm recently got into bed with South  African media conglomerate emedia and got an injection of funding from it.

    Runn Media Labs is setting up a Fast media platform Runn TV, targeting Indian viewers with thematic and personalised channels.

    Sumit has about 15 years’  experience behind him with stints at PayU Payments, Times Internet, Fork Media Network18 Media, Bliss, and finally with HT Media Labs as the regional lead – north and east where he was driving sales for the aggregation platform OTT Play and Slurp.com.

    “This is an incredible opportunity to spearhead the hashtag#Digital Ad-Sales business for Runn Media Labs and to ensure steady growth and coverage,” said Smit on Linkedin while announcing his appointment. 

  • Fast platform RunnTV attracts investment from South Africa’s media conglomerate eMedia

    Fast platform RunnTV attracts investment from South Africa’s media conglomerate eMedia

    MUMBAI: In the fast evolving world of television today, partnering is the way to go. That’s the belief of the Runn Media Lab-owned free ad-supported television (Fast)-based content streaming platform RunnTV. Founded by Manish Sinha, the company announced a strategic partnership with south African media group and broadcaster eMedia Investments on 29 November As part of this partnership, eMedia has also made a strategic investment in RunnTV.  The financial terms of the deal remain undisclosed.

    The partnership and investment will enable both companies to combine expertise and resources across media and technology, catalysing their growth across the digital streaming landscape both in India and in the overseas markets.

    RunnTV is a new-age streaming platform offering its users free, entertainment across genres while providing advertisers a premium, brand-safe space to effectively reach their target audiences. Launched in November 2023, it is targeting the emerging and high growth Fast market in India and beyond through mobile and connected devices.

    “eMedia joining us as a partner and a strategic investor presents exciting new opportunities for RunnTV.The partnership will fuel a robust and sustainable growth, technology and product innovation, expanded content offerings, and expansion to new markets,” says RunnTV founder & CEO Manish Sinha. “We look forward to this partnership to reshape digital entertainment, not only in India but across the globe.”

    eMedia is a Rand 3.1 billion (Rs 1,450-odd crore) turnover media conglomerate in South Africa having businesses in television and radio broadcasting, OTT streaming, content production, and properties and facilities. eMedia holds owns multiple marquee media brands including eTV, eNCA, eVOD, Openview,  Cape Town Film Studios and YFM.

    Through this collaboration, eMedia will not only further strengthen its already strong digital portfolio but will also leverage Runn Media Labs’ media technology and RunnTV platform to expand its digital business to other international markets including India.

    “We are very excited to invest in and partner with RunnTV and join forces on this exciting journey,” says Khalik Sherrif, CEO at eMedia. “RunnTV team has built a strong technology that powers its Fast platform and has an exciting and promising roadmap. We look forward to working closely with the talented team at RunnTV to shape the future of media and entertainment together.” 

    Shall we raise a toast to the new beginnings?

  • RunnTV crosses 50 thousands app downloads

    RunnTV crosses 50 thousands app downloads

    Mumbai: RunnTV, the Indian FAST (Free Ad-Supported Streaming Television) based content streaming platform targeting only Indian audiences, has achieved a benchmark by surpassing 50,000 downloads in a short timeframe while targeting only selective Indian cities. This response underscores RunnTV’s relevance and experience for OTT users in India.

    Since its launch in November 2023, RunnTV has built and captivated audiences with its curated content and experience delivered with user-friendly interface, and innovative features. The app’s instant appeal to a broad audience can be attributed to RunnTV’s aim to deliver high-quality entertainment experience that caters to the evolving preferences of today’s digital audience.

    RunnTV is targeting the emerging and high growth FAST market in India. This initial response to RunnTV clearly highlights the void and a need for a free TV platform with great user experience and good content without any clutter created with a dump of available free content. RunnTV will soon be available on Smart TVs and other aggregator platforms.  

    OTT App Name stands out with its features, such as mentioning any unique features which have garnered positive feedback from users and contributed to the app’s rapid growth.

    Runn TV founder & CEO Manish Sinha said, “We are thrilled to have reached the milestone of 50,000 downloads in such a short span. This achievement is a testament to our RunnTV team’s dedication to delivering exceptional entertainment and streaming experience. We are grateful to our users for their support and trust in our platform, this is definitely a great start to our vision to make RunnTV the Entertainment Experience Destination for Indians across the globe.”  

    As RunnTV continues to evolve and expand its channels and content offerings, the company is optimistic to provide an entertainment experience that brings many firsts to the Indian OTT audience.

  • Shemaroo collaborates with Amagi to maximise global reach

    Shemaroo collaborates with Amagi to maximise global reach

    Mumbai: Shemaroo on Friday announced that it has partnered with Amagi to create, distribute, and monetize a new channel on the free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) platform, Plex, in the US.

    Following this partnership, Shemaroo will gain the full advantage of Amagi’s best-in-class cloud technology services that include the broadcast-grade channel playout solution, Amagi CLOUDPORT, and the advanced dynamic server-side ad insertion solution, Amagi THUNDERSTORM.

    The channel hosts a curated collection of movies and music from Bollywood and targets a global audience. While Plex is the first FAST platform on which the channel is distributed, Shemaroo hopes to extend its reach to other leading FAST platforms such as SLING, Xiaomi, and more, in the coming months.

    Shemaroo has been entertaining audiences with its content for the past 60 years. It has a global reach and has played a pioneering role in the areas of content ownership, aggregation, and distribution. As the leading technology provider in the global FAST ecosystem, Amagi will also be able to generate high visibility and ad-based revenue streams for Shemaroo’s content.

    Speaking about this collaboration, Amagi co-founder and CEO Baskar Subramanian commented, “India has a rich legacy of quality content. Indian content owners, similarly, have a long history of entertaining audiences with diverse and high-quality programming. Shemaroo is one of the pioneers in this space.”

    He added, “We are thrilled to give Shemaroo’s premium content its rightful place in the global content marketplace.”

    Shemaroo Entertainment USA general manager Kunal Wadhwani commented, “This initiative will bolster Shemaroo’s presence in the US as it will not only expand our viewer ecosystem but also serve our existing fan base with a vast collection of Bollywood movies on a different medium. There is a growing demand for free ad-supported streaming channels, which makes it critical that our content is also available on this platform for consumers. The specially curated content will surely be loved by consumers watching the theme-based movies with their family.”

    Shemaroo has always kept consumers at its core and ensured it reaches out to them to cater to their entertainment in various formats preferred by them. Today, Shemaroo Entertainment remains the only sizeable media company with complete ownership to thrive and grow in this highly challenging and evolving ecosystem.

    Amagi provides a complete suite of solutions for channel creation, distribution, and monetization for broadcast and streaming TV customers, globally. The company works with over 800 content brands, manages over 2,000 channel deliveries, and manages 50 billion ad opportunities. Amagi clients include ABS-CBN, A+E Networks UK, beIN Sports, Curiosity Stream, Discovery Networks, Fox Networks, Fremantle, Gusto TV, NBCUniversal, Tastemade, Tegna, USA Today, Vice Media, and Warner Media, among others.

  • Amagi will explore M&As to accelerate revenues, expand marketplace: Baskar Subramanian

    Amagi will explore M&As to accelerate revenues, expand marketplace: Baskar Subramanian

    Mumbai: Just a couple of years prior to the pandemic Amagi was known as a targeted TV advertising solutions provider. At present, it prides itself on calling “a global leader in cloud-based SaaS technology for broadcast and connected TV,” which aims to transform the media and entertainment industry by virtualising entire broadcasting operations.

    Pivoting around the growth of streaming, Amagi has evolved into a next-generation media technology company driven by increased demand for its products, more so globally, than in India. Today, its clientele includes large media conglomerates (NBCUniversal, Paramount, A+E Networks UK), connected TV majors (Samsung TV Plus, Roku, Vizio, LG Channels), content owners (Tastemade, USA Today, AccuWeather) and leading OTT/FAST players (Fubo, Stirr, Redbox, Rakuten TV & more).  

    Overall, Amagi supports 650+ content brands, 800+ playout chains, and over 2000 channel deliveries on its platform in over 40 countries. It has a presence in New York, Los Angeles, Toronto, London, Paris, Singapore, broadcast operations in New Delhi, and an innovation centre in Bangalore. Amagi witnessed a 59 per cent surge in customers in 2021, 108 per cent YoY growth in revenue, and 112 per cent YoY growth in ad impressions generated using its dynamic ad insertion platform – Amagi Thunderstorm.

    In March, the company solidified its position as a unicorn after raising $95 million in a funding round led by Accel. Impressive traction for Amagi’s cloud solutions, and its demonstrated leadership in the rapidly growing CTV-led Free Ad-supported Streaming TV space, led to further investments from existing investors Norwest Venture Partners and Avataar Ventures to power the next wave of growth.

    “The media industry has been swept up in a content storm with consumers demanding high-quality, personalised content at faster-than-ever turnaround speeds,” says Amagi investor Avatar Ventures’ founding partner Nishant Rao. “Amagi has enabled major media players to stay relevant in these times of change while helping them to extract nearly 40 per cent operational savings through cloud solutions.”

    But what does Amagi actually do?

    Amagi provides end-to-end cloud-managed live and on-demand video infrastructure to content owners, broadcast and cable TV networks, and OTT platforms. Its core expertise lies in broadcast-grade 24×7 linear channel creation, channel distribution to Free Ad-Supported Streaming TV platforms, live orchestration for sports and news, OTT server-side ad insertion, analytics for monetisation, and cost-effective disaster recovery, among others.

    “The popularity of streaming and the resultant change in consumer behaviour has also effected a change in the back-end or what is called the content factory,” Amagi co-founder and CEO Baskar Subramanian simplifies the jargon for us. “What used to be a hardware-based setup is now becoming software-driven. As a result, large TV networks are moving all of their media operations to the cloud. And this movement to a virtualised model of operating the business is nothing new; it has happened in retail, in BFSI, now it is happening in the media business,” he says.

    For TV channels Amagi helps in moving all operations to the cloud, while OTTs use its services to operate and monetise their content with targeted advertising at an individual level.

    “Even though OTT is starting to become big in the country, it’s not really big in advertising dollars. In India, we made about 900 million in ad revenue last year, which is quite low for a country of our size. Video CPMs are also dismally low at three-four dollars vs 30 dollars in the US. This needs to change, and it will happen when marketers start moving their TV budgets to OTT platforms. I see that happening in the next few years,” shares Subramanian.

    “FAST which is gaining traction due to increasing fatigue among consumers overwhelmed by choices, can be a great way of increasing streaming ad revenues, but it has not yet made inroads in India,” he informs. Internationally, FAST services like Pluto TV and Tubi continue to up the game by investing in quality content. Audiences and advertisers are following.

    According to the latest edition of the FAST industry report by Amagi, in 2021, total FAST viewership hours grew by 103 per cent, while the average session duration increased by eight per cent. Ad impressions grew by a robust 134 per cent, reminiscent of the $50 billion in ad opportunities up for grabs for content owners each year across FAST platforms.

    The next wave of growth for Amagi

    Buoyed by the recent fundraise, the company is doubling down on its R&D from last year. It has quadrupled its sales team and also plans to expand offices across the globe including in Australia, Latin America, and Eastern Europe.

    Amagi recently announced two new hires including Daniel Marshall as EVP of global sales for its SaaS business and streaming TV veteran James Smith to lead its global ad sales and partnerships business. Marshall moves in from Amazon, and Smith, from Facebook.

    The company is keen on raising capital and growth through mergers and acquisitions. “We are looking at acquisitions which can help us to accelerate the overall revenue and expand the marketplace,” informs Subramanian.

    “This is a crucial juncture for our business as we look to hit a hyper-growth trajectory by creating a winning combination of goals, processes, team structures and more. Our investors have a known history of crafting the success stories of companies with the promise of potential. We look forward to leveraging their astute understanding of the B2B SaaS landscape to successfully navigate the market intricacies and position ourselves for sustained success in the coming years,” he concludes.

  • Subscription fatigue drives 103% growth in FAST viewing hours in 2021: Amagi report

    Subscription fatigue drives 103% growth in FAST viewing hours in 2021: Amagi report

    Mumbai: In 2021, the total Free Ad-Supported Streaming TV (FAST) viewership hours grew by 103 per cent, while the average session duration increased by eight per cent. Ad impressions grew by a robust 134 per cent, reminiscent of the $50 billion in ad opportunities up for grabs for content owners each year across FAST platforms, as per the latest edition of the FAST industry report by Amagi. With this, FAST is quickly becoming the content model of choice for viewers and brands alike.

    The Amagi Global FAST Quarterly Report reveals 99 per cent growth in number of channels, 134 per cent growth in ad impressions, and 103 per cent growth in viewership hours on the Amagi platform. A global player in cloud-based SaaS technology for broadcast and connected TV, FAST performance is accelerating across the globe, driven by subscription fatigue and consumers’ growing demand for linear viewing experiences. 

    In a trend that’s picking up, audiences are increasingly watching FAST TV via their mobile devices, in addition to Connected TV (CTV).

    Across the board, these strong indicators of engagement mean now is the time for media players to leverage FAST’s rapid momentum and establish or extend their presence in the space. Amagi’s analysis of viewership and content monetisation trends for top ad-supported platforms across the US & Canada, EMEA, APAC, and Latin America for 2021 further suggests that FAST content is exploding, with channels ranging from niche to mainstream.

    Global content brands are entering the FAST space at a rapid pace, adding a wide variety of mainstream and niche genres to the mix. While news continues to be the most sought-after content on ad-supported platforms, FAST channels are also offering audiences everything from movies, documentaries, music, horror, crime, food, travel, anime, sports, and more. In 2021, the genres with the greatest increase in channels were movies, sports and entertainment, closely followed by music, documentaries and news, reflecting their popularity among consumers in this increasingly crowded space.

    Ad-supported streaming platforms are starting to see steady growth in their ad revenues. As top FAST services like Pluto TV and Tubi continue to up the game by investing in quality content, bringing audiences with them, advertisers are clearly following. In 2021 alone, ad impressions grew by a robust 134 per cent, reminding of the $50 billion in ad opportunities up for grabs for content owners each year across FAST platforms.

     “With the remarkable rise of FAST TV, we’re seeing the promise and potential of ad-supported models begin to come to fruition,” says Amagi co-founder Srinivasan KA. “Consumers are exhausted by the cost and overwhelming choices of subscription services. Increasingly, they are clamoring for linear, ‘lean back’ viewing experiences across a wide range of genres—and our latest FAST report reflects that clearly.”

    “As brands enter and expand into the FAST space at a rapid rate, competition is only growing fiercer. Our latest industry report confirms that continued investment in FAST remains essential. We expect 2022 to be a big year for innovation in the FAST universe—across programming, advertising and distribution—and will continue to report the data-backed insights content owners, streaming platforms and advertisers need to stay ahead in the streaming game,” he adds.

    This third edition of Amagi’s FAST industry report aggregates data from its proprietary platform, Amagi Analytics, on viewership and content monetisation trends to uncover insights on top ad-supported platforms across the US & Canada, EMEA, APAC, and Latin America for 2021. The report analysed year-over-year growth of total hours of viewing (HOV) and ad impressions between December 2020 – December 2021, across 2000+ channels on 50+ FAST platforms on Amagi’s dynamic server-side ad insertion platform.

  • After edtech & fintech, now is time for media-tech: Anuj Gandhi at VBS 2022

    After edtech & fintech, now is time for media-tech: Anuj Gandhi at VBS 2022

    Mumbai: After the edtech and fintech, it’s time for India to now witness the rise of media-tech, said M&E consultant and industry veteran Anuj Gandhi while decoding the post-pandemic future of the industry at the 18th edition of the Video & Broadband Summit 2022 (VBS) organised by Indiantelevision.com on Wednesday.

    The day-long virtual summit was co-powered by broadpeak, with Disney Star as the presenting partner, and NxtDigital as the summit partner.

    In a fireside chat with Indiantelevision.com founder CEO and editor-in-chief Anil Wanvari, the media distribution veteran discussed the six major trends which, according to him, will determine the course of the media and entertainment industry over the next couple of years.

    Video Trends: Unlike the days of DD and bundled offerings, the modern consumer wants more freedom to choose. With the burgeoning delivery platforms, it’s no longer that case where everyone has to be on PayTV. Moreover, in the present scenario where people are spending hours on social media, even Instagram Reels are ‘content’. Clearly, going forward, the definition of video, as well as trends in the space, will depend on the demand-supply equation. The rise of Free Dish and OTTs during the pandemic is a classic example, and even as their growth accelerates, PayTV will also continue to exist in some form or the other.

    Broadband Growth: Broadband has evolved into becoming a utility today; it is no longer limited to video. Considering the amount of consumption that’s happening over work-from-home, education, and other services, video is just a small fraction of it. The Trai’s figure for wired broadband that was stagnant at around 10-12 mn for many years, suddenly shot up to 25 mn, and this does not even include the huge undeclared market run by cable companies. The hybrid ecosystem fostered by the pandemic will continue to push this number further in the coming days.

    The fate of linear TV: It is a cause for worry and excitement at the same time. Both in India and globally there’s no denying the trend of people consuming less pay/linear TV as a result of the availability of alternatives as well as the failure of linear TV to innovate in terms of content. The Free Dish market has largely been insulated so far, but it will also experience disruption in the near future as broadband penetration in the hinterland grows.

    B2C focus and consolidation: The changes that were effected and necessitated by the growth in digital, especially in the last decade or so, have shifted the focus of the entire M&E industry from B2B to B2C. As the ecosystem opens up more and more to consumers directly, the need for consolidation will also increase, whether it is to meet the entertainment demands of viewers or to simplify content discovery for them.

    Rise of FAST: The popularity of Free Ad-Supported TV (FAST) services in the US and Europe, clearly shows that the west is moving towards AVOD. In the case of Asian markets including India, even though SVOD is picking up, the growth of Free Dish, YouTube, and OTT players like MX, is a strong indication of the potential for FAST.

    Crumbling walls: Changes in windowing norms that existed thus far will have a far-reaching impact on pricing, quality, and consumption of content as well as the actual segmentation of consumers in a multi-screen environment.

    The former group CEO of IndiaCast Media Distribution, who was also instrumental in setting up IndiaCast in March 2012 said he is hopeful about a future where all forms of video delivery – Free Dish, PayTV, VOD -will coexist. However, considering the current regulatory environment, competition, and the pace at which viewers are evolving, he recommended that the industry players must adopt an approach that gives more freedom and power to consumers rather than trying to resist the inevitable change in order to survive in the long run.