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Netflix is all set 90 more Indian original productions in its pipeline, with that there are already 70 productions running on Netflix, said by founder and co-CEO Reed Hastings. As 70 original Indian Netflix have been launched already, some of them have won Emmy awards. Among this, White Tiger got a tremendous public response. Reed mentioned, “Most of the commissions that we are doing is with local productions company. Several big productions companies are working well in India, but we have no plans to acquire them. A lot of content on Netflix from India has been on the appreciation list by viewers so far. Content Indian matchmaking, Delhi Crime that won Emmy Awards and Jamtara are a few of the favourites. Source: theeconomicstimes.com

Zee has surprised everyone in the media and entertainment landscape by striking a surprising merger deal with Sony Pictures Networks (SPN) India. Zee has successfully fended off a bid by its largest investor Invesco to oust Punit Goenka as the managing director of the company. If the deal goes through it will create India’s second-largest entertainment network by revenue and spawn an entity with 75 TV channels, two video streaming services (ZEE5 and Sony LIV), two film studios (Zee Studios and Sony Pictures Films India) and a digital content studio (Studio NXT). The deal will be the largest such transaction in the Indian media and entertainment space. Under the terms of the nonbinding agreement, SPN will infuse growth capital of $1.575 billion (Rs 11,615 crore) and end up with a 52.93% stake in the merged entity, while ZEE shareholders will own the remaining 47.07% The merger proposal proposes that Goenka stay as MD and CEO of the merged entity for at least five years after completion of the deal. The majority of the board will be nominated by Sony Group and NP Singh, MD and CEO of SPN, is likely to be on the board. “I am pleased to announce that Sony Pictures Networks India (SPNI) has entered into an exclusive, non-binding term sheet with Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (ZEEL) to combine both companies’ linear networks, digital assets, productiion operations, and programme libraries,” Ravi Ahuja, chairman of Global Television Studios and Sony Pictures Entertainment Corporate Development, wrote in an internal mail to employees that ET has seen. “The board of directors at ZEE has conducted a strategic review of the merger proposal between SPN and ZEE,” ZEE chairman R Gopalan said in a company release. “We have unanimously provided in-principle approval to the proposal and have advised the management to initiate the due diligence process.” Source: The article has been published by The Economic Times with minor edits by the ArdorComm News Network Team.

In recent years OTT platforms like Netflix and Hulu have widened up to replace the traditional television channels. This has become possible mainly due to the rapid growth of the internet. But along with all these reasons, there is one more significant reason that has made the OTT platform an inseparable part of people’s lives. It is the development of OTT technology. Over the top technology are the software and equipment that has made the unthinkable possible and has bypass the traditional streaming technology and famed video content over the internet. Earlier, video broadcasting was accessibleon television sets through satellite or cable. On the other hand, with OTT technology, viewers have become more prone to buying internet-enabled smart TVs, smartphones, tablets, laptops, or computers. Ott technology works in various ways. Accessing the video content via Over the top has become very convenient for the viewers. But behind the screen, the technicalities of OTT streaming has more complex as compared to traditional broadcasting. There is a bit more complicated process involved in OTT platform streaming. Broadcaster uploads video content on OTT video host. Then the video host transmits the data to the remote server via a Content Delivery Network (CDN). Then the viewers select the contentthey wish to stream on the user-facing video gallery. The video player on the device pulls off the video content from CDNs served through the internet. This is the overall process by which the video gets stream on an OTT platform. OTT video host is basic technology and the most required technology for streaming an online video on an OTT platform. Hence a professional-grade video hosting platform with OTT capabilities is needed. Few examples of this technology include Datacast, Vimeo OTT, and Brightcove. The video hosting platforms alsocome with a wide variety of tools at different prices.Some of the essential hosting features that hold a very high value and are highly important for creating an OTT platform include video monetization, gold-standard security, HTML5video players, white-label capabilities, and brand customization and API access. The following important factor in any OTT streaming platform is the Content Delivery Network (CDN); it is a network serverthat delivers the content to its end-user. Most online video platforms partner with professional CDNs; hence it is not the main concern for the broadcasters. But it becomes essential to ensure thatthe video hosting platform you choose uses a CDN with servers stationed around the globe. This will help in maintaining the quality of your stream for viewers everywhere in the world. It will help in avoiding buffering and lagging of the speed of the video. Several new technologies are coming along with the OTT platforms and making video streaming better everyday. It has almost erased the usage or viewership of traditional broadcasting channels from viewers’ life. We do not know what improvements video streaming OTT platforms are going to bring shortly. But it is for sure that it will keep improving and delivering better content. Source: dacast.com

One of the leading IT services firm Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), has entered into a strategic alliance with one of the premier OTT platforms of India, SonyLIV. The league has been done to help create an innovative business model enabled through digital technologies, for giving better customer experience and create a straight path for future growth. This parentship will explore TCS next-gen digital capabilities, global expertise, and innovation eco system to create a transformation roadmap for the SonyLIV platform in India and the Global Market. Alongwith that, TCS will help enhance its core OTT platform to enhance the use of AI and Machine Learning to provide personalized experiences for its subscribers across devices. It will also let SonyLIV use data and insight for monetization of content and create new revenue streams. With that, TCS will also be setting up an Experience Design Center Leveraging its innovation labs, where it will install its location Independent Agile Model to speed up innovation. Source: thebusinessstandard.com