iWorld
Planetcast forays into OTT segment
Mumbai: Planetcast Media Services Limited (formerly Essel Shyam Communication Limited) today announced its foray into OTT segment by introducing its OTT solution targeted towards existing broadcasters and non-TV content owners. Planetcast OTT is a new, turnkey OTT solution for media companies, publishers and content creators to build advanced OTT app and web based entertainment ecosystem and deploy it in a highly cost effective manner.
Planetcast OTT solution is aimed towards exponential increase in ROI for broadcasters, media companies, video content owners and publishers who wants to take their content over the top. Planetcast OTT empowers the customers to quickly launch, manage and monetize new OTT offerings.
Planetcast, with its OTT solution will break the glass ceiling which prevents passionate media companies and content owners from making OTT market entry due to the high cost attached to it. An out of the box solution, it enables the customers to deploy premium OTT experience within the time limit and within their budget. Planetcast OTT solution will have a simplistic interface which does not require engineers to manage or build services, Planetcast is very clear about OTT product offering, its to make customer’s life simple and hassle free.
Commenting on the occasion, M.N Vyas, Executive Director, Planetcast said “Indian market is responding positively towards OTT services and media companies are highly optimistic about tapping into the fast growing opportunity OTT offers. Media companies were not able to do so due to high cost and ambiguity in the market, Planetcast OTT solution will put an end to all this as it will enable the media companies to launch quick, cost effective and easy to manage OTT services across all connected devices.”
Commenting on the occasion, Sanjay Duda, Chief Marketing Officer, Planetcast said “The global OTT market is projected to surpass $64.9 billion by 2021 , its too big a business not to be done. Media companies and content owners can increase their business exponentially through OTT offerings and I am confident that they will find a like minded partner in Planetcast. Our solution is cost effective, easy to deploy and easy to manage. Our two decades of successful broadcast industry operations is the biggest differentiating factor behind Planetcast OTT solution.”
Planetcast will give a sneak peek into its OTT solution at Broadcast India 2016, Mumbai, booth number B-212-1. The product will be available in December 2016.
iWorld
WhatsApp may soon let users to pick who sees their status updates
The messaging giant is borrowing a page from Instagram’s playbook as it pushes to give users finer control over their social circles.
CALIFORNIA: WhatsApp is quietly working on a feature that could make its Status function considerably smarter and considerably more private.
According to reports from beta tracking platforms, the app is testing a tool called Status lists, which would allow users to create named groups such as close friends, family and colleagues, and control precisely which group sees each update. It is a meaningful step up from the platform’s current blunt instruments, which offer only three options: share with all contacts, exclude specific people, or manually select individuals each time.
The new feature draws an obvious comparison with Instagram’s Close Friends function, and the resemblance is unlikely to be accidental. Both platforms sit within Meta’s family, and the company has been nudging them toward a common logic of audience segmentation for some time.
The move also fits neatly into WhatsApp’s broader privacy push. The platform has been rolling out enhanced chat protections and is exploring the introduction of usernames, which would allow users to connect without exchanging phone numbers. Status lists extend that philosophy from messaging into broadcasting.
Meanwhile, Status itself has been evolving well beyond its origins as a simple photo-and-text slideshow. The feature now supports music stickers, collages, longer videos and interactive elements, pushing it closer to the social-media-style story format pioneered by Snapchat and refined by Instagram. In that context, finer audience controls are not merely a privacy feature. They are a precondition for people sharing more.
The feature remains in development and has not been confirmed for release. WhatsApp routinely tests tools that are later modified or quietly shelved. But the direction of travel is clear: the app wants Status to be a destination, not an afterthought. Letting users decide exactly who is in the audience is how it gets there.
