MAM
Amagi deploys Cloudport playout for Magic of Cinema
MUMBAI: Amagi, the cloud-based broadcast infrastructure, has announced a full-fledged deployment of its Cloudport Edge Playout servers for Magic of Cinema (MOC), a 24×7 free-to-air movie channel across 17 digital cable platforms.
Using cloud technologies, Amagi has enabled MOC to launch its channel at a fraction of traditional satellite/fiber infrastructure costs. The entire playout is managed at Amagi’s Data Operations Center in Bengaluru. Amagi’s Cloudport edge servers and its cloud-based unified management user interface has dramatically simplified channel playout across multiple cable platforms for MOC.
“We evaluated several platforms and finally chose Amagi for its technology superiority and an attractive PaaS business model. It allowed us to avoid high capital expenditure and upfront investment without compromising on the broadcast quality. As our viewership expanded over time, Amagi helped us scale our business giving us the required flexibility and reliability. Amagi has been a true partner in our growth” said MOC CEO Sricharan Iyengar.
Amagi’s Cloudport platform runs on the cloud, with benefits of unlimited storage and accessibility. Amagi has already implemented its cloud technologies in more than 10 countries covering multi-country feeds. The platform has advanced features such as dynamic graphic overlays and sub-parting that met MOC’s exacting quality and feature requirements.
“MOC is a fast growing movie channel with a line-up of rich and contemporary content. Amagi’s advanced technology platforms coupled with uninterrupted 24×7 playout and monitoring service has successfully and consistently met MOC’s evolving needs. We are very positive about MOC’s potential and Amagi is fully equipped to support the channel’s growth aspirations” said Amagi cofounder Srividhya Srinivasan.
MOC has a wide array of over 1,500 Hindi cinemas, and is available on leading digital cable platforms including Hathaway, DEN, Siticable, UCN and Incable.
MAM
Raghu Rai passes away at 83, leaves behind iconic legacy
Padma Shri-winning photographer documented history across 5 decades.
MUMBAI: The lens may have stilled, but the stories it captured will never fade. Raghu Rai, one of India’s most celebrated photojournalists, passed away on April 26, 2026, at the age of 83. He breathed his last at a private hospital in New Delhi after battling cancer and age-related health issues.
His son, Nitin Rai, revealed that Rai had been diagnosed with prostate cancer two years ago, which later spread to the stomach and, more recently, the brain. Despite multiple rounds of treatment, his health had declined in recent months.
Born in 1942 in Jhang, Punjab (now in Pakistan), Rai entered photography in his early twenties, inspired by his elder brother, photographer S. Paul. Beginning his career in the mid-1960s, he went on to build a body of work that spanned more than five decades, contributing to global publications such as Time, Life, GEO, Le Figaro, The New York Times, Vogue, GQ and Marie Claire.
His global recognition took a decisive leap in 1977 when legendary French photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson nominated him to join Magnum Photos, placing him among the world’s most respected visual storytellers.
Rai’s lens chronicled both power and poignancy. He photographed towering figures such as Indira Gandhi, Dalai Lama, Bal Thackeray, Satyajit Ray and Mother Teresa, while also documenting defining moments like the Bhopal gas tragedy later captured in his book Exposure: A Corporate Crime.
Over the years, he published more than 18 books, building an archive that blended journalism with artistry. His contributions were recognised early when he was awarded the Padma Shri in 1972 for his coverage of the Bangladesh War and refugee crisis. In 1992, he was named “Photographer of the Year” in the United States for his work in National Geographic, and in 2009, he was honoured with the Officier des Arts et des Lettres by the French government.
Rai is survived by his wife Gurmeet, son Nitin, and daughters Lagan, Avani and Purvai. His last rites will be held at Lodhi Cremation Ground in New Delhi at 4 pm on Sunday.
With his passing, Indian photojournalism loses not just a pioneer, but a patient observer of history, one frame at a time.
