MAM
Switch Media unveils VOD2Live for easy launch of live linear OTT Channels
MUMBAI: Switch Media, a world leader in online video technology, has launched VOD2Live, a clever new solution that enables broadcasters and content owners to effortlessly launch custom dynamic live linear channels in minutes. Using a content owners existing library of VOD assets, VOD2Live creates a broadcast-equivalent channel with no need for playout software, live video encoding or to re-ingest the media. This greatly simplifies video delivery workflows, lowers cost and reduces time to market, while providing personalisation of channels, including programming and ads based on viewer location, demographics or viewing behaviour.
VOD2Live may be used to create quick and easy pop-up channels for content providers that want to temporarily feature a collection from their library on a linear channel. It can also be used to leverage the investment of an existing live linear channel by broadening distribution to other markets. Both can be done quick and easily, without investing in additional playout software and live video encoding.
The idea for VOD2Live was born from Switch Media’s SSAI technology AdEase, which specialises on stitching ad and media content together on-the-fly to create high-quality, seamless, targeted OTT ad insertion.
Luke Durham, CTO of Switch Media said, “Our VOD2Live solution takes this notion a step further, enabling personalisation of the entire channel, including ads. It achieves this by taking assets from an existing VOD library and generates a linear channel from the data. There’s no additional complexity; it simply uses a set of metadata to generate the channel. VOD2Live allows customers to inexpensively test a linear channel in market with a very low cost of start up.”
VOD2Live is ideally suited for pop-up channels where content owners can inexpensively test new offerings; regional, time-shifted and culturally targeted programming, with relevant audio and subtitle tracks; and personalised channels based on genre, viewer preferences or a feed from an existing recommendation engine.
Durham continues, “VOD2Live is another example of how we address some of the most intricate broadcaster requirements in a continually shifting technology landscape. It’s a simple yet dynamic product that provides broadcasters with a highly cost-efficient and technologically elegant way of generating live linear OTT channels in minutes.”
Brands
Sapphire Foods FY26 revenue rises to Rs 3,125 crore, posts loss
Q4 revenue at Rs 792 crore, FY26 loss at Rs 32 crore amid cost pressures.
MUMBAI: If growth is on the menu, profitability seems to have taken a brief detour. Sapphire Foods India reported a steady rise in topline for FY26, even as rising costs weighed on profitability. Revenue from operations grew to Rs 3,125 crore for the year ended March 31, 2026, up from Rs 2,882 crore in FY25. However, the company swung to a loss, reporting a net loss of Rs 32 crore for FY26, compared to a profit of Rs 17 crore in the previous year. Total income for the year stood at Rs 3,153 crore, while total expenses climbed to Rs 3,167 crore, reflecting pressure across key cost heads.
In the March quarter, revenue came in at Rs 792 crore, compared to Rs 711 crore in the same period last year. The company reported a quarterly net loss of Rs 13 crore, against a profit of Rs 2 crore a year earlier.
Cost pressures remained visible across operations. Material costs rose to Rs 995 crore for FY26, while employee expenses increased to Rs 428 crore. Other expenses, the largest component, stood at Rs 1,229 crore, underscoring the impact of store operations and expansion-related spends.
Depreciation and amortisation expenses also climbed to Rs 392 crore for the year, reflecting continued investments in store infrastructure and growth.
At the operating level, the company reported a loss before tax of Rs 37 crore for FY26, compared to a profit of Rs 23 crore in FY25. Exceptional items added Rs 24 crore to the cost burden during the year.
On the balance sheet, total assets rose to Rs 3,256 crore as of March 31, 2026, up from Rs 3,041 crore a year earlier, indicating ongoing expansion. Net worth stood at Rs 1,389 crore.
Despite profitability pressures, operating cash flow remained resilient at Rs 507 crore, highlighting underlying business strength and demand stability.
The numbers paint a familiar picture in the quick-service restaurant space, growth continues to be served hot, but margins are still finding their footing.
