iWorld
Planetcast launches its NexC cloud-first architecture to enable media companies
Mumbai: Planetcast Media Services, a broadcast technology and media services provider, announced the launch of its NexC architecture to simplify content management, distribution, and monetisation services and technologies. NexC provides a single-window, content supply chain management system, enabling users to beat the complexity challenge of today’s media and entertainment landscape.
Benefits of NexC include:
- Frictionless movement of content assets between most-used services increases efficiency and minimises cost.
- NexC’s collaboration tools mean that global teams can work together without leaving NexC
- The inclusion of major functionalities in one interface, including content supply chain, playout and distribution, FAST, OTT distribution, and post-production, enables Planetcast customers to effortlessly add services without complex processes or having to deal with multiple vendors.
- NexC’s cloud-based infrastructure and content-repurposing features enable users to monetise content quickly and cost-effectively across more formats and geographies than ever before.
“Media organisations are finding it increasingly cumbersome and expensive to navigate the various stages of post-production, content delivery, and monetisation,” said Planetcast chief executive officer Sanjay Duda. “In addition to seeking to enhance profitability, many media & entertainment companies are expanding geographically, while at the same time targeting new distribution points and functionalities, such as over-the-top (OTT), Free Ad-Supported Streaming TV (FAST), and pop-up channels. This leads to an exponential increase in the requirement for media processing and management, which we call the ‘complexity challenge’. Planetcast’s NexC unified service layer architecture meets this challenge through its flexibility and cloud-first approach, enabling customers to maximize efficiency and cost-effectiveness.”
The NexC architecture consists of the following elements, all accessed through Planetcast’s unified customer user interface (UI) and dashboard:
- Contido content supply chain and management solution
- Content Preparation & Localisation Services, a full suite of core technical post-production services from quality control and compliance to subtitling & dubbing, etc.
- Scheduling, Playout and distribution through the CloudX hybrid cloud playout and Recaster digital delivery
- Planetcast OTT, a white-labelled OTT solution for non-linear content distribution
In addition, the NexC platform offers partner-integrated value-added services such as:
- FAST Playout with partner-driven Server-Side Ad-insertion, Ad-Demand Management and Platform partner management.
- Cloud-based Creative Post Production which includes the full suite of creative services such as Editing, Colour Grading, VFX, etc. on Cloud.
“Planetcast’s success has been built upon the ability to adapt to changing distribution and monetisation trends over the last two decades while successfully handling some of the world’s most valuable sports and entertainment properties,” said Planetcast’s chief operating officer, digital, Venugopal Iyengar. “Our strength lies in having organically built end-to-end distribution value chains using our in-house software development capability, mostly built with our own IP, served by a 200+ software team. We believe that the ‘complexity challenge’ is the greatest issue facing media companies today. To meet this challenge, we have designed the NexC architecture from the ground up to provide all the power and functionality media companies need, combined with the simplicity of a single sign-on collaborative user interface.”
Further, to ensure sustained value enhancement in this rapidly developing industry, NexC will offer API integration support for any Generative AI solutions that serve to enhance the workflows and functionality of the Platform.
Planetcast has developed one of the industry’s most comprehensive cloud-driven media services offerings and is trusted by many of the world’s most demanding global media companies, including Amazon Prime Video, Discovery, Disney, Indian Premier League (IPL), Star TV, Sony, Viacom, and Doordarshan, India’s premier public broadcaster. These unique solutions are right now being integrated into the NexC unified service layer architecture.
iWorld
Why Peaky Blinders is one of television’s biggest hits that still deserves more attention
Six seasons, multiple awards and the release of Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man bring the Shelby saga back into the spotlight
In the crowded universe of streaming content, only a handful of shows manage to leave a lasting cultural footprint. Peaky Blinders is overwhelmingly considered one of the biggest global hits of the past decade. Yet many viewers still haven’t fully explored the dark, gripping world of the Shelby family.
Originally produced for the UK’s BBC and later finding a massive global audience through Netflix, the series quietly grew from a British period drama into a worldwide streaming phenomenon.
Created by Steven Knight, the show follows the rise of the Shelby crime family in post-First World War Birmingham. What begins as a gritty street-gang story gradually expands into a sweeping narrative about ambition, politics, power and survival.
At the centre of the saga is Thomas Shelby, portrayed with extraordinary depth by Cillian Murphy. The casting of Murphy is widely regarded as perfect for the role. With piercing eyes, restrained dialogue and an almost hypnotic screen presence, he transforms Shelby into one of the most unforgettable characters in modern screen storytelling.
Murphy’s brilliance lies in his restraint. He rarely shouts or performs theatrically. Instead, a quiet stare, a calculated pause or a subtle shift in expression conveys the emotional storms within the character. Beneath the ruthless gang leader is a war veteran carrying trauma, guilt and loneliness. Murphy captures this complexity with remarkable precision, making Thomas Shelby both terrifying and deeply human.
Beyond its central performance, Peaky Blinders stands out for its unfiltered portrayal of reality. The show does not romanticise crime. Instead, it exposes the harsh social conditions of early 20th-century Britain, from poverty and class struggle to political extremism and the psychological scars left by war.
The series also presents powerful female characters who hold their own within the Shelby empire. Polly Gray, played by Helen McCrory, is the strategic backbone of the family and one of the most formidable figures in the story. Women in the series shape decisions, influence power structures and challenge the rigid social norms of the time.
Across six seasons, the narrative grows dramatically in scale. What begins in the smoky streets of Birmingham evolves into a story involving political conspiracies, fascism and international criminal networks.
The series has also earned significant critical acclaim. It won the BAFTA Television Award for Best Drama Series in 2018 and multiple National Television Awards for Best Drama, cementing its reputation as one of Britain’s most celebrated modern shows.
Another defining feature of the series is its iconic music. The show’s opening theme, Red Right Hand by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, became instantly recognisable and widely associated with the Shelby universe. Combined with a powerful soundtrack featuring artists such as Arctic Monkeys and Radiohead, the music helped shape the show’s dark, stylish identity and became hugely popular among fans.
And the Shelby story is not over yet.
In fact, its legacy is unfolding right now. The long-awaited feature-length continuation, Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man, was released on March 6, 2026, bringing the Shelby universe from streaming screens to cinemas and giving fans a new chapter in the saga.
For viewers who have not yet stepped into this world, the timing could not be better.
Six gripping seasons are ready to binge on Netflix. A new film has just arrived in theatres. And at the heart of it all stands one of the most magnetic performances in modern drama by Cillian Murphy.
So if Peaky Blinders has been sitting on your watchlist for years, this weekend is your moment.
So, by order of the Peaky fookin’ Blinders, consider this your cue to finally step into the ruthless world of Thomas Shelby. Pour yourself a drink, clear your schedule and press the play button. Because when the Peaky Blinders give an order, you listen.
