Distribution
Planetcast promotes seamless content management, distribution and monetisation at IBC2023
Mumbai: Planetcast Media Services, a leading global broadcast technology and media services provider, has announced that it is promoting its full portfolio of cloud first media suite including the unified service orchestrator for content processing, distribution and monetisation services and technologies at IBC2023 (15-18 September, RAI, Amsterdam, Hall 5, stand H78). Planetcast’s single-window, seamless content supply chain management will show how media companies can utilize an integrated suite of services that enable frictionless workflows and a hyper-connected approach to content creation and distribution.
“We are excited to be promoting at IBC2023 our unified service layer that puts the customer at the centre of the content processing, distribution and monetization journey,” said Planetcast’s chief executive officer Sanjay Duda. “As operators seek new opportunities, there is a growing number of components and service providers in the value chain that can make the process of creating, distributing, and monetising content more complex and costly. At IBC we will be promoting our single window offering that brings together all our existing modules – including content management, post-production and localisation, cloud playout, IP distribution, OTT and FAST channel services – as a seamless, yet modular, fully integrated solution.”
At IBC2023, Planetcast will show how it enables broadcasters and other media and entertainment companies to employ cloud solutions more efficiently – together or as separate components. Innovative services and solutions Planetcast is demonstrating live on its booth include:
● CLOUD.X, its cloud playout platform, which enables FAST workflows and rapid ad insertion in partnership with Wurl, a world leader in dynamic ad insertion for streaming TV services;
● Contido, a leading-edge, cloud-native content supply chain management solution designed to handle video processing and publishing across multiple platforms.
● Switch Media will showcase Its versatile suite of OTT solutions – whose customers include Foxtel (Australia), Antenna (Greece), Media Prima (Malaysia), and Freeview (New Zealand).
Planetcast has developed one of the industry’s most comprehensive cloud offerings, trusted by the world’s most demanding global media companies, including Disney, Star TV, Viacom, and Doordarshan, the premier public broadcaster in India. Other world-class clients include Amazon Prime Video, Discovery, Indian Premier League (IPL), and Sony.
As the global media landscape continues to evolve rapidly, throwing up new challenges for media companies trying to meet the changing needs of consumers, Planetcast has looked for ways to help its customers meet new demands on their businesses.
In addition to providing demos of the company’s innovative and proven cloud playout and MAM solutions at IBC2023, the Planetcast team will discuss other elements of its comprehensive media services portfolio, including:
● Recaster – a dynamic and robust IP transport solution, which delivers a secure internet stream from anywhere to anywhere, be it a linear channel or a live sports stream;
● Managed Post-Production Services – a software and cloud-curated ecosystem of post-production services with a high degree of process automation, plus AI-enabled capabilities;
● Playout Disaster Recovery – cloud-based DR solution that provides incredibly cost-effective protection against broadcast service disruption;
● OTT solutions, which it is offering internationally in partnership with Australia-based Switch Media, whose customers include Foxtel (Australia), Antenna (Greece), Media Prima (Malaysia), and Freeview (New Zealand).
New Delhi: Prasar Bharati has thrown open applications for fresh capacity on DD Free Dish, signalling a timely opportunity for broadcasters looking to expand reach without long-term lock-ins. The public service broadcaster has issued a dual notice for its 95th and 96th online e-auctions, aimed at filling vacant MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 slots on a pro-rata basis for February and March 2026.
The two auctions are tentatively scheduled to begin on January 27, with allotments valid from February 1, 2026. Applications for both auctions close on January 21 at 3 pm, giving channels a narrow window to get their bids in.
The 95th e-auction will cover vacant MPEG-2 slots, while the 96th will focus on MPEG-4 capacity. Participation is limited to satellite television channels holding valid downlinking and uplinking permissions from the ministry of information and broadcasting. International public broadcasters cleared by the ministry are also eligible.
As with previous rounds, channels have been grouped into buckets based on genre and language, with sharply differentiated reserve prices reflecting reach and demand.
For the MPEG-2 auction, Hindi and Urdu general entertainment channels sit at the top of the pile. The starting reserve price for bucket A+ in the first round is Rs 2,63,48,000. Movie, music and sports channels in Hindi and Urdu follow in bucket A at Rs 2,10,14,000. Bhojpuri channels and other Hindi and Urdu genres, excluding devotional content, fall under bucket B with a reserve of Rs 1,78,62,000. Hindi and Urdu news channels in bucket C start at Rs 1,33,27,000, while bucket D, which includes regional language channels, English news and devotional or spiritual channels, begins at Rs 1,13,96,000.
The MPEG-4 auction comes in at a far leaner price point. News and current affairs channels in Hindi, English or pan-India languages, grouped under bucket G1, start at Rs 13,41,000. Non-news genres under bucket G2 have a reserve of Rs 8,80,000. Regional languages such as Marathi, Punjabi and Gujarati in bucket R2 begin at Rs 4,84,000. Southern language channels in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam, grouped under bucket R1, start at Rs 81,000, the same reserve price set for other scheduled 8 regional languages in bucket R3.
Prasar Bharati has underlined that compliance will be closely watched. Broadcasters must ensure that at least 75 per cent of their monthly programming, excluding advertisements, aligns with the declared genre and language. Any deviation could trigger show-cause notices or even removal from the DD Free Dish platform.
For channels chasing reach in a crowded market, the message is clear. The window is brief, the prices are set and the audience is waiting. On DD Free Dish, visibility still comes cheap, but only for those ready to move fast.
