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Planetcast’s IPL hat-trick: Selected as media services partner by Star Sports, Viacom18 and Times Internet’s Cricbuzz
Mumbai: Planetcast Media Services, a leading broadcast technology and media services provider in India and Southeast Asia, has been selected as the media services partner by Indian Premier League (IPL) rights winners Star Sports (domestic TV broadcast), Viacom18 (domestic OTT on JioCinema), and Times Internet (international via Cricbuzz). Planetcast brings deep cricket video experience to its work with Star Sports, Viacom18 and Times Internet, having provided the media distribution backbone for most of the IPL’s 16-year history.
To help rightsholders meet new IPL audience demands, Planetcast has pioneered a host of innovations to enhance viewer experience and monetisation, from near-real-time ad insertion to AI-based instant highlight creation to supporting the first 4K production since its launch by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). The league’s matchday coverage is among the world’s most complex live sports video challenges, with simultaneous matches broadcast and streamed over numerous channels and OTT services in multiple languages.
“It is hugely gratifying that IPL rightsholders have once again put their trust in Planetcast to ensure their coverage is breaking new ground while being delivered seamlessly around the world,” says Planetcast Media Services CEO Sanjay Duda. “The work we’ve done at IPL matches almost every season since the first in 2008 has enabled Planetcast to build a reputation for handling incredibly complex and valuable live events. With the IPL now the world’s second most expensive sports rights on a per-match basis – just behind the NFL – media leaders like Star Sports, Viacom18 and Times Internet more than ever need to give TV viewers the best possible viewing experience, including UHD viewing on TV and mobile devices.”
The services Planetcast provides enable IPL 2023 rightsholders to deliver live high-definition (HD) and ultra-high-definition (UHD) coverage. These services include playout, feed management, live feed acquisition, low-latency encoding, graphics management, multi-language commentary and AI-based highlights editing. Planetcast is the technology mainstay for 17 Star Sports channels and several pop-up channels, with feeds in eight languages. Planetcast enables Viacom18 to bring IPL coverage to Indian streaming audiences via the JioCinema platform. In addition, it provides international OTT distribution for Times Internet to the USA, Canada, the Middle East and North Africa via its Cricbuzz website. The entire media services framework is deployed across 10 stadiums and three Viacom Sports Hubs in India.
“IPL 2023 will see us continue to push the envelope in consumer experience in live TV sports,” says Planetcast International chief operating officer – digital Venugopal Iyengar. “We are launching a number of IPL broadcast innovations this season, including AI-based editing with player facial recognition to quickly provide key video highlights, fast and flexible upstream ad insertion, and handling multiple language audio commentary tracks. We’re excited that Star Sports, Viacom18 and Cricbuzz have chosen us to enable them to fully monetise their coverage and, most importantly, drive viewer enjoyment for over 400 million cricket fans.”
To enable Star Sports’ UHD broadcast, Planetcast will be supporting HD1080P distribution using a satellite news gathering (SNG) kit at Dharamshala and Guwahati venues, representing India’s first SNG transmission of live sports using the latest HEVC® technology with Dolby Atmos. Planetcast has created an IP setup based on the latest standards for 4K production, enabling parallel HD and UHD content delivery via compatible televisions and devices to consumers across India – with the opportunity to support HDR in the future.
IPL facts:
· The league is presently sponsored by the Indian multinational conglomerate TATA.
· The TATA IPL 2023 season starts on 31 March and concludes with the final on 21 May. It has 10 teams and a total of 74 matches.
· Seven IPL seasons were auctioned in June 2022 for the 2023-2027 TV and OTT rights cycle at a cost equivalent to $6.2 billion.
· This makes the IPL the world’s second most valuable sports rights, equating to $15.1 million per match, more than the English Premier League’s $11 million per match and only trailing the USA’s National Football League’s $17 million per game.
· Viewership of IPL in India has regularly topped 400 million total viewers.
NEW DELHI: Hamdard Laboratories gathered a cross-section of India’s achievers in New Delhi on Friday, handing out the Hakeem Abdul Hameed Excellence Awards to figures who have left their mark across healthcare, education, sport, public service and the arts.
The ceremony, attended by minister of state for defence Sanjay Seth and senior officials from the ministry of Ayush, celebrated individuals whose work blends professional success with a sense of public purpose. It was as much a roll call of achievement as it was a reminder that influence is not measured only in profits or podiums, but in people reached and lives improved.
Among the headline awardees was Alakh Pandey, founder and chief executive of PhysicsWallah, recognised for turning affordable digital learning into a mass movement. On the sporting front, Arjuna Awardee and kabaddi player Sakshi Puniya was honoured for her contribution to the game and for pushing women’s participation onto bigger stages.
The cultural spotlight fell on veteran lyricist and poet Santosh Anand, whose songs have echoed across generations of Hindi cinema. At 97, Anand accepted the honour with characteristic humility, reflecting on a life shaped by perseverance and hope.
Healthcare honours spanned both modern and traditional systems. Manoj N. Nesari was recognised for strengthening Ayurveda’s place in national and global health frameworks. Padma shri Mohammed Abdul Waheed was honoured for his research-backed work in Unani medicine, while padma shri Mohsin Wali received recognition for his long-standing contribution to patient-centred care.
Education and social development also featured prominently. Padma shri Zahir Ishaq Kazi was honoured for decades of work in education, while former Meghalaya superintendent of Police T. C. Chacko was recognised for public service. Goonj founder Anshu Gupta received an award for his dignity-centred rural development initiatives, and the Hunar Shakti Foundation was honoured for empowering women and young girls through skill development.
The Lifetime Achievement Award went to former IAS officer Shailaja Chandra for her long career in public healthcare and governance, particularly in the traditional systems under Ayush.
Speaking at the event, Hamdard chairman Abdul Majeed said the awards were a tribute to those who combine excellence with empathy. “These awardees reflect Hakeem Sahib’s belief that healthcare, education and public service must ultimately serve humanity,” he said.
Minister Seth struck a forward-looking note, saying India’s young population gives the country a unique opportunity to become a global destination for learning, health and wellness by 2047.
The ceremony also featured the trailer launch of Unani Ki Kahaani, an upcoming documentary starring actor Jim Sarbh, set to premiere on Discovery on 11 February.
Instituted in memory of Unani scholar and educationist Hakeem Abdul Hameed, the awards have grown into a national platform that celebrates those building a more inclusive and resilient India. For one evening at least, the spotlight was not just on success, but on service with substance.
