Amagi’s Baskar Subramanian bets big on India’s connected TV FAST market

Amagi offers end-to-end cloud-managed live and on-demand video infrastructure for TV and OTT. In India, the company has collaborations with the likes of Shemaroo, Warner Bros. Discovery, B4U, etc. Amagi intends to bring its cloud-led innovation to the Indian broadcasting industry, helping media companies to virtualise their operations for accelerated business growth, says Baskar Subramanian, CEO and Co-founder, Amagi.

In an interview with Adgully, Subramanian talks about the company’s India plans, the increasing adoption of FAST channels, connection TV adoption, etc. “When you consider the fact that some of the best content will be hosted on FAST platforms in the coming months, it’s safe to say that FAST and AVOD in general are the future of streaming. We also intend to participate in the growing Connected TV-led Free Ad-supported Streaming TV (FAST) market in the country,” he says. Excerpts:

What are Amagi’s best-in-class cloud solutions and recent partnerships with broadcasters and streaming companies in India?

Amagi offers end-to-end cloud-managed live and on-demand video infrastructure for TV and OTT. This includes broadcast-grade channel playout to cable, satellite and OTT platforms, automated channel programming, dynamic server-side ad insertion, live orchestration of sports and news on the cloud, comprehensive viewership and ad analytics, among others. In India, Amagi has ongoing collaborations with premium content brands such as Shemaroo, Warner Bros. Discovery, B4U, and more.

How do you view the Indian market? What are the business and marketing plans?

As an India-born company, Amagi has deep roots in the market. While the majority of the company's clientele is based in the United States, India's increasing digitization and the growing global popularity of its content make it a promising market for Amagi. We intend to bring our cloud-led innovation to the Indian broadcasting industry, helping media companies to virtualise their operations for accelerated business growth. We also intend to participate in the growing Connected TV-led Free Ad-supported Streaming TV (FAST) market in the country.

Even ad-averse streaming giant Netflix is foraying into the AVOD segment. Do you think ad-supported streaming is the future? Or both the formats – SVOD and AVOD – will co-exist?

Rising subscription costs and choice fatigue have made AVOD platforms more popular among consumers worldwide. A large-scale shift to AVOD, particularly connected TV-led Free Ad-supported Streaming TV (FAST), is already underway. Where audiences go, content brands will follow. When you consider the fact that some of the best content will be hosted on FAST platforms in the coming months, it’s safe to say that FAST and AVOD in general is the future of streaming.

What are the emerging trends in the OTT and broadcast industries? How do you think Metaverse, AI, ML, etc., will change the future of entertainment in terms of personalisation, etc.?

One of the biggest advantages of AI and ML is content discoverability – automation makes it easy to search through large volumes of video content and extract the files you need. Typically, media companies have vast content libraries, and the automation makes it easy for them to find whatever they need at a moment’s notice. Similarly, viewers are able to find the content they’re looking for on OTT platforms easily with the help of keywords and tags that automation software generates.

Another benefit of automation is how quickly it can collate and distribute information. Take sports, for example. With AI and ML tools, highlights of a game can be transferred to OTT platforms very quickly. If it is a 90-minute soccer match, the highlights can be readied by the 91st minute with AI and ML. It considerably enhances the interactivity between content and users.

But at its core, AI and ML is about reducing human error and the complexity of processes. Within broadcasting, this means creation of autonomous production models that simplifies broadcast workflows and enhances the quality of the end output.

Where does India stand in terms of connected TV adoption? What are Amagi’s projections for the Indian market?

Connected TVs, especially in urban areas, have become an important medium of content consumption in India. In 2021, the rate of adoption of CTV was approximately 10 million. But while consumers are taking to connected TV-led programming in droves, advertisers are yet to adopt the medium as the future of streaming. We’re waiting for the shift in mindset to take place. We believe that the shift will happen when around 100 million consumers (25 million households) in India are reached through connected TVs – which is not very far in the future.