Innovation / Technology
Technology has always been our strength, which enable us to serve 167 countries. A series of measures have been initiated recently in the International Delivery Network to improve functionality. Channels that have been targeted for delivery across Europe and USA are now being hauled via fibre systems, instead of satellite (IS906). The initiative provides a 50% advantage in cost without affecting the quality.
To cater to the overseas market, we offer multiple language subtitles including English, French and Bahasa (Indonesia). The introduction of Arabic subtitles is in the pipeline. Specific dubbed versions (such as Zee TV Russia) are also available. In addition, all international channels comply with the local advertising and content networks using the cue tone facilities provided in the playout system.
On the other hand, conversion of channels to MPEG4 would result in 40% saving in bandwidth and associated costs, while improving quality. Zee Café, Zee Trendz, Zee Studio, Zee TV Middle East and Zee Khana Khazana are among the first channels to be converted.
International channel broadcasting has also migrated to satellites, such as IS-10 to cover the entire African continent and GEC countries with extending coverage till Eastern Europe.
In the content value chain, the Company has gained multifaceted achievements with the introduction of a Digital Media Asset Management facility. Content transfer is now increasingly being done digitally using file transfer and automatic ingest thus moving towards tapeless operations. In the coming year, the Company expects to achieve significant gain in media management and cost savings by moving to a largely tapeless environment.