Wurl, Planetcast to enable India’s media and entertainment companies to launch FAST

Planetcast International, the new division of Planetcast Media Services, has partnered Wurl, which powers streaming TV, to enable India’s media and entertainment companies to join the free ad supported streaming TV (FAST) revolution. 

The partnership between Wurl and Planetcast will enable broadcasters and other content owners to explore the launch of FAST channels in India. In addition, Wurl and Planetcast will continue to explore other collaborative initiatives, including supporting the launch of Indian content FAST channels internationally in markets that Wurl already supports. 

“India has an incredibly vibrant media market that Wurl and Planetcast think is perfectly suited to FAST distribution,” said Sanjay Duda, COO, Planetcast Media Services. 

“Through Planetcast partnering with Wurl, India’s media and entertainment industry will gain the combination of our local media and international distribution expertise and the AI-driven ad targeting and data smarts of Wurl to make the perfect solution for the launch of Indian FAST channels.”

“No one knows India’s media market better than Planetcast, and our strengths focus on powering streaming TV and the technologies needed to successfully launch FAST channels,” said James Grant, SVP Partnerships at Wurl. 

“Together Planetcast and Wurl are partnering to ensure that Indian channels can reach more markets worldwide through the FAST model, and that the FAST opportunity in India can be explored and given the opportunity to grow as quickly as it has in other markets, including the Americas.”

Planetcast International is part of Planetcast Media Services, which provides media services that touch lives in India and Southeast Asia. Owned by Apollo Global Management, Planetcast has a 25-year heritage in broadcast and media services and employs over 1,000 professional staff. Planetcast Media Services counts some of the world’s largest media brands as its customers, including Disney, Viacom, Sony, Amazon and Star TV.

Wurl interconnects over 1,200 streaming channels from the world’s top content companies with the leading streaming distribution services in over 50 countries. Reaching over 300 million connected TVs around the globe, the Wurl Network platform helps leading studios such as A+E Networks, AMC Networks, Bloomberg, BBC Studios, CNNi, Reuters and Sony Studios, deliver programming to the biggest streaming platforms, including Amazon IMDb TV, LG, Roku, Samsung TV Plus, Rakuten, and VIZIO, while maximising monetisation.

FAST refers to broadcasts of linear TV which are free as they are ad-supported. The nScreen media GETTING FAST report forecasts that FAST revenues will double from 2022 to 2023, FAST ad CPM rates and ad fill-rates are rising, and every major supplier of smart TV to the North American market now has FAST built-in.