Mumbai: ZEE5 has taken a significant technological leap with the launch of its in-house transcoder—an innovation designed to transform the processing and delivery of vertical (9:16) video content. This strategic development enhances video quality, drastically reduces infrastructure costs, and scales seamlessly, reinforcing ZEE5’s position at the forefront of digital entertainment innovation.
With the explosive growth of short-form and vertical content consumption, optimizing playback quality at scale has become mission-critical. Developed entirely in-house and optimized for the Google Cloud Platform (GCP), ZEE5’s next-gen transcoder is engineered to process high volumes of content while significantly improving user experience. Compared to its previous managed solution, the in-house technology reduces video start times by 20% and cuts file sizes by 10-15%, thereby lowering storage and CDN costs without compromising output quality.
Most notably, the transcoder has delivered a remarkable 92% cost reduction in transcoding expenses, making it a major milestone in operational efficiency. Its message-driven architecture enables swift content processing, ensuring minimal delays in publishing, with flawless performance since launch—reporting zero bugs or playback issues.
Suneel Khare, Senior Vice President at ZEEL, remarked,“At ZEE5, we are constantly innovating to create superior viewing experiences while optimizing operational efficiencies. We have taken a giant leap in delivering high-quality vertical content at scale with the in-house transcoder. This solution enables faster load times, reduced buffering, and seamless playback, ensuring our users get the best experience every time they press play. Additionally, the massive cost savings allow us to reinvest in creating even more compelling content for our audience.”
Rahul Banerjee, Principal Architect at ZEE5, added, “Building a cloud-native transcoding solution in-house was a strategic move to future-proof our content delivery infrastructure. This innovation empowers us with complete control over video processing, ensuring better efficiency, scalability, and a higher degree of customization. More importantly, it strengthens our ability to deliver high-quality content with unmatched cost efficiency, setting new benchmarks in the industry.”
This initiative aligns with ZEE5’s ongoing commitment to technological excellence, setting new standards in content delivery. With further enhancements planned for encoding efficiency and broader format support, ZEE5 continues to invest in cutting-edge infrastructure to elevate the streaming experience for users across India and beyond.
