ZEE5, India’s largest home-grown video streaming platform, has taken a major leap in enhancing content delivery and viewer experience by adopting the Common Media Application Format (CMAF).
Implemented by ZEE5’s Technology & Innovation Centre in Bengaluru, this cutting-edge technology promises smoother video playback across all devices, ensuring high-quality streaming even in regions with low internet bandwidth. This move allows ZEE5 to expand its reach to 100 million users, making premium content accessible to a wider audience while reducing operational costs and optimizing bandwidth consumption.
What is CMAF and How Does It Benefit ZEE5 Users?
CMAF is a versatile standard for packaging segmented media, which enables seamless cross-device compatibility and reduces latency—critical for live streaming sports, news, and events. By adopting CMAF, ZEE5 is committed to providing an uninterrupted viewing experience with minimal data wastage, regardless of the viewer’s internet speed.
Shiva Chinnasamy, Chief Technology and Product Officer at ZEE, remarked, “Our goal is to offer the best-in-class AV experience even in low-bandwidth areas. CMAF helps us serve content more efficiently, ensuring viewers enjoy high-quality immersive experiences with minimal data usage.”
Key Advantages of ZEE5’s CMAF Adoption:
- Low-Latency Streaming: Ideal for live sports and events, CMAF ensures near real-time video delivery with minimal delays, making live viewing seamless.
- Bandwidth Optimization: CMAF packaging minimizes data consumption, enhancing video quality even in low-bandwidth environments.
- Cross-Device Compatibility: CMAF supports both HLS and DASH formats, ensuring consistent playback across smartphones, Smart TVs, and other devices.
- Future-Ready Encryption: CMAF utilizes Widevine CBCS, ensuring secure streaming across both Apple and Android devices.
How CMAF Transforms ZEE5’s Reach and Performance
Manish Kalra, Chief Business Officer of ZEE5 India, shared, “At ZEE5, our focus is on enhancing viewer experiences through advanced technology. CMAF helps us democratize access to quality entertainment, ensuring seamless streaming even in regions with low connectivity.” The integration of CMAF reflects ZEE5’s commitment to bringing immersive entertainment to a broader audience.
Moreover, the platform’s implementation of CMAF has proven instrumental in reducing storage requirements by over 30%, while keeping CDN (Content Delivery Network) costs steady amid growing demand for higher-quality content. This efficiency also enables ZEE5 to deliver consistent performance during peak usage, ensuring superior experiences for users across India and globally.
A Future-Ready Approach
The successful adoption of CMAF strengthens ZEE5’s operational efficiency, enhances content packaging, and improves overall streaming quality for its rapidly growing audience. As OTT consumption continues to rise worldwide, ZEE5’s pioneering approach ensures the platform is well-equipped to meet future demands, delivering high-quality content in more than 12 languages to users across the globe.
With CMAF, ZEE5 is not just enhancing the viewer experience but also pushing the boundaries of technology in the OTT space.
