TV18 Broadcast Ltd, part of India's largest media conglomerate Network18, needed a reliable and cost-effective solution for linear TV channel distribution over IP. The company required secure delivery of four live feeds from Hyderabad to multiple locations across India, replacing expensive leased lines and satellite connections.
About TV18 Broadcast Ltd
A trendsetter in its space, Network18 Media and Investments Ltd is one of the largest media conglomerates with diversified but synergistic interests in Television with its bouquet of fifty channels in India and thirteen international channels, besides film entertainment, digital content, magazines, digital commerce, and allied businesses. Network18 is promoted by Independent Media Trust of which Reliance Industries is the sole beneficiary.
TV18 Broadcast Ltd, a subsidiary of Network18, manages its primary business of broadcasting. TV18 runs the largest news network in India, spanning business news, general news, and regional news channels.
Challenge
TV18 Broadcast Ltd reached out to Quickstream at the beginning of February 2020 asking for an easy and reliable solution for linear TV channel distribution over IP. The company wanted to deliver four different live feeds from their location in Hyderabad to three locations across India—to Mumbai and to two separate offices in Noida—so these four streams could finally reach four separate DVB decoders across India.
Key requirements:
- Reliable delivery of four linear TV channels over IP
- Point-to-point streaming to multiple destinations (Hyderabad → Mumbai, Noida)
- Broadcast-quality transmission without transcoding
- Cost-effective alternative to leased lines and satellite connections
- Easy setup and maintenance for technical teams
- Secure transmission with encryption
Implementation
After reviewing Quickstream materials, technicians received license keys for the whole setup and started the trial period. The implementation included:
- Deployed Quickstream Node at the source location in Hyderabad
- Configured point-to-point SRT streams to three destination locations (Mumbai and two offices in Noida)
- Enabled secure, encrypted transmission with industry-standard AES-128/256
- Delivered four separate live feeds to four DVB decoders across India
- Operated on standard PC hardware without proprietary appliances
After one month of trial, the solution proved to be stable, reliable, and easy to maintain.
Results
The solution proved to be easy to set up and maintain for technicians, and the interface was found to be clear and easy to follow. During the cooperation, TV18 Broadcast Ltd was also updated with the newest software version covering additional features.
Key outcomes:
- Stable and reliable 24/7 delivery of four linear TV channels
- Successful distribution from Hyderabad to Mumbai and Noida locations
- Broadcast-quality transmission without transcoding
- Significant cost savings compared to leased lines and satellite connections
- Easy setup and maintenance with user-friendly interface
After six months of successful cooperation, TV18 Broadcast Ltd became one of the first testers of Quickstream Cloud, enabling centralized monitoring and management capabilities.
Why TV18 Broadcast Ltd chose Quickstream
- Works over Internet connections with packet loss and jitter resistance
- Quick and easy to install and maintain
- Works on any PC hardware including virtualized environments
- Ability to work in broadcast quality (no transcoding required)
- Supports Windows and Linux operating systems
- Encrypted with industry-standard AES-128/256
- Ultra-low latency (below 200 ms)
- Point-to-point streaming
- Easy firewall traversal (no IT support required)
- Saves up to 80% on costs of channel delivery compared to leased lines and satellite connections
- Easy setup and installation without costly hardware
- Direct installation on playout and production systems
- Integration with Quickstream Cloud (optional)
- Designed for unmanaged IP networks (Internet) and LAN
Customer testimonial
The decision to become a Quickstream user found out to be a great decision. Our technicians set up connections with Quickstream easily within just a few clicks. Quickstream proved to be stable, reliable, and cost-effective software. We are also satisfied with the support of the team.
— Mrinal Bakshi, General Manager, TV18 Broadcast Ltd
At a glance
- Use case: Linear TV channel distribution over IP (Hyderabad → Mumbai, Noida)
- Technology: SRT contribution over public Internet, Quickstream Node
- Outcomes: Reliable broadcast-quality delivery, significant cost savings, easy maintenance, early adopter of Quickstream Cloud
