Background

Banglalink, a prominent digital operator that owns Bangladesh’s leading sports and entertainment OTT platform “TOFFEE”, acquired the exclusive digital streaming rights for major ICC tournaments in Bangladesh until 2025. Banglalink wanted to ensure a smooth delivery of live-streams and optimize monetization during its coverage of the international cricket tournament. The digital operator also produced several live shows pertaining to such tournaments, for streaming during the breaks.

With exclusive streaming rights for various high-profile global sporting events, Toffee has cemented its position as the go-to app for live sports in Bangladesh. The platform's streaming of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup (“Event”) during peak commuting times was a major hit, attracting approx. 100 million minutes of viewership in the first week alone and in certain matches, such as the Bangladesh vs. Sri Lanka clash, saw over 1 million views.

"Partnering with Skandha proved not only to be a great business decision in regard to streamlining our operations and reducing overall costs, but also an enjoyable, stress-free experience," said Ashwin Kelkar, Technology Director of Toffee. "Their expertise and innovation in the field of managing live streaming of big-ticket sports events really shone through. Skandha's well-coordinated team gave us absolute reassurance, acting as an extension of our own. Together, we successfully delivered seamless streams of multiple ICC T20 World Cup events - ultimately fulfilling our number one priority; to keep our millions of viewers engaged."

Challenge

To ensure success, Toffee's primary challenge was to manage and coordinate multiple partners for different aspects of the Event. This fragmentation not only increased operational complexity but also posed risks in terms of reliability and cost-effectiveness. In order to streamline operations, reduce costs and monetize inventory, Toffee decided to consolidate the entire Event infrastructure with a single partner.

Solution

Toffee turned to Skandha Media Services as its comprehensive technology partner of choice due to the latter’s vast experience and expertise in managing the playout and ad-monetization of big-ticket events for a range of high-profile OTT platforms. Skandha Media Services specializes in providing highly scalable playout services, leveraging cloud technology, automation, AI and machine learning. By partnering with Skandha, Toffee was able to streamline the entire process, from configuration to delivery and inventory management, with a focus on efficiency and error mitigation.

Skandha supported 121 playout streams for Toffee during the Event, covering 55 matches, which cumulated to 605 hours of streaming, in two languages.

Implementation

• Consolidation of Services : Skandha managed Toffee’s entire live streaming workflow for the Event. This strategic integration eliminated the need for multiple vendor partners and the associated complexities that go with managing each relationship.
• Cost-Effective Approach: Skandha’s systematic and economical approach resulted in a significant reduction in cost for Toffee by decreasing the overheads associated with managing multiple vendors.
• Ensuring Redundancy: Skandha implemented robust redundancy measures to ensure uninterrupted service throughout the Event.
• Optimized Workflow: Performing switching at the playout level for live and studio broadcasts. Leveraging advanced technologies such as cloud, AI, and automation optimized workflows and improved service delivery.

Results

The collaboration between Banglalink and Skandha Media Services yielded impressive results:

• Seamless Configuration and Delivery: The Event was configured, delivered, and fully managed by Skandha, ensuring a seamless streaming experience.
• Error-free event execution: The Event was executed with an exceptionally low error rate, highlighting the reliability and effectiveness of Skandha's infrastructure and software services.
• Enhanced Viewing Experience: Toffee's viewers enjoyed a high-quality, uninterrupted viewing experience, thanks to the stringent quality checks, streamlined operations and robust infrastructure provided by Skandha.
• Cost Savings: By consolidating services with Skandha, Toffee achieved significant cost savings as the need for multiple partner vendors was eliminated, boosting the overall return on investment.

Conclusion

Skandha Media Services’ successful management of Toffee’s live streaming of the Event exemplifies the benefits of consolidating infrastructure services with a single, reliable partner. This case study underscores the importance of strategic partnerships in overcoming operational challenges and delivering exceptional results in the media and streaming industry.

Key Takeaways

• Strategic Integration: Integrating services with a single partner can streamline operations, reduce costs, and enhance reliability.
• Technological Innovation: Leveraging advanced technologies such as cloud, AI, and automation can optimize workflows and improve service delivery.
• Operational Efficiency: Effective management and redundancy measures are crucial for ensuring seamless and error-free event execution.