Appear, the global leader in media processing and delivery technology, and Planetcast, one of Asia’s foremost media services companies, today announced a strategic collaboration to deliver next-generation, end-to-end media services. This brings together Appear’s world-class contribution and distribution technology with Planetcast’s robust cloud-first platform, NexC, offering broadcasters and streamers a powerful, integrated approach to managing and distributing content across all platforms including empowering media organisations to deliver premium live content from ground to cloud.
The two companies will showcase their offerings at BroadcastAsia 2025 in Singapore (29–31 May), demonstrating how their partnership addresses the evolving needs of the region’s media landscape; enabling operational efficiency, flexible deployment, and unparalleled scalability.
Collaboration Delivers Performance, Flexibility, and Scale
At the heart of the partnership is a shared vision to reduce complexity in media workflows. By integrating the advanced contribution and compression technology of Appear’s X Platform with Planetcast’s cloud-native playout, OTT and FAST distribution, and IP-based delivery tools, customers benefit from best-in-breed solutions optimised for the dynamic demands of the APAC and ME markets.
“Our goal at Appear is to empower media organisations to move fast, operate efficiently and deliver high-quality experiences across platforms, especially in live sports where ground-to-cloud workflows are critical,” said Shakunt Malhotra, Vice President APAC at Appear. “Planetcast shares this vision, and together we’re delivering a powerful proposition to help customers in the region scale rapidly and monetise content with ease. BroadcastAsia is the ideal platform to show what we can achieve together.”
As a proof point of the partnership’s value, Planetcast recently announced a milestone contract with beIN Asia Pacific, serving 16 linear HD sports channels running 24/7 across Southeast Asia and Australia, plus disaster recovery backed by six additional channel feeds, integrating live events with pre-recorded material and multi-layered graphics. All channels will be delivered via 10 drop points (fibre and IP over internet) spread throughout the region.
To enable this service, Planetcast selected Appear’s ultra-dense X20 platform, deploying 36 fully featured decoders housed in a compact 2RU chassis. These decoders support demodulation, BISS decryption, HEVC and AVC decoding, as well as 8 stereo audio pairs and Dolby decoding; all critical for ensuring high-quality, reliable playout. As part of a comprehensive ground-to-cloud workflow, the X20 decoders enable seamless bridging between live venue feeds and Planetcast’s cloud-based playout ecosystem, delivering the performance and flexibility needed for premium sports broadcasting at scale.
The Appear decoders will be seamlessly integrated into Planetcast’s playout automation and monitoring system, aligning perfectly with its cloud-first infrastructure and enabling fast, low-latency delivery. This reinforces the strength and interoperability of Appear’s X Platform, which continues to set new benchmarks in density, efficiency, and flexibility for live media operations.
This deployment, which also leverages Planetcast’s Cloud.X Turbo for low-latency playout and Recaster for global IP delivery, exemplifies how the two companies empower broadcasters to deliver world-class sports experiences at scale.
A New Gold Standard for Media Services in APAC
Planetcast’s NexC platform has been developed to simplify the content supply chain. With its integrated, single-window architecture that combines scheduling, playout, post-production, OTT and FAST distribution, NexC enables customers to deliver and monetise content quickly across multiple geographies.
“Planetcast has always focused on building agile and scalable services, designed for the complexity of today’s broadcast and streaming landscape,” said Venugopal Iyengar, Chief Operating Officer – Digital, Planetcast. “Our collaboration with Appear will further extend the value we bring to our customers by enhancing contribution and distribution capabilities. We’re excited to demonstrate this at BroadcastAsia and show how together we can help media companies grow across APAC and beyond.”
Meet Appear and Planetcast at BroadcastAsia 2025:
Attendees at BroadcastAsia 2025 can meet both companies to see real-world demos and discover how their capabilities are solving the region’s most pressing media challenges.
- Appear: Booth 5C1-7
- Planetcast: Booth 5C1-1
