Revolutionizing short-form content processing, ZEE5’s in-house transcoder delivers seamless streaming at scale
India, 10th April 2025: ZEE5, India’s largest home-grown video streaming platform and a multilingual storyteller for millions, continues to push the boundaries of innovation with the introduction of its in-house transcoder, designed to transform vertical (9:16 aspect ratio) video processing. This development enhances video quality, reduces infrastructure costs, and significantly improves scalability, reinforcing ZEE5’s leadership in the digital entertainment landscape.
With the rapid rise of vertical content consumption, ensuring superior playback quality at scale has become a key focus. The new transcoding solution, built entirely in-house and optimized for the Google Cloud Platform (GCP), seamlessly processes high volumes of short-format content while delivering an enhanced viewing experience. Compared to the previous managed solution, the in-house transcoder has reduced video start times by 20%, improving buffering performance. Additionally, the content generated is 10-15% smaller in file size, significantly lowering storage and CDN costs without compromising quality.
Beyond performance improvements, the cost-effectiveness of the in-house transcoder marks a major milestone. The new solution has led to an astonishing 92% reduction in transcoding expenses compared to the previous third-party service.
The system’s message-driven architecture allows for swift content processing, ensuring minimal publishing delays. Since deployment, the transcoder has operated flawlessly, with zero reported bugs or playback issues, underscoring its reliability and robustness.
Speaking on this milestone, Suneel Khare, Senior Vice President at ZEEL, said, “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, ZEE5, stated, “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 reinforces ZEE5’s leadership in digital entertainment, with plans underway to further enhance video encoding efficiency and expand transcoding capabilities across additional content formats. As ZEE5 continues to scale its content library and expand its technological capabilities, the platform remains committed to delivering cutting-edge solutions that enhance user engagement and elevate the streaming experience.
