Microsoft, Eros Now pilot last-mile content delivery across India

Microsoft, in collaboration with Eros Now, a South Asian entertainment OTT (over-the-top) video platform has successfully trialed new technology that enables seamless delivery of rich visual content to consumers in low bandwidth locations across India, the tech giant said on Tuesday.

"Recent statistics show that media consumption has changed dramatically over the last decade, revealing opportunities and challenges for media and over-the-top (OTT) service providers. Given that businesses need to grow subscribers and the vast audiences waiting to be connected in low bandwidth communities, Microsoft is testing new technology to bridge that digital divide," Microsoft said in a statement.

The month-long pilot program leveraged Microsoft's cloud computing service, Azure, media content from Eros Now, and commerce capabilities from Novopay, a digital transaction partner and the commerce engine and tested the system from cloud to end consumer service.

As part of the program, Eros Now uploaded content to a central content repository, built on Microsoft Azure, that can quickly process large volumes of data to distribute to hubs. Consumers in low bandwidth areas then connect to these hubs to securely browse and download Eros Now's rich media content to their mobile devices without internet connectivity. Additionally, the system enables consumers to pay for services in their preferred modes.

Microsoft said that it is committed to inclusive growth and will expand the trial to additional providers to ensure consumers across India can access this service.

"We're committed to bringing together cloud technology, industry expertise, and partners to help our media and entertainment customers innovate and grow. By helping customers in low bandwidth locations across India access the content of their choice, we can expand retail distribution opportunities, help media partners connect with more customers, and help customers connect with stories and content they love," said Ravi Krishnaswamy, Corporate Vice President, Azure Global Industry, Microsoft.