23 August 2023

RNS Reach

AFERIAN PLC

("Aferian", the "Company" or the "Group")

24i and Amagi power new Virgin Media FAST channels

Aferian plc (LSE AIM: AFRN), the B2B video streaming solutions company, in collaboration with its technology partner Amagi, today announces that UK telecoms, media, and internet company, Virgin Media, has used its 24i integrated solution to launch and monetise a new line-up of themed Free Ad-supported Streaming TV (FAST) channels on Virgin TV. 24i worked in partnership with Amagi, the global leader in cloud-based SaaS technology for broadcast and connected TV, on the project.

An initial selection of 14 channels have been rolled-out to Virgin Media's V6, TV 360 and Stream set-top boxes (STBs), allowing customers to instantly access an extended range of attractive content, monetised through advertising.

Harnessing the Appstage application framework within the 24i Mod Studio streaming platform - which is pre-integrated with Amagi's playout solutions - the project introduced the FAST channels into Virgin Media's Electronic Programming Guide (EPG) without making any changes to existing STB configurations.

The app was configured to perfectly align with Virgin Media's UX, facilitating a seamless integration of channels into Virgin Media's EPG, providing an enhanced user experience for their customers on V6, TV 360 and Stream STBs running the RDK and Opera operating systems.

Donald McGarva, Chief Executive Officer of Aferian plc, said: "This has been a real team effort to give Virgin Media's customers access to a range of exciting new streamed content with a great user experience. The successful and seamless roll-out to a variety of device models already in the field is a testament to the powerful and flexible combination of 24i's Appstage Big Screen client, cloud-based Backstage content management system, and Amagi's unrivalled FAST solutions."

Srinivasan KA, Co-founder and CRO at Amagi, said: "Our collaboration with Virgin Media has been an excellent opportunity for us to showcase our technical prowess. Our achievement in integrating multiple FAST channels into Virgin Media's STB environment through a unified gateway has significantly enriched user choice and paved the way for incremental revenues."

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About Aferian plc

Aferian plc (AIM: AFRN) is a B2B video streaming solutions company.  Our end-to-end solutions bring live and on-demand video to every kind of screen.  We create the forward-thinking solutions that our customers need to drive subscriber engagement, audience satisfaction, and revenue growth.

It is our belief that successful media companies and services will be those that are most consumer-centric, data driven and flexible to change. We focus on innovating technologies that enable our customers stay ahead of evolving viewer demand by providing smarter, more cost-effective ways of delivering end-to-end modern TV and video experiences to consumers. By anticipating technological and behavioural audience trends, our software solutions empower our customers to heighten viewer enjoyment, drive growth in audience share and ultimately, their profitability.

Aferian plc has two operating companies: 24i, which focusses on streaming video experiences, and Amino, which connects Pay TV to streaming services. Our two complementary companies combine their products and services to create solutions which ensure that people can consume TV and video how and when they want it. Our solutions deliver modern TV and video experiences every day to millions of viewers globally, via our growing global customer base of over 500 service providers.

Aferian plc is traded on the London Stock Exchange Alternative Investment Market (AIM: symbol AFRN). Headquartered in Cambridge, UK, the company has over 350 staff located in 11 offices, including major European cities as Amsterdam, Helsinki, Copenhagen, and Brno, as well as in San Francisco and Hong Kong. For more information, please visit www.aferian.com.

About 24i

24i creates irresistible video experiences that simply wow viewers to keep our customers ahead of the streaming curve. Our modular software solutions maximise flexibility and time to market-from a fully cloud-based platform for VOD, FAST and live TV, to a complete TV-as-a-Service solution.

An Aferian plc (AIM: AFRN) Group company, we help OTT services, broadcasters and pay TV operators launch differentiated video streaming services, operate efficiently and grow their brands and revenue. Our customers include telecoms companies like KPN, Telenor Sweden, Vodafone Iceland and Entel, broadcasters such as UK TV, KAN and NPO, and OTT service providers including BroadwayHD, Pure Flix and MGM+. For more, visit www.24i.com 

About Amagi

Amagi is a next-generation media technology company that provides cloud broadcast and targeted advertising solutions to broadcast TV and streaming TV platforms. Amagi enables content owners to launch, distribute and monetize live linear channels on Free Ad-supported Streaming TV and video services platforms. Amagi also offers 24x7 cloud-managed services bringing simplicity, advanced automation, and transparency to the entire broadcast operations. Overall, Amagi supports 700+ content brands, 800+ playout chains, and over 2100 channel deliveries on its platform in over 40 countries. Amagi has a presence in New York, Los Angeles, Toronto, London, Paris, Melbourne, Seoul, Singapore, and broadcast operations in New Delhi, and an innovation center in Bangalore.

Amagi's clients include ABS-CBN, A+E Networks UK, beIN Sports, Curiosity Stream, Cinedigm, Warner Bros. Discovery, Fox Networks, Fremantle, Gannett, Gusto TV, NBCUniversal, Tastemade, and Tegna, among others. For more information about Amagi and its streaming TV solutions, visit www.amagi.com