LOS ANGELES—Globecast has announced that the Stellar Network, a newly created African American cultural linear TV and FAST channel from Central City Productions, used Globecast to launch its services and that Globecast is providing ongoing technologies and services for fully managed cloud playout and distribution.
“As a Black-owned television network, we have over 5 decades of experience in creating alluring content for African American audiences and we have been eager to expand our portfolio with dedicated linear and FAST TV channels,” explained Don Jackson, founder & chairman of the Stellar Network. "We needed a partner with a reputation for premium quality to whom we could outsource the complete technical supply chain. It was very quickly clear that Globecast is ideally positioned to create the fully managed service we need. We are very pleased to be working with leading experts in the field so we can concentrate on our core strengths in the creation, production, distribution and securing major advertising partners in support of Black owned and targeted programming to Black audiences.”
Chicago-based Central City Productions is a well-established name in the African American entertainment field, headed up by Don Jackson and Jennifer Jackson. Drawing on its rich history of content creation, promotion and syndication and new programming, the company created the Stellar Network as a new linear and FAST channel that also offers VOD content.
“Following an in-depth consultation process, it was clear the Stellar Network required an end-to-end solution, including content curation and preparation along with playout and distribution of both the linear and FAST TV channels as well as a VOD library,” Lou DiMauro, vice president of sales, Globecast, said. “Extending our well-established partnership approach, in conjunction with our market-leading cloud acumen, we’ve created a full-service solution, operating as the outsourced integrator and point of contact for the channel to ensure the seamless creation, playout and distribution of all services.”
For the launch, Globecast expanded its already-established relationship with LA-based Network In A Box (NIAB), a company specializing in branding, positioning and curation, as well as platform operations. NIAB is handling the content preparation – programming, scheduling, traffic, quality control and delivery – for both the linear and FAST program services. Content is uploaded to Globecast’s AWS platform. Globecast then handles the cloud playout, using Inetsat technology, and fiber distribution to MPVDs.
Globecast has also contracted LA-based MuxIP, experts in streaming channel preparation and playout, who also access Globecast’s cloud storage to pull together the FAST channel and associated VOD content. These materials are then supplied to streaming platform Xumo TV across smart TVs and its app.
