Cloud Playout

Run 24/7 channels without the playout truck.

Most digital channel operators are stuck on OBS Studio setups someone has to babysit, $50K hardware playout boxes, or PCI playout cards in a workstation that can't be left alone. Cloud Playout runs your scheduled channel from an API. No operator in the room. No PCI card in the rack. No OBS crashing when the laptop sleeps. Per-channel pricing instead of capex.

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24/7 linear channel scheduling SCTE-35 ad-insertion markers API-driven no playout truck

Aadhan runs vertical FAST channels on Cloud Playout. AaoNxt uses it for scheduled premieres.

TRUSTED BY PRODUCT TEAMS SHIPPING VIDEO AT SCALE

Why Cloud Playout exists

FAST changed the OTT economics. Most stacks haven't caught up.

Linear schedule, API-driven.

Build a 24/7 channel via API. Mix VOD assets, live streams, slate cards, ad breaks. Update the schedule programmatically.

Ad markers for FAST.

Standard SCTE-35 markers in the output stream. Works with any FAST aggregator (Pluto, Tubi, Samsung TV Plus, LG, Roku Channel).

Same API surface as VOD + Live.

Channel scheduling sits on the same API as VOD and Live. Assets, analytics, billing all consolidated.

How it works

Schedule, mark ads, distribute.

TL;DR: 3 calls from channel to playback

Create the channel

POST to /v1/channels with a name and schedule entries.

Add schedule + ad breaks

Schedule VOD assets, live takeovers, slate cards, and SCTE-35 ad breaks via API.

Distribute to aggregators

Continuous HLS output with SCTE-35 markers. Point any FAST aggregator at the channel URL.

Build a 24/7 timeline via API.

Create a channel, then push schedule entries: VOD assets, live takeovers, slate cards, ad breaks. Schedule entries are mutable.

Mix VOD + live + slate in one timeline
Hourly, daily, weekly schedule patterns
Schedule API + dashboard interface
Validation: no schedule gaps allowed

Sample channel schedule

channel_nameFAST Channel 1

18:00-19:00Premiere VOD (Episode 12)

19:00-19:03Ad break (3 slots)

19:03-20:00Encore (Episode 11)

20:00-21:00Live takeover

21:00-21:03Slate + ad break

Standard ad insertion for FAST.

SCTE-35 markers in the output stream signal ad-break placement. Works with any FAST aggregator's ad-stitching pipeline.

SCTE-35 in HLS + DASH output
Per-break duration configurable
Pre-roll, mid-roll, post-roll all supported
Aggregator-agnostic (Pluto, Tubi, Samsung, LG, Roku)

1curl -X POST https://api.fastpix.com/v1/channels/{channel_id}/ad-breaks \
2  -H "Authorization: Bearer $FASTPIX_API_KEY" \
3  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
4  -d '{
5    "starts_at": "2026-06-02T19:00:00Z",
6    "duration_seconds": 180,
7    "slate_asset_id": "slate_xyz",
8    "ad_count": 3
9  }'

Output to your FAST aggregator pipeline.

Continuous HLS with proper PTS continuity and SCTE-35 markers. Distribute to Samsung TV Plus, LG Channels, Roku Channel, Pluto TV, Tubi, your own OTT app.

Continuous HLS output
PTS continuity preserved across schedule transitions
Backup channel mirror for redundancy
Analytics via Video Data on the channel output

Channel output

Output formatHLS + DASH

PTS continuityMaintained

SCTE-35Embedded

Backup mirrorAvailable

AnalyticsVia Video Data

Aggregators testedPluto, Tubi, Samsung

Security, compliance, and partnerships

PartnerNVIDIA Inception

PartnerGoogle Cloud Partner

Customers

“Building FAST channels used to mean either a hardware playout truck or stitching three vendors. With Cloud Playout, we schedule channels via API and ship to aggregators with SCTE-35 markers built in.”

Aadhan platform team

Vertical news + FAST channels

“We needed scheduled premieres that look like linear TV but run on cloud infra. Same API as our VOD library, same billing.”

AaoNxt product team

Premium microdrama

24/7

Linear channels via API

Aadhan

SCTE-35

Native ad insertion

Aadhan FAST channels

Playout hardware required

Aadhan + AaoNxt

Same

Billing as VOD + Live

All customers

Capabilities that ship

Six key capabilities

24/7 linear scheduling

POST a schedule, get a continuous channel. Update programmatically.

Channel scheduling guide

SCTE-35 ad markers

Embedded in HLS / DASH output. Pre-roll, mid-roll, post-roll all supported.

SCTE-35 setup

Mix VOD + live + slate

Schedule entries can be VOD asset IDs, live stream IDs, slate cards, or ad breaks.

Mixed-source channels

Backup channel mirror

Automatic failover to backup channel on primary failure. Aggregators see one URL.

Channel redundancy

FAST aggregator distribution

Pluto, Tubi, Samsung TV Plus, LG Channels, Roku Channel tested. Continuous HLS URL per channel.

FAST distribution guide

Per-channel analytics

Video Data tracks the channel output. Concurrent viewers, completion rate, per-aggregator breakdown.

FAST analytics

Verified capability, Cloud Playout

24/7

Channel uptime via API

Backup mirror available

SCTE-35

Native ad markers

All FAST aggregators

Playout hardware

Cloud-only

Same

API + billing as VOD + Live

Consolidated

Tech specs

What Cloud Playout handles.

Scheduling, ad markers, distribution, redundancy.

Schedule entry types

VOD asset

Live stream

Slate card

Ad break

Idle filler

Output formats

HLS (CMAF)

HLS (TS)

DASH

Continuous origin URL

Ad insertion

SCTE-35 in HLS

SCTE-35 in DASH

Pre-roll

Mid-roll

Post-roll

SSAI ready

Channel redundancy

Backup channel mirror

Automatic failover

Webhook on switch

Single playback URL

Aggregators tested

Pluto TV

Tubi

Samsung TV Plus

LG Channels (roadmap)

Roku Channel (roadmap)

FreeVee (roadmap)

Schedule API

Hourly patterns

Daily patterns

Weekly patterns

One-time entries

Recurring rules

Analytics

Concurrent viewer counts

Completion per segment

Per-aggregator breakdown

Ad fill rate

Compliance

SOC 2

GDPR

Region-pinned origin available

Questions developers ask

Cloud Playout questions, answered.

What is FAST and why does Cloud Playout matter for it?
FAST is Free Ad-Supported Streaming TV: Pluto, Tubi, Samsung TV Plus, LG Channels, Roku Channel. FAST channels need linear 24/7 programming with SCTE-35 ad markers. Cloud Playout builds those via API.
How is this different from a hardware playout system?
No hardware. No physical playout truck. The schedule is built via API; the output is a continuous HLS stream ready for distribution.
Which FAST aggregators have you tested with?
Pluto TV, Tubi, Samsung TV Plus shown to work via SCTE-35. LG Channels, Roku Channel, FreeVee on the integration roadmap. Talk to us about specific aggregator certification.
Can I mix VOD and live in the same channel?
Yes. Schedule entries can be VOD asset IDs, live stream IDs, slate cards, or ad breaks. The output is a single continuous channel with PTS continuity maintained.
How is Cloud Playout priced?
Per channel-hour plus delivered minutes. See pricing for current rates. Per-minute predictability applies here too.
How do I migrate from AWS MediaLive + MediaTailor?
Move the scheduling logic into Cloud Playout API calls. SCTE-35 markers are emitted automatically. Full AWS migration path.
Can I update the schedule mid-channel?
Yes. Schedule entries are mutable via API. Update, delete, insert, all supported. Changes propagate within seconds.
What happens if the primary playout fails?
Backup channel mirror takes over automatically. Aggregators see one URL throughout; the failover is transparent to viewers.
How do I monitor a FAST channel?
Video Data tracks the channel output: concurrent viewers, completion rate, per-aggregator breakdown, ad fill rate.
Do you support server-side ad insertion (SSAI)?
SCTE-35 markers are emitted; downstream SSAI service stitches ads. Partner integrations available; talk to us for specific aggregator setup.
Can I run multiple channels?
Yes. Each channel is a separate Cloud Playout instance, separate schedule, separate analytics.
How is Cloud Playout different from AWS MediaTailor + MediaLive?
AWS requires stitching MediaLive + MediaTailor + MediaPackage + custom orchestration. Cloud Playout is one API for scheduling + linear output + SCTE-35 markers.
Is Cloud Playout production-ready today?
Active rollout with select customers. Talk to us about onboarding; standard FAST-channel use cases are supported in production today.

Pricing

Per channel-hour plus delivered minutes.

Cloud Playout has a per-channel-hour rate plus standard FastPix delivered minutes for viewer traffic. See full pricing.

PROFESSIONAL CHANNEL

Per channel scheduled.

$99/ channel / month

24/7 linear scheduling, RTMPS / SRT inputs, HLS output, and SCTE-35 ad markers. Add channels at $99/month each.

24/7 linear scheduling
SCTE-35 ad markers
Backup mirror included

DELIVERED MINUTES

Per minute viewer-delivered.

$0.001/ viewer-min

Standard FastPix multi-CDN delivery for the channel output. Same flat rate as live streaming.

Multi-CDN delivery
Per-aggregator analytics
Continuous HLS output

TRIAL + ENTERPRISE

14-day trial or custom volume.

$0/ 14-day trial

Full dashboard access on 1 channel for 14 days. Enterprise gets volume discounts on channel count + named-account support.

Full dashboard on 1 channel
FAST aggregator integration
Enterprise volume discounts

Three ways to get unstuck

Whatever kind of help you need, there is a path.

Engineering support

Talk to a video engineer.

Stuck on an API call, a webhook signature, or a player integration? Reach the engineering team directly. Response within hours, not days.

Contact engineering

Integration help

Docs, code samples, video tutorials.

Self-serve resources for the most common integrations. Quickstart guides, SDK examples, and detailed playback logs in your dashboard.

Browse the docs

Solution architect

Plan the rollout with a human.

New integration, migration off another platform, or a complex multi-tenant build. Book a session with a FastPix solution architect.

Join the Slack community

Developer resources

Run 24/7 channels without the playout truck.

FAST changed the OTT economics. Most stacks haven't caught up.

Schedule, mark ads, distribute.

Build a 24/7 timeline via API.

Standard ad insertion for FAST.

Output to your FAST aggregator pipeline.

Six key capabilities

24/7 linear scheduling

SCTE-35 ad markers

Mix VOD + live + slate

Backup channel mirror

FAST aggregator distribution

Per-channel analytics

What Cloud Playout handles.

Schedule entry types

Output formats

Ad insertion

Channel redundancy

Aggregators tested

Schedule API

Analytics

Compliance

Cloud Playout questions, answered.

What is FAST and why does Cloud Playout matter for it?

How is this different from a hardware playout system?

Which FAST aggregators have you tested with?

Can I mix VOD and live in the same channel?

Per channel-hour plus delivered minutes.

Whatever kind of help you need, there is a path.

Everything you need to start building.

Five-minute quick-start

Full API reference

Webhook reference

Code samples

Slack community

Service status