27 October 2014
SES TechCom, a wholly-owned subsidiary of SES S.A. (NYSE Euronext Paris and Luxembourg Stock Exchange: SESG) and Es’hailSat, The Qatar Satellite Company registered in the State of Qatar, announce the signing of a comprehensive consultancy service agreement.
The agreement provides Es’hailSat full access to the technical experience and engineering know-how of SES, one of the market leaders in satellite communications.
In the framework of the contract, SES TechCom will support Es’hailSat in the development of its new teleport facility. The teleport will be built on a green field site north of Doha. It will be designed as a modern, state of the art facility providing satellite control and communications support (TT&C) for the Es’hail 2 satellite, and offer up-linking and reception facilities tailored for Es’hailSat’s business partners.
The teleport will be designed from the outset to allow for significant future growth, and will feature all major requirements in order to provide customers with comprehensive satellite ground station and platform services. During the course of the contract, SES TechCom will work closely together with Es’hailSat’s project management team and their selected contractors, in order to create a new and exciting satellite facility for the future of Qatar’s communication infrastructure.
Ali Ahmed Al-Kuwari, CEO of Es’hailsat, said: “We are delighted to be working on this important project with SES TechCom, a world leading company with proven expertise in the design and delivery of satellite ground station facilities. The establishment of our own teleport in Qatar is an integral part of the Es’hailSat program, giving us a secure and independent satellite infrastructure. It marks another key milestone in our plan to become a leading satellite operator and center of excellence in the MENA region.
Gerhard Bethscheider, Managing Director of SES TechCom, stated: SES is proud to support Es’hailSat in the development of their new, state of the art teleport infrastructure in Qatar and I am confident, that SES TechCom will be a knowledgeable and reliable partner for Es’hailSat’s ambitious project. SES operates several of the largest and most successful teleports in the world and this with an unrivalled experience in the design and operation of such facilities. This initial contract has the potential to foster a long standing partnership between our two organisations.”
27 October 2014
BBC newsreader and Crimewatch co-presenter Matthew Amroliwala will host the 10th annual AIB Awards on November 5 in London. The AIB Award’s honour broadcasting’s top achievements in factual content from around the world.
After 16 years at BBC’s News Channel, Amroliwala moved onto BBC World News this August where he is now presenter of its flagship programme, Global.
Before Amroliwala began anchoring news coverage in the studio, he worked in the field as a foreign correspondent, a political correspondent and as a news reporter, and reported from Bosnia, New York and Washington. As a presenter he broadcast continuously for six hours on the day of London’s 7/7 bombings.
Amroliwala will join an esteemed list of AIB hosts who include Al Jazeera English’s Barbara Serra, BBC’s Mishal Husain, France 24’s Mark Owen and Bloomberg TV’s Francine Lacqua.
In addition to the awards gala, the AIB evening will also feature AIB’s traditional “In Conversation”, this year with special guest Olly Lambert. Lambert won an AIB last year for his Channel 4 documentary, Syria: Across The Lines. The film also won the Emmy this year for Outstanding Coverage of a Current News Story, a BAFTA for Best Current Affairs Programme, and the Rory Peck Award for Best Broadcast. Lambert was also nominated for an Emmy for his documentary The Bombing of Al-Bara.
The AIB Awards will take place at the spectacular LSO St. Luke’s in London and will be hosted by BBC presenter Matthew Amroliwala. A limited number of tickets are still available through the Awards website or by calling +44 (0) 207 993 2557.
24 October 2014
BBC America, the BBC’s commercial arm, will now be operated by American entertainment company AMC Networks, following a $200m (£125m) deal.
AMC, a company boosted by the tremendous success of its AMC Channel dramas Mad Men, Breaking Bad and The Walking Dead, will manage BBC America as a standalone alongside other channels in the AMC Networks portfolio, including IFC, SundanceTV and WE tv. AMC bought a 49.9% stake in the Corporation, while BBC Worldwide will retain 50.1% stake.
The two networks already have drama co-producing experience, with such series as The Honorable Woman.
BBC Worldwide chief executive Tim Davie said AMC “are committed to the kind of high-quality, unmissable content that has already gained BBC America one of the most educated, affluent and tech savvy audiences in all of US television.”
Tony Hall, BBC director general, said the deal would “help us reach new audiences in the US, strengthen BBC America’s position for the long term and create opportunities for the UK creative community”.
23 October 2014
AIB, the Association for International Broadcasting, will present a special posthumous Founders Award to the family of gifted BBC journalist, Komla Dumor, who died suddenly in January at the age of 41. The award will be given at the 10th annual AIB Awards on November 5 in London.
Born in Ghana in 1972, during his short career, Dumor had an extraordinary impact, epitomising a new Africa, one of success and hope. Through his compelling story telling he worked tirelessly to bring this narrative to the world.
In 1998, during a break in his studies, Dumor answered an ad for a job as a part-time reporter for Ghanaian local radio station Joy FM and quickly moved on to become presenter of Joy FM’s Super Morning Show. He was named Journalist of the Year by the Ghana Journalist Association.
In 2007, Dumor joined the BBC as host of Network Africa for the BBC World Service, moving on to The World Today programme, then Africa Business Report for BBC World News television.
In June 2012, he was named the presenter of Focus on Africa, the BBC’s first-ever dedicated daily TV news programme in English for African audiences, broadcast on BBC World News. He also interviewed a number of high-profile guests including Bill Clinton, Bill Gates, Kofi Annan, Tony Blair and Africa’s wealthiest businessman, Aliko Dangote. He anchored live coverage of major global events including the death of Nelson Mandela and the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
In 2013, the respected publication, New African, listed Dumor in its list of 100 most influential Africans.
Peter Horrocks, Director of the BBC World Service, said at the time of Dumor’s death, “Komla was a leading light of African journalism – committed to telling the story of Africa as it really is. Africa’s energy and enthusiasm seemed to shine through every story Komla told.”
And Dumor said on the launch of Focus on Africa in June 2012: “After decades of turmoil and uncertainty, a new Africa is emerging. The old stereotypes are being challenged and a new, compelling narrative is being written. I am incredibly excited to be part of a new programme that will provide solid coverage and analysis of Africa’s challenges and prospects.”
“AIB is delighted to be able to commemorate the life and work of this accomplished and respected journalist,” said Simon Spanswick, chief executive of the Association for International Broadcasting. “Komla was an inspiration to his BBC colleagues and respected by viewers and listeners across Africa. He is sorely missed across the media industry.”
The AIB Awards, taking place on November 5 at London’s LSO St. Luke’s, honor the highest achievements in factual content for TV, radio and online. Komla Dumor’s legacy of high-quality journalism and knowledge-sharing across borders represent the ideals AIB aims to foster as the world’s leading knowledge network for the global broadcast industry.
A limited number of tickets to the AIB Awards are still available. Guests are travelling from all over the world to share ideas and knowledge and reward the very best in factual programme making globally.
21 October 2014
arvato Systems will show future-oriented software solutions for Media Asset Management at this year’s Content and Communication World in New York. In a conference session, arvato Systems technology experts will also brief delegates on the challenges of cross-media TV and advertising scheduling and will show how customized IT support can help organizations to optimize their strategies for the future.
With around 7,000 attendees, CCW is the most important event for the media and entertainment industry on the East Coast of the United States, showcasing solutions for content creation, management and distribution. International industry leaders use the event to present their most up to date technologies and production techniques. arvato Systems is once again a part of this event. The IT experts show product innovations in Media Asset Management, TV Studio production and cross-media sales.
Taking center stage will be Avamio, the compact version of the internationally successful professional Media Asset Management solution, VPMS. Avamio was developed to meet the needs of smaller TV broadcasters, post-production houses and corporate TV production companies. In addition to video content management, the system provides fast, simple search and access to content from a browser-based client. Avamio automates and simplifies many processes such as metadata editing, content upload and import, transfer, and encoding tasks, to mention only a few…
arvato Systems will also show studio the ClipJOCKEY production tool. ClipJOCKEY is a professional standalone solution for ingest and playout and is already used by many TV stations and production houses around the world.
A particular highlight this year will be arvato Systems’ presentation at the CCW conference. Together with Black Arrow’s Senior Vice President of Business Development, David Stengle, Eivind Sandstrand will discuss and illustrate real-life IT implementations for cross-media monetization. During the session, “Bridging the Gap between Linear and Non-linear Advertising” on 13th November at 2pm (CET), delegates will learn how, by implementing simple techniques and integration steps, existing IT infrastructures can manage the non-linear business models of the future.
arvato Systems is on Stand 1149. The session will take place in the Streaming+ OTT Theater, Javit Center, New York. Contact: corporatesales@s4m.com
