19 December 2013
RRsat Global Communications Network Ltd., a leading provider of comprehensive digital content management and global content distribution services to the broadcasting industry, announced today that it was again chosen as TGVN’s broadcast partner to deliver live and delayed matches from the 2013 Winter Universiade to CBS Sports Network in the US. RRsat will deliver over 35 hours of live sports event coverage for TGVN, The Global Video Network.
The Universiade is an international sporting event that aims to promote sports-related values such as friendship, fraternity, fair play, perseverance, and cooperation among students from universities worldwide. The event, which is being held for the 26th time this year, will be staged in Trentino, Italy from December 11 through December 21, 2013 and is sponsored by FISU, the International University Sports Federation.
RRsat will provide comprehensive live and tape delay HD broadcasts of 18 events via a cost-effective combination of fiber transmission and satellite feeds.
“TGVN was exceptionally pleased with RRsat’s ability to flawlessly deliver multiple simultaneous 2013 Summer Universiade games from Kazan, Russia to ESPN in HD,” said Craig Jonas, COO of TGVN. “We look forward to collaborating with RRsat again to broadcast the 2013 Winter games from Italy. RRsat’s dedication and responsiveness to the unique requirements of the Universiade together with its cost-effective, high-quality solution create a winning combination for TGVN.”
“We are thrilled to be working once again with TGVN for the delivery of the Winter Universade games to CBS Sports Network,” said Ohad Har-Lev, President of RRsat America. “It is a pleasure to provide US viewers with a window onto the athletic accomplishments and sportsmanship of university students who gather to meet and compete with their counterparts from around the world.”
Live streaming of USA team matches from the 2013 Winter Universiade can be seen here: http://www.tgvn.tv/winter-world-university-game-usa-team/
(Source: RRsat press release)
17 December 2013
RRsat Europe Ltd., the European arm of RRsat Global Communications Network Ltd., a leading provider of digital content management and global distribution services, has recently restored the film ‘Victim’ for ITV Studios Global Entertainment. The cult classic 1961 British film stars Dirk Bogarde as a prominent lawyer who risks his career to hunt down a blackmailer. The film is notable for being the first British language film to use the word ‘homosexual’ (the first film itself to use the word being a German-language film in 1919).
ITV Studios Global Entertainment sourced the necessary elements and delivered them to RRsat Europe’s facility in West London, for preparation, cleaning, scanning and restoration (both audio and video). The specialist team at RRsat Europe set to work on the 35mm Original Negative and 35mm Finegrain, which due to the age of the film had some inherent problems, such as badly tram-lined sections and fluid damage.
The end result was Super 2K scans of both restored and unrestored elements preserved for future access. The team restored the film to such a good extent that on the re-release as a DCP, it was described on the BFI website as an “immaculate restoration”.
Rod Carter, Head of Operations for ITV Studios Global Entertainment commented: “This film is a significant piece of British film history. We were concerned therefore, with ensuring that it was restored to a level that meant it was preserved for future generations.
“We have worked with RRsat Europe for a number of years now, and they have delivered some excellent projects, such as the Prime Suspect restoration last year. So they have demonstrated the necessary technical expertise and service required to restore a culturally valuable project such as this.”
Matt Bowman, commercial director, RRsat Europe, added: “As with most older content such as Victim, there are a number of problems that arise with the elements due to their age. Using a number of techniques, the team painstakingly scanned, cleaned and assembled the new film to a point that suited this British classic.
“We’re incredibly proud to work on such classics to ensure that the legacy of British film makers is viewed in the manner in which it was intended.”
12 December 2013
Partnership with Effendi Norwawi to launch Malaysia’s first business news channel
Bloomberg Television today announced that it has entered into a landmark partnership with former Malaysian Minister and founder of ntv7 Dato Sri Mohd Effendi Norwawi’s Encorp Group Sdn Bhd. Bloomberg Television and Encorp Group will cooperate to create the first business news channel in Malaysia in 2014.
Bloomberg Television Malaysia will combine the unrivalled resources of Bloomberg with locally produced quality content to deepen and broaden coverage of Malaysia’s vibrant business scene.
“Malaysia’s business sector and capital markets have gone from strength-to-strength in recent years and have been fundamental in Malaysia’s economic transformation. It is one of the largest centers in the world for Islamic finance and an increasingly important hub in ASEAN for key strategic industries. This has driven global and local demand for comprehensive business news from Malaysia, providing an exciting opportunity for Bloomberg Television Malaysia to play a role in meeting that need,” said Parry Ravindranathan, Head of Bloomberg Television for Asia-Pacific.
Dato Sri Effendi added, “It is a real privilege and honor for us to partner with Bloomberg Television in Malaysia, given the prestige of the brand and all it stands for. My team and I will strive to set the bar for business news reporting in one of Asia’s best performing economies.”
Encorp Group Sdn Bhd will build Bloomberg TV Malaysia’s state-of-the-art studios in Encorp Strand and will develop anchors and reporters in Bloomberg Television’s unique and dynamic reporting style. Malaysian viewers can expect in-depth coverage of local business stories as well as up-to-the minute reporting on global financial markets that affect the local economy. Media industry veteran Michael Chan will head the new channel and a new Bloomberg TV Malaysia website will be launched for streaming of content online and to mobile devices.
Michael Chan, CEO of Bloomberg TV Malaysia said, “Bloomberg TV Malaysia will fill a gap in the marketplace for high-quality, market-moving business news, where updates on the country’s economic and business performance will be potentially seen by 340 million homes worldwide.”
“By partnering with Encorp Group, Bloomberg Television has chosen the best partner with unmatched broadcast experience and entrepreneurial spirit to deepen our ASEAN business coverage,” said Gary Groenheim, Commercial Director of Bloomberg Television, Asia-Pacific.
The Malaysia partnership continues Bloomberg Television’s momentum in Asia, following the launch of Bloomberg TV Indonesia and Mongolia in the past year and the company’s ongoing investment in news coverage and product development in Malaysia. According to economists’ forecast compiled by Bloomberg, Malaysia’s economy is projected to expand by 5 percent next year, up from an estimated 4.5 percent in 2013.
12 December 2013
Vizrt Ltd. today announced a deal worth USD 1.4 million for the implementation of broadcast graphics (BG) and media asset management (MAM) products with Thai Rath in Thailand. The deal is a continuation of a project by Thai Rath for a new TV channel.
The deal includes an enterprise MAM version of Viz One, Vizrt’s complete end-to-end solution for the creation, management and delivery of media assets. Vizrt will also deliver several Viz Engines, Vizrt’s real-time compositor, as well as Viz Virtual Studio for the broadcaster to expand its virtual set capabilities.
The Vizrt Social TV solution was purchased to give journalists a tool for moderating and distributing social media content for on-air use. Viz World is adding editorial capabilities that will allow the journalists in the newsroom to create local street maps for Thailand, as well as animated maps for the rest of the world.
Thai Rath is preparing to launch a TV channel in 2014 with a comprehensive Vizrt solution, designed for easy multiplatform distribution of content.
Martin Burkhalter, CEO of Vizrt, stated “Vizrt continues to be a strong partner for Thai Rath in Thailand. This new deal testifies to their trust in both Vizrt product lines: BG and MAM. It also gives testimony to the trust of Thai Rath in Vizrt’s Thailand-based sales and support team, to deliver the solutions to help them become a successful broadcaster.”
Thai Rath, is a Thai-language daily newspaper published in Bangkok and distributed throughout Thailand, with a distribution of more than 1 million copies per day. Founded in 1962, Thai Rath is the oldest and best selling newspaper in Thailand.
10 December 2013
To mark the U.N. observance of Human Rights Day on December 10, RFE/RL announces the launch of Lady Liberty, a webpage dedicated to women in journalism.
Lady Liberty recognizes the contributions of women journalists from RFE/RL as well as other media in the broadcaster’s target region, illuminating/highlighting/underscoring their reporting, the issues they confront, and the political, societal and cultural landscapes in which they work. It is a resource for and about them and a medium to promote their work.
In this first edition, Lady Liberty speaks with Masih Alinejad, an award-winning correspondent with Radio Farda, RFE/RL’s Persian Language Service, who uncovered the stories of 27 victims of the 2009 post-election crackdown in Iran; interviews Gulmeena Yosufzai, a young journalism fellow in Kabul with RFE/RL’s Afghan Service; reports on the cultural taboos confronting women journalists in Afghanistan; and remembers Monica Lovinescu, whose work for RFE/RL under Nicolai Ceausescu’s Romania was “a lifeline for those listeners behind the Iron Curtain.”
For news from all of RFE/RL’s broadcast regions, follow RFR/RL online and on Twitter and Facebook.
