16 September 2013
Eurosport, leading international sports media group, announced today an agreement with its new stakeholder, Discovery Communications, that will bring its flagship Eurosport TV channel to U.S. viewers for the first time in its 24-year history.
From September 28, a new Saturday afternoon programming block “Eurosport on Velocity” featuring motorsports highlights will air from 1-3 PM ET/PT, with encore presentations airing every Sunday morning on Discovery’s Velocity channel, the first U.S. cable network targeting an upscale male audience.
Eurosport Group CEO, Jean-Thierry Augustin, comments, “This is the first programming agreement with Discovery since our partnership was forged at the end of 2012. It’s a great example of the powerful synergies and opportunities we can create together. For the first time in Eurosport’s history, American viewers will have a sight of our channel’s expert sports TV production and best-in-class commentary. We’re delighted our TV channel’s initial programming steps into the U.S. will be on our stakeholder’s channel, Velocity.”
“Eurosport on Velocity” is one more way we are strengthening Velocity’s connection with our target audience,” said Bob Scanlon, general manager of Velocity. “As the only home for Eurosport in the U.S., Velocity is delivering unique programming that no other U.S.-based network can offer to viewers. We’re excited to be the American flagship for such a well-established, high-quality brand like Eurosport and look forward to working with the Eurosport team.”
In the first season, “Eurosport on Velocity” introduces four motorsport series to U.S. audiences:
- Running from January to November across Europe, the 2013 FIA European Rally Championship features eleven exciting events on asphalt, gravel and snow. Velocity will carry all the race highlights. The series is managed and promoted by Eurosport Events, the Eurosport Group’s expert division which delivers all aspects of sporting event management, ranging from TV production to media rights distribution, marketing and commercial investment.
- British Superbikes is one of the “big three” in motorcycle racing alongside MotoGP & the Superbike World Championships. Attracting 32 world class riders from all over the world and powered by 16 elite teams featuring leading manufacturers Honda, Suzuki, Yamaha, Ducati, Kawasaki, BMW & Aprilia; the new “showdown” format to deliver intense racing all season long.
- The Silk Way Rally is the second largest rally event in the world. Kicking off in Moscow, over 130 rally cars and trucks race across the Russian Federation – covering more than 3000 kilometres over seven days.
- Considered one of the most prestigious international cross country rallies, the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge is a 5 day motorsport spectacular featuring motorcycle, quad-bike, four wheel and truck competitors. (Source: Eurosport press release)
14 September 2013
Intelsat S.A. (NYSE: I), the world’s leading provider of satellite services, along with partners BT Group Plc, Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC), Sony and Newtec, will demonstrate a true 4K Ultra High Definition Television (4K UHDTV), end-to-end video transmission over satellite to the RAI Convention Center in Amsterdam during IBC2013. This milestone will mark the first time a full multi-camera production of a sports event has been captured in 4K UHDTV and transmitted live internationally via satellite and fiber. The demo will take place on Sept. 15, from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. (Central European Summer Time) at the Intelsat stand (1.C71).
To make the transmission possible, BT will capture a premier league rugby match in London using three 4K UHDTV Sony cameras and mixers. The Ericsson AVP 2000 Contribution Encoders and RX8200 Advanced Modular Receivers, capable of 4K UHDTV operations as well as standard- and high-definition contribution, will encode and decode the four 3G-SDI feeds in real time.The demo will also take advantage of MPEG-4 AVC compression technology.
After the encoding process, the signal will be transmitted as a 100 Mbps video by BT’s outside broadcast unit over the BT Global Media Network to Intelsat, via the Intelsat point of presence at BT Telehouse West in London. The signal will be carried on the IntelsatOne terrestrial network to Intelsat’s teleport in Germany, where it will be uplinked to Intelsat 1W, Intelsat’s leading cable and DTH video neighborhood in Europe, using Newtec equipment. The resulting 4:2:2, 10-bit, 4K UHDTV signal at 60 frames per second will be displayed in the Intelsat, Ericsson and Sony booths at IBC2013, allowing attendees to view the rugby match live.
“4K UHDTV video programming represents an opportunity for our programmer customers to offer compelling, differentiated content to viewers around the world,” said Peter Ostapiuk, Intelsat’s vice president of media product management. “The powerful Intelsat 1W satellite is uniquely positioned to bring such attractive content to the millions of cable and DTH viewers served by our leading European video neighborhood. Intelsat’s demonstration of this technology emphasizes that satellite is, and will continue to be, a critical part of the global media distribution infrastructure, and underscores the importance of having a fully integrated terrestrial network such as IntelsatOne.”
“We are excited to contribute our compression technology to this ground-breaking live demonstration of 4K UHDTV video contribution at IBC2013,” said Dr. Giles Wilson, head of TV compression, Ericsson. “Compression solutions will be a critical enabler in the roll-out of 4K UHDTV services, helping to simplify the processes of content acquisition, exchange and distribution necessary to allow operators to deliver the highest possible video quality from remote, live events. Such demonstrations show we can already enable a truly immersive TV experience on today’s large sets, including such requirements as p60 frame rates and 4:2:2, 10-bit resolutions.”
“The BT Media and Broadcast MPLS/IP Network is traffic-engineered to a superior standard to support high bandwidth, live TV transmission around the world, and is ideal for these challenging 4K UHDTV sports broadcasts,” said Mark Wilson-Dunn, vice president of sales and marketing for BT Media and Broadcast. “BT has a wonderful history of supporting the cutting edge of international HD and 3D transmissions, so we are delighted to be involved in this milestone – delivering true, live sport 4K UHDTV to the screens at IBC2013.”
“This live transmission of premium sports content will underscore that Newtec’s M6100 Broadcast Satellite Modulator can reliably process and transmit any content, ranging from low bit-rate standard definition content up to very high data rates for 4K UHDTV,” said Steven Soenens, vice president of product management at Newtec. “Our Clean Channel Technology(R), which will be used in this demonstration, gives very high transmission efficiency – up to 15 percent better than standard DVB-S2 – while preserving interoperability with professional receivers.”
“We are delighted that Sony was invited to participate in this unique event as a technology partner,” said Katsunori Yamanouchi, vice president, Sony Professional Solutions for Sony Europe. “Sony is strongly committed to bringing 4K’s amazing viewing experience to consumers around the world. This, combined with our unique track record for innovation, makes Sony the natural choice for an event of this kind.”
13 September 2013
At IBC2013, Globecast announced plans to offer IP/MPLS (MultiProtocol Label Switching) technology using the Globecast Backbone Network (GCBN) in 2014. An international DTM (Dynamic Synchronous Transfer Mode) network that spans five continents with 92,000 km of fiber, the GCBN reaches 32 points of presence around the globe. Globecast will operate IP/MPLS side by side with DTM technologies to provide its broadcast clients with the widest range of options for content delivery via more traditional linear services as well as non-linear and multi-platform offerings.
For permanent, full-time linear broadcast delivery, DTM is the current standard; Globecast allows its clients to reach new markets and connect to major bouquet operators, broadcasters, playout facilities, media centers, and teleports worldwide thanks to its extensive DTM network on three continents. However, as broadcasters continue to diversify and expand their offerings beyond linear programming to VOD and other non-linear services, they require reliable capabilities for delivering file-based content. For example, this file-based delivery will be especially useful for broadcasters that use Globecast for their playout operations.
“Globecast is network agnostic and aims to provide our clients with the best solution using the best adapted technology. Today we are responding to the growing trend towards file-based technologies and the use of IP networks by announcing that next year Globecast will be able to use IP/MPLS in addition to current terrestrial and satellite broadcast solutions to reach their audience in the most effective way possible.” said Philippe Fort, chief operating officer of Globecast. (Source: GlobeCast press release)
13 September 2013
A Discussion With Oliver Stone
– Hiroshima, Nagasaki and the United States –
Oct 12 Sat 0:10/ 4:10/ 8:10/ 12:10/ 16:10/ 20:10 (UTC)
NHK World TV invites filmmaker Oliver Stone to the NHK studios to share some of the insights that informed his unprecedented documentary series on US history. In it he questions the commonly accepted belief that the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were necessary to end the war. He also talks about the need for people to face up to history, and his first-ever visit this summer to the two atomic bombed cities, where he spoke to A-bomb survivors.
Science View TAKUMI Special 2013
Oct 19 Sat 0:10/ 4:10/ 8:10/ 12:10/ 16:10/ 20:10 (UTC)
Extraordinary artisans called takumi are known for coming up with a range of ingenious products and for inventing special techniques for unusual situations. NHK World TV visits some takumi and witness the skill they put into their creations. These include a high-definition printing technique that makes images of objects that look just like the real thing; super comfortable braces for the knee; and a system for refitting broken sewerage pipes while they are actually in use.
Shima Kosaku’s Asian Entrepreneurs
– Odjargal Jambaljamts (Mongolia) –
Oct 26 Sat 0:10/ 4:10/ 8:10/ 12:10/ 16:10/ 20:10 (UTC)
NHK World TV looks into the successes of outstanding entrepreneurs based in Asia. Our navigator is popular Japanese manga-character businessman, Shima Kosaku, who guides us by means of a clever combination of animation and actual documentary footage. In this episode we meet the director of the largest group of companies in Mongolia and learn about his business strategies as he crosses swords with his country’s two big neighbors, China and Russia. (Source: NHK World TV press release)
13 September 2013
WRN Broadcast and MBC today announce a partnership that sees London’s leading broadcast managed services provider responsible for a range of broadcast services for the Dubai-based commercial broadcasting company.
WRN Broadcast, who secured the deal after initial discussions at NAB 2013, offers tailor-made end-to-end broadcast solutions as well as a comprehensive range of individual services from their four core broadcast areas – Manage, Originate, Deliver and Store – across TV, Radio and Digital. The London-based company has a strong reputation for global broadcasting projects, having worked with NHK World for almost a decade, enabled the launch the East African triple-play provider Zuku and most recently agreed an international distribution deal with UK-based Channel 4’s Box TV.
MBC was the first private free-to-air satellite broadcasting company in the Arab World, launching in London in 1991 and later relocating to UAE (in 2002). The MBC Group network includes both commercial radio and television services and reaches over 77% of MENA satellite households.
Andy Palmer, Group Director of Technical Operations, MBC, said: “WRN Broadcast have been appointed to work with MBC on a number of key projects moving forward. The company’s in-house expertise and leading technology are highly impressive and were a contributing factor to our decision.”
WRN Broadcast has seen consistent business growth over the past five years which has been supported by regular large-scale investment over this time – the most recent being £1m in January this year. This has enabled the company to strengthen and develop existing and emerging technologies and in the process future-proofing their London-based facility, whilst also developing new services such as OTT Delivery and building a dedicated Broadcast Data Centre, all to better support its client’s requirements.
David Treadway, CEO, WRN Broadcast, said: “WRN Broadcast is privileged to work with some of the greatest broadcasters in the world and we’re all thrilled to have the opportunity to include MBC in this as we partner with them on a range of broadcast managed services over the coming years. This project shows how we work with a client to understand their broadcast objectives and how our flexible and fast approach, alongside our expertise in certain key areas, can be used to realise the ambitions of the world’s major broadcasting powers.”
WRN Broadcast’s continued growth and heavy investment has been supported by staff numbers doubling, primarily focused on the operational and engineering teams as well as the dedicated account teams, now under the leadership of Andrew Davies, who joined WRN Broadcast in August from TSL’s Dubai office. (Source: WRN Broadcast press release)
