13 March 2013
arvato Systems, a global IT leader offering integrated software solutions for broadcast management and media asset management, announced it has been selected by Rogers Media to provide a powerful broadcast management solution. Joining the list of arvato Systems’ customers in North America, the company is integrating its rights management, program scheduling and advertising sales processes with arvato Systems’ product suite.
arvato Systems’ powerful broadcast management solution enables broadcast and media companies to integrate rights management, program scheduling, and advertising sales in one IT solution. The professional tools improve the end-to-end workflow and enable departments to work together more effectively, so that they can better serve their clients and take advantage of new opportunities in the changing media landscape.
The decision to use the arvato Systems solutions was made in 2011 after a rigorous and comprehensive evaluation process, which included almost 2,000 individual requirements. Last year, The Biography Channel, FX Canada, OLN and G4 transitioned to the arvato Systems products S4Rights, S4Schedule, and S4AdSales. Further to the successful transition of these specialty channels, Rogers will be rolling out the arvato Systems solutions to OMNI Television, Sportsnet and City in 2013.
“We are delighted that Rogers selected our integrated broadcast management solution,” said Christian Schneider, VP Corporate Sales at arvato Systems S4M. “The benefits offered by our product suite will bring them renewed success and new business opportunities.”
About arvato Systems
arvato Systems is a systems integrator with a solid reputation. We not only implement standard software, but also offer tailor-made, industry-specific and individually developed solutions. More than 2,500 dedicated employees at 25 sites throughout the world are always there for their customers. As part of the arvato network, a leading global BPO provider belonging to Bertelsmann, we have the unique capability to create entire value chains and combine IT with other arvato services to deliver an integrated service offer from one source. The strength of arvato Systems lies in the intelligent combination of systems integration and planning, operation and support.
For the broadcast and new media industry we offer integrated software solutions for broadcast management and media asset management. So far, the systems are being used in more than 30 countries worldwide.
Our customers appreciate the way we bring in-depth industry know-how, cross-platform expertise, a true partnership approach, and genuine entrepreneurial spirit to the table. Our solutions pave the way for your success. www.arvato-systems.com (Source: Press release)
13 March 2013
The World Teleport Association (WTA) announced that Bill Tillson, Co-CEO of Encompass Digital Media, has been named its 2013 Teleport Executive of the Year for the second consecutive year, a first in the 18 year history of the award. Mr. Tillson will be honored during WTA’s Teleport Awards for Excellence luncheon on 19 March during SATELLITE 2013. The Teleport Executive of the Year award is presented to an individual for demonstrated entrepreneurship, leadership and innovation in the development or operation of a teleport-based business.
According to the association’s Awards Committee, Mr. Tillson’s second consecutive award was due to the impressive growth Encompass has achieved through a series of acquisitions and strategic alignments by Mr. Tillson, beginning with the purchase of Andrita Studios in Los Angeles, and continuing through the company’s most recent acquisition, Teleport Internacional Buenos Aires (TIBA), in November of 2012. The Teleport Executive of the Year is determined by the WTA’s board of directors, who evaluate the CEO or leading executive among the associations “Fast 21” group of teleport operators for that year.
With teleport facilities and technical personnel in Atlanta, Buenos Aires, London, Los Angeles Metro, Minneapolis, New York Metro and Singapore, Encompass has succeeded where many other companies have failed: growing from a small teleport operator to a global leader in digital media services.
“Growth by acquisition has a rocky track record in our industry,” said WTA executive director Robert Bell, “with acquirers too often not fully understanding what they are buying and how the pieces being assembled can add up to more than the sum of the parts.”Bell added, “Bill Tillson deeply understands this business and how to apply financial leverage and clear strategic direction for success.”
During the 2013 Teleport Awards for Excellence luncheon ceremony, hosted by SES, WTA will also honor its Independent Teleport of the Year and Teleport Technology of the Year. The three finalists for these two major awards were announced on 27 February. The 18th annual Teleport Awards for Excellence luncheon begins at noon on the 19th of March. WTA’s Director of Development, Lou Zacharilla, will host the event for the 17th time. The luncheon is free to WTA members who register. Attendance is also available for a small cost to non-members. Registration is available online at www.worldteleport.org.
13 March 2013
GlobeCast today announced that it has signed a multiyear contract with Arise News, a newly launched global 24-hour TV network that will deliver news and current events programming to audiences across Africa and Europe. GlobeCast will provide full HD playout, uplink, and satellite capacity for Arise News’ HD channel, Arise News HD, scheduled to launch today.
“For the launch of our HD service, we needed a service provider with global reach that will enable us to distribute to any platform, anywhere, as we continue to grow. We also wanted to work with a single supplier that could provide us with a complete solution rather than a simple service,” said Nduka Obaigbena, Founder of Arise News. “With its unique ability to meet these requirements and world-class reputation for quality of service, GlobeCast is the ideal partner for Arise News.”
GlobeCast will initially provide a full HD service for Arise News HD with uplink to one of its newly acquired fleet of Astra 2G transponders for delivery toU.K.viewers via the Sky platform. Soon, GlobeCast will uplink the service to the Hot Bird satellite for distribution to DTH and cable headends inEurope. Next year, GlobeCast will be working with the channel to facilitate further expansion of the channel in Europe and to audiences in theU.S.andAfrica.
Arise News aims to become a global media organization reflecting the experiences of underserved communities, championing the voices of the African diaspora across all continents, and engaging citizens of the world. In addition to the U.K., Arise News will operate bureaus in New York;Lagos,Nigeria; and Johannesburg,South Africa; the network has plans to roll out additional news bureaus in Washington,D.C.; Dakar,Senegal; Nairobi,Kenya; Dubai,United Arab Emirates; Rio de Janeiro; Beijing; New Delhi; and Los Angeles.
“Arise News is poised to fulfill a vital role in the international broadcasting community by reporting global news and current affairs through the eyes of communities that are often ignored by the mainstream media,” said Juliet Bayliss, Sales Director at GlobeCast U.K. “We are very pleased to be a key part of this effort, and we look forward to working with Arise News as it builds a foundation for continued expansion.”
21 February 2013
RT’s footage of the Siberian meteor blast became the most watched video of the phenomenon on YouTube.
The blast, which hit Russia’s Chelyabinsk region on the morning of February 15, became the most watched video event of all time with 138 million views, and the fastest video event ever to hit 100 million views, according to VideoMeasures, an online measurement company. More than 400 videos across several online platforms were tracked in this calculation.
RT’s montage of several eyewitness videos attracted a record-breaking 28+ million views in just five days on the news network’s YouTube channel. Overall, RT’s videos of the meteor event have already collected more than 45 million views, bringing its YouTube channel within a striking distance of the 1 billion total views mark.
RT has previously set a YouTube record for the most watched news event video of 2011 with footage of the Japanese earthquake and tsunami. Pew Research Center’s 2012 study named RT as the largest provider of news video footage on YouTube, the world’s largest video sharing platform.
The New York Times noted that “thanks to YouTube and sites like it, viewers around the world could see the meteor from dozens of angles,” particularly highlighting “the most-viewed of all the videos, uploaded by the cable channel Russia Today”. Mashable, a technology- and social media-focused news blog, dubbed RT’s “stunning and terrifying” video “the clear winner” among the meteor event footage. Mashable also noted that all the combined meteor videos exhibited “the vastest rate of viral growth ever seen for an online video event” – beating such phenomena as PSY’s “Gangnam Style,” Kony 2012 and Susan Boyle’s “I dreamed a dream.”
RT is a global international news network that broadcasts in English, Arabic and Spanish from its studios in Moscow and Washington, DC, and is available to 630 million viewers worldwide. RT is the only Russian TV channel to garner two nominations for the prestigious Emmy International Award.
20 February 2013
RRsat Global Communications Network Ltd, a leading provider of comprehensive digital content management and global distribution services to the television and radio broadcasting industries, announced today that it has successfully wrapped up distribution of the 2012-13 NFL regular season games and playoffs to Europe and Asia including a live broadcast of the memorable 2013 Super Bowl.
In November 2012, RRsat acquired SM2 Sports & Media Solutions, a premier provider of international sports distribution and syndication services, and took over the main responsibility for delivering the NFL’s regular season games, playoffs, Pro Bowl and Super Bowl throughout Asia and Europe via its satellite and fiber networks.
During the regular season, RRsat delivered up to eight simultaneous games every Sunday, as well as Monday Night Football and Thursday Night Football. During the 2012-2013 playoffs, RRsat delivered all games to Europe and Asia followed by the Pro Bowl and Super Bowl XLVII. The advantage of the RRsat solution was providing the NFL with complete Dolby audio remapping and very high data rates on both satellite and fiber for all their HD games.
“RRsat’s end-to-end solution allowed the NFL to deliver high quality, HD transmissions of season and postseason games to millions of fans across the world in real time, with 28 audio versions tailored for each market,” said Jeff Lombardi, Director of International Production Operations, NFL Films.
“RRsat is proud to have provided a live sports delivery solution that enabled the NFL to transmit the complete season of its iconic games, as well as the Super Bowl, to viewers worldwide in real time,” said Avi Cohen, CEO of RRsat. “We look forward to helping the NFL expand the international reach of both its season and postseason games. Our flexible infrastructure and advanced solutions proved equal to the rigorous demands of broadcasting the most exciting US sports event of the year to fans throughout the world.” (Source: Press Release)
