2 January 2013
SatLink Communications Ltd., a leading teleport and HD Playout centre delivering content to every corner of the world, has confirmed that the Boxing Marketing Arm SA (BMA), a subsidiary of AIBA, the International Boxing Association, has selected SatLink for the global satellite delivery of the World Series of Boxing (WSB) 2012/2013 season. A total of 74 events across the globe will be distributed to five continents via SatLink’s Satellite and Fibre Network in High Definition (HD) and MPEG4 on Eutelsat, AsiaSat, IntelSat and Amos satellites. In addition services such as digital archiving, recording, SNG and Fly-Away units in various territories around the globe will be provided alongside post production editing of the matches highlights.
Developed by AIBA, WSB is a unique concept in the world of boxing. It is the only pro-style team competition where boxers retain their Olympic eligibility. It brings together the best Olympic and pro boxers representing their country in an explosive format with worldwide appeal.
SatLink will provide AIBA’s global satellite coverage in Ku-band and C-band on Eutelsat, AsiaSat, IntelSat and AMOS satellites and upscale the content to HD using the Snell Alchemist Ph. C to deliver the content in High Definition (HD) format to viewers around the globe. AIBA will also be utilizing SatLink’s content management capabilities including: recording, archiving, editing and conversion of news and highlights gathered from the satellite feed, as well as continuous customer service, including coordinating broadcasters and additional support before, during and after each event, and SNG services in various territories.
Kevin Na, BMA Media/TV Director commented: “In previous years we have managed our broadcasting distribution in-house, but with the current customer demands across the globe, we realized that we needed a provider that could back up our global HD distribution needs and will have the ability to manage our content during live shots and distribute it on time and high quality. This is one of the many reasons we chose SatLink. Not only do they offer a customized package suited to our needs, but they also offered us unlimited support before, during and after each of our broadcasts. Each boxing event during the 2012/2013 season will be recorded, edited and archived for future use, with the distribution of highlights following each round and the editing of a full-length magazine produced every two rounds, helping us maximize our outreach to our customer-base across the globe.”
David Hochner, Chief Executive Officer of SatLink, commented: “We are thrilled to be providing AIBA with the services they require for the broadcast of WSB 2012/2013 season, and it is another example of the benefits our Occasional Use capabilities can offer content distributors, channels, sports federations and rights holders. Using our global end-to-end distribution, transmission and content management services, broadcasters and networks are able to deliver high quality content to audiences around the world. This makes our central location, which borders onto three continents, and our global network, a reliable and effective solution for all of our customers’ broadcasting needs.”
17 December 2012
BBC World News, BBC Entertainment, CBeebies and BBC World Service in English to be available from 1 January 2013
(Monday, 17 December, London) The BBC and BBC Worldwide today announced the inaugural launch of three of its pay TV channels in Burma – BBC World News, BBC Entertainment and CBeebies.
BBC World News is the BBC’s commercially-funded international 24-hour news and information channel. BBC Entertainment showcases the very best of British light entertainment, drama and comedy; and CBeebies is a channel designed for pre-school children and provides a high-quality, interactive, entertaining and educational experience for them, offering them a safe haven in which to learn about, and enjoy, the world around them.
All three BBC TV channels, together with BBC World Service in Asia in English, will launch on Forever Group’s pay TV platform in Burma on 1 January 2013.
The BBC has a long history of providing vital news and information to Burma, via BBC World Service. Since its first broadcast in 1940, BBC Burmese has been an essential source of information for people living in Burma, as well as for the Burmese diaspora. The launch of these pay TV channels and the BBC World Service global English radio, will see this programming potentially reach around 250,000 homes in Burma on Forever Group’s pay TV platform.
One of two major private broadcasters in Burma, Forever Group is one of the earliest digital TV broadcasters in the region and broadcasting in DVB-T and DVB-T2. Forever Group is also extending its digital TV network all over the country using the DVB-T2 system.
Mark Whitehead, Senior Vice President and General Manager of BBC Worldwide Channels Asia, said: “I am pleased to be able to announce the launch of the BBC channels in Burma. We are very pleased to be part of Burma’s growing economy, and excited to be delivering our wide range of highly rated and award-winning programming – from programmes specially designed for pre-schoolers, to the best of UK comedy and drama and high quality international news to new viewers.”
Peter Horrocks, Director, Global News, said: “For many years, the BBC has delivered accurate, impartial international radio services to the Burmese people, serving as a vital lifeline service to Aung San Suu Kyi and those across the country. I’m so pleased that the BBC is now able to take the next step forward with the country to offer that same impartial news via television as well. It is a great sign of progress for Burma and I’m honoured for the BBC to play a role in opening the country up to the world.”
Mr. Winn Maw, CEO of Forever Group Co. Ltd, commented: “We are thrilled to be partnering with BBC Worldwide. High quality content is a key factor in driving our subscription growth, and we are confident that BBC World News, BBC Entertainment and CBeebies, together with BBC World Service radio will make Forever Group’s international line-up even stronger,”
More information on the channels:
BBC World News, the BBC’s commercially funded international 24-hour news and information platforms, is owned and operated by BBC Global News Ltd, a member of the BBC’s commercial group of companies. BBC World News is available in more than 200 countries and territories worldwide, and over 350 million households and 1.8 million hotel rooms. The channel’s content is also available on 152 cruise ships, 40 airlines and 23 mobile phone networks. For further information on how to receive BBC World News, download schedules or find out more about the channel, visit bbc.com/tvschedule.
BBC Entertainment showcases the best comedy, drama and light entertainment from the BBC and other UK production houses.
The channel is exclusive destination of The Graham Norton Show, with multi-award winning comedy talk-show host, Graham Norton and features his trademark comedy monologues, interesting celebrity chats, eccentric stories and characters. The talk show is broadcast just two weeks after its UK telecast.
BBC Entertainment is also home to Doctor Who, the longest running science fiction TV in the world, and the most successful in terms of ratings, DVD book sales, iTunes traffic and downloads.
CBeebies is UK’s number one children’s channel, loved by kids under six, and by their parents and carers. Inspired by preschoolers’ natural curiosity and zest for play, programming on the channel is designed by developmental experts to appeal to and suit the developmental needs of distinct age groups. The channel delivers a safe, interactive experience, and delivered by the trusted BBC brand, to promote imaginative play, social interaction, language skills and educational values.
Come January, CBeebies’ viewers in Burma will be able to catch a new series of Andy’s Wild Adventures – a live action animation series which sees park keeper Andy and his cat Kip embark on exciting adventures, travelling the world in their flying buggy – KipMobile, a high-spec, all-terrain, flying vehicle -for encounters with a whole array of animals in their natural habitats.
Preschoolers and their carers will also be able to watch internationally-acclaimed and award-winning household favourites such as Teletubbies, In the Night Garden, Charlie & Lola, Numtums and Mister Maker.
BBC World Service is an international multimedia broadcaster, delivering a wide range of language and regional services on radio, TV, online and via wireless handheld devices. It uses multiple platforms to reach its weekly audience of 180 million globally, including shortwave, AM, FM, digital satellite and cable channels. Its news sites include audio and video content and offer opportunities to join the global debate. BBC World Service offers its multilingual radio content to partner FM stations around the world and has numerous partnerships supplying content to news websites, mobile phones and other wireless handheld devices as well as TV channels. For more information, visit bbcworldservice.com.
BBC Burmese radio programming is broadcast on shortwave and on PAS10 and Palapa satellite television channels and streamed online via the website bbcburmese.com. BBC Burmese is part of BBC World Service.
BBC World News, BBC Entertainment and CBeebies will be available on the basic tier of Forever Group’s platform. BBC World Service will be available on the radio service of digital receivers.
For more information on BBC’s pay TV channels in Asia, please visit www.bbc-asia.com
17 December 2012
RT, the global international news network, has switched all of its English-language news broadcasting to High Definition format effective December 16, 2012. The switch to HD was enabled by RT’s move of its studios and headquarters offices to a brand new facility in Moscow.
RT’s relocation on the eve of its seven-year anniversary is the result of the extraordinary growth experienced by the network since its inception. The HD broadcasting launch marks another important achievement by RT, as such delivery is not yet offered by many other major international news channels.
“We are incredibly proud of everything we have accomplished in just seven short years,” says Margarita Simonyan, RT’s editor in chief. “The switch to HD is just the next step as we continue to grow and expand. The upgraded capabilities of our new, technologically sophisticated facility allow us to stay ahead of the competition.”
When RT first launched its 24-7 news broadcast in December of 2005, it employed some 300 journalists and was comprised of just one TV channel, airing in English. Today the network boasts the staff of more than 2000 professionals, and its five channels broadcast in English, Arabic and Spanish, reaching 550 million people in more than 100 countries around the globe. In 2012, RT became the first Russian TV channel ever to garner a second nomination for the prestigious International Emmy award.
RT is the 2nd most watched foreign news channel in key cities in the US, according to a Nielsen study* and was the third most watched news channel overall in the UK in 3Q2012 according to BARB**. With more than 830 million views to date, RT’s YouTube channel is the largest provider of news video footage on the platform, according to a 2012 Pew Research Center study and the network’s online video agency boasts more than 13,000 subscribers, including top TV channels and agencies from 185 countries.
*Based on weekly viewership
**BARB Quarterly Reach Report- Quarter 3 2012 (BARB weeks 2293-2305) Individuals 4+ + (http://www.barb.co.uk/report/quarterly-channel-reach-open/download/2012-Q3-QTVS.pdf)
13 December 2012
The visit by a media delegation from Myanmar to Germany, organized by DW Akademie, is part of Deutsche Welle’s ongoing support of media development in the country. The project is supported by the Federal Foreign Office.
Following decades of censorship, Myanmar is in the process of liberalizing its media institutions. Deutsche Welle is assisting this transformation via its international center for media development, DW Akademie. It is currently hosting a high-ranking delegation from Myanmar, including Ye Htut, deputy minister of the Myanmar Ministry of Information, seven representatives from the state-run Myanmar Radio and Television (MRTV) and the Director of the country’ first semi-private TV-station MRTV 4.
Aside from Deutsche Welle’s headquarters in Bonn and TV studios in Berlin, the schedule includes visits to the Federal Foreign Office, the Federal Press Office, the German Federation of Journalists (DJV), the ARD network of public service broadcasters and regional broadcasters Berlin-Brandenburg Broadcasting (RBB) and Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR).
At the various stops, the visitors are taking part in discussions and lectures on the role of the media in society and politics. Experts from the field are contributing their insights into the challenges of media restructuring and how established theories can be applied to Myanmar today. Many have drawn from their experiences with the change in the German media landscape following the reunification of East and West Germany. The key question is whether the German public service broadcasting system could serve as a model for Myanmar.
Years of cooperation
DW Akademie started providing training projects for media organizations in Myanmar in 2007. In 2009, it became involved in the establishment of the Myanmar Media Development Center (MMDC) – set up by MRTV-4. The process, which took three years, was also supported by the Asia-Pacific Institute for Broadcasting Development (AIBD) and Germany’s Friedrich Ebert Foundation.
The MMDC opened in July 2012, with DW Akademie providing preliminary training for prospective TV professionals, followed by training for media producers in how to be trainers themselves. The graduates of the train-the-trainer workshop are to become teachers at the MMDC.
“A functional democracy needs a vital media landscape,” commented Gerda Meuer, Managing Director of DW Akademie. “This is why supporting the media transformation in Myanmar is the right thing to do. It’s very pleasing to see that our continuing work there is bearing fruit.”
DW Akademie is continuing its involvement at the MMDC, with more courses and workshops planned for 2013. It will also coordinate future international support for the basic and advanced training of media professionals in Myanmar and for the establishment of vocational institutes. A DW Akademie staff member has been stationed in Myanmar to work together with local partners. These efforts represent part of a sweeping plan for media development in the country.
Since February 2012, Deutsche Welle’s English-language TV channel DW has been available in Myanmar via direct-to-home provider Skynet – a nationwide network that offers telephone and Internet services in addition to television.
DW programming is also available on a number of other platforms in Myanmar, including the Forever Group’s pay TV network, which makes DW along with other international channels available to Myanmar audiences. Myawady TV (MWD), Myanmar’s second-largest TV station, as well as the popular state-run MRTV broadcast select DW programs and magazines such as Journal, Tomorrow Today and In Good Shape.
13 December 2012
WRN Broadcast, the international broadcast services company, has today announced the appointment of Dave Travis as Chief Technology Officer (CTO). Travis, who was formally Head of Operations & Technology Services, has been appointed as technology chief following the company’s continual growth in broadcast operations – which this year included the opening of it’s broadcast data centre.
Over the past three years since joining WRN Broadcast, Travis has been responsible for overseeing the company’s broadcast solutions and technology partnerships. His contribution has seen WRN Broadcast increase it’s offering to become one of the most comprehensive broadcast managed services company in the industry. This has meant working with some of the best known television broadcasters and content owners in the world; ranging from Viacom Media Networks to East Africa’s Zuku platform alongside the company’s longstanding clients, which include NHK World and VOA, as well as Jazz FM and Absolute Radio here in the UK.
Dave Travis, CTO, WRN Broadcast, comments: “WRN Broadcast has an immensely strong offering across TV, Radio, IP and Broadcast Support and it’s been great playing a part in developing those areas. We have a first-class team of people here providing broadcast solutions that are innovative and cost effective enabling us to realise our client’s business objectives. My appointment as CTO will be a challenging and rewarding role which will allow me to help drive the company forward with the rest of the executive management team.”
Travis was Director of Engineering at TSI Broadcast before WRN Broadcast acquired it in 2009. Prior to that he had worked at Viacom, including MTV Networks and was part of the team responsible for building Showtime, Arabia’s multi-channel playout facility in Dubai Media City.
David Treadway, CEO, WRN Broadcast, says: “Dave’s expertise in broadcast technology has helped us realise one of our core ambitions – to make WRN Broadcast the most complete broadcast managed services company – enabling us to better serve our broadcast clients, regardless of the area of the media they work in. I wish to welcome Dave to the Executive Board as CTO at this exciting time in our history, as we continue to drive forward making sure we can take advantage of the opportunities in the ever-evolving media and broadcast sectors.”
About WRN Broadcast (www.wrnbroadcast.com)
WRN Broadcast is an international broadcast services company enabling broadcasters and media owners to deliver content to audiences worldwide.
Founded in 1992, WRN Broadcast has become one of the leading broadcast services companies, working across digital content platforms to provide broadcast clients with worldwide coverage. The company specialises in end-to-end solutions for ingest, content management, playout, encoding, multiplexing and worldwide fibre and satellite distribution. It has a state-of-the-art Media Centre offering clients the latest in broadcast technologies.
The company manages playout and distribution services for over 250 clients worldwide including some of the most recognised broadcast brands such as Top Up TV, Jazz FM and Wananchi (Zuku platform).
WRN Broadcast is committed to providing a complete, professional service to all of its clients, accompanied by its investment in the latest technologies available.
