16 June 2005
Reuters Television, the worldwide news service, has agreed to a multi-year contract renewal with Teletrax, the first and only global digital video monitoring and media asset management service. Teletrax is a subsidiary of Medialink Worldwide Incorporated, global leader in providing media services to corporations and organizations seeking to communicate their news to the public.
“Since Teletrax’s technology was originally tested and adopted by Reuters in 2002, it has enabled us to track actual usage of our news video by our subscribers with unprecedented accuracy and precision,” said Tony Donovan, managing director of Reuters Television. “We have already seen the real benefits that can result from our knowing which news stories are heavily or little used by broadcasters. Teletrax’s near real-time reporting capability has helped Reuters to deliver a better service with resultant benefits to us and to our subscribers. There is no question that we are keen to continue exploring new applications for the business intelligence Teletrax so uniquely delivers.”
“Soon after Teletrax’s debut three years ago, we were truly gratified to have our service bear the Reuters imprimatur, and now we are even more excited to announce the extension of this valued relationship,” stated Andy Nobbs, managing director of Teletrax. “With strong support from trusted partners like Reuters and our other blue-chip clients, Teletrax has further solidified its reputation as a world-class TV rights management service. We are confident that even more content owners such as major movie studios, TV networks, syndicators, sports programmers, advertisers, and news organizations will soon begin to harness the power of Teletrax as a business management tool for key transactions including contractual compliance, royalty payments, and talent residuals.”
Launched in 2002 as a service developed by a joint venture between Royal Philips Electronics of the Netherlands and Medialink, Teletrax’s patented technology embeds an imperceptible and indelible digital watermark into video whenever it is edited, transmitted, broadcast or duplicated. A global network of decoders or “detectors,” captures all occurrences of the embedded video being transmitted via satellite, cable or terrestrially and generates tracking reports for the content owners. Reports of individual broadcast airings are delivered online in near real-time to each client’s custom-designed portal or in data file transfers. Each client’s broadcast activity is updated dynamically, 24 hours a day, enabling clients to respond immediately to reported results such as changes in end-user preferences or detections of unauthorized use. Teletrax currently maintains a proprietary network of detectors that monitor the television broadcasts of 1,000 channels worldwide.
10 June 2005
OMNIBUS SYSTEMS is enhancing its support services to meet the needs of a growing customer base for the company’s broadcast automation and content management technologies. Service teams in key regions of North America, Europe, and Asia are being expanded through new hires and office openings, and the company is launching a new interactive online service designed to support clients worldwide.
In addition to an increase in technical support staff at the company’s European support headquarters in the U.K., OmniBus’ North American and Asian support operations have expanded with the addition of new project engineers, technical support staff, and regional offices in New York, Los Angeles, Miami, and Singapore.
Just appointed to lead the North American support team is Brian Chavez, who transitions from the role of sales manager to take the position of director in customer support and operations. With 18 years’ experience in the broadcast industry, Chavez has an extensive background in customer support, project management, sales, and finance with Novus Development, Encoda Systems, Geocast Network Systems, and several major market television and radio stations. Brian will also retain responsibility for maintaining key account relationships.
Beyond office and staff expansion, OmniBus has invested in new support
technologies with the launch of a completely redesigned Web site that delivers new services to broadcasting and cable customers and offers advanced interactive features designed to broaden the company’s customer support services. Available to
all customers who participate in the Omni Care warranty program, the site
enables OmniBus customers anywhere in the world to log and update calls,
review the progress made in resolving issues, talk to one another about
OmniBus technology, and have access to an extensive knowledge base across
an Internet connection, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
The site features quick and easy access to software and hardware
datasheets, reference guides, and other technical information pertaining to all released OmniBus products. New and enhanced features include direct
access to all folders within OmniBus’ FTP area, a support forum, a “Notice
Board” with the very latest technical announcements, and the facility for
multiple email addresses that will notify customers of software releases or information updates.
“OmniBus is committed to providing truly unrivalled support services to
broadcasting and cable operations around the world through the right
combination of personnel and the latest technologies,” said Mike Oldham, CEO of OmniBus. “We’re confident that these new efforts will make it even easier for our customers to access valuable product information and the depth of expertise available 24/7 through our very experienced technical support staff.”
OmniBus also offers an extensive consultancy program that addresses
training requirements, changes in workflow practices, skills development, and technology recommendations. A dedicated team of support staff and engineers are on permanent call to answer questions and resolve any issues that may arise at OmniBus installations.
OmniBus customers can access the support website via the password-protected area of the main OmniBus website (www.omnibus.tv) or directly via http://support.omnibus.co.uk.
10 June 2005
Teletrax, the first and only global digital video monitoring and media asset management service, has increased its coverage to 1,000 television channels worldwide, it was announced today at Broadcast magazines conference on content management held at the Waldorf Hilton in London. Teletrax is a subsidiary of Medialink Worldwide Incorporated, a global leader in providing media services to corporations and organizations seeking to communicate their news to the public.
With Teletrax, content owners such as motion picture studios, TV networks, syndicators, news organizations, and advertisers can unlock greater value from their video assets. Content tracked by Teletrax includes news segments, TV show promotions, commercials, and entertainment programming. In the United States alone, several units of NBC Universal and The Walt Disney Company have already adopted Teletrax for the management of media assets and television rights.
This expansion in global coverage further solidifies Teletraxs reputation as the industry standard for the monitoring and reporting of all content that is broadcast on terrestrial, cable and satellite television around the world, said Andy Nobbs, managing director of Teletrax and conference speaker in a panel discussion about media asset protection. Teletraxs unmatched delivery of broadcast intelligence captured from 1,000 channels in 50 countries worldwide is vital to significant video content owners in the entertainment, news, and advertising industries.
Launched in 2002 as a service developed by a joint venture between Royal Philips Electronics of the Netherlands and Medialink, Teletraxs patented technology embeds an imperceptible and indelible digital watermark into video whenever it is edited, transmitted, broadcast or duplicated.
A global network of decoders or detectors, then captures all occurrences of the embedded video being transmitted via satellite, cable or terrestrially and generates tracking reports for the content owners. Reports of individual broadcast airings are delivered online in near real-time to each clients custom-designed portal or in data file transfers. Each clients broadcast activity is updated dynamically, 24 hours a day, enabling clients to respond immediately to reported results such as changes in end-user preferences or detections of unauthorized use.
Teletrax now maintains a proprietary network of detectors that monitor the television broadcasts of 1,000 channels worldwide. Its U.S. footprint includes more than 800 television stations and cable channels in more than the top 100 markets in the United States, representing more than 85% of all U.S. television households. Its international network monitors nearly 200 channels being broadcast from 50 nations and is comprised of 12 monitoring stations in Europe, Asia, the Middle East, South and Central America, and Canada.
A growing list of leading news, entertainment and media organizations that have contracted with Teletrax to track broadcast video content includes: The NBC Agency, BBC, Buena Vista Television, ABC Television Network, Tribune Entertainment, NBC Universal Television Distribution, NBC News Channel, Reuters Television, Medialink and Australian-based Media Review International. A number of other entertainment, news and media companies are also currently testing the Teletrax service.
2 June 2005
The AIB will be attending Broadcast Asia 2005, taking place in Singapore 13-17 June.
Represented by Anver Anderson, Director of Business, the AIB has stand number 1E4-03.
Visitors to the event will be able to collect material about the AIB, including the latest edition of the Association’s quarterly magazine, The Channel together with information from many of the AIB’s global members.
31 May 2005
SW Radio Africa, a radio station based in the UK targeting listeners in Zimbabwe, has said that its last short wave transmission would be Tuesday 31 May 2005.
The station – operated by a number of expatriate Zimbabweans – has been subject to extensive jamming, seemingly carried out by the Zimbabwe government. This forced the station to broadcast on multiple frequencies. While this was successful and SW Radio Africa’s listeners have been able to clearly receive the station, it has proved financially unsustainable. The station simply could not afford the extra sums needed to pay for multiple short wave transmissions.
From 1 June 2005 SW Radio Africa will be carried on medium wave for two hours in the early morning
(05000700 Zimbabwe time) and 24 hours a day on the website www.swradioafrica.com.
The station reports that its medium wave signal does not cover the whole of Zimbabwe and many listeners will no longer be able to hear the channel which carries uncensored news from across Zimbabwe.
The station manager, Gerry Jackson, commented: “A free media is the cornerstone of any democracy and we will do our very best to ensure that we continue to provide a voice for Zimbabweans, as we struggle along this difficult road to freedom together.
“A luta continua (the struggle continues) was the slogan of African liberation movements. Sadly its a slogan that is still applicable to Zimbabwe.”
31 May 2005
The AIB has submitted its response to the UK government’s Green Paper which is part of the review of the next BBC Royal Charter, due to start in 2007.
The AIB response, which has been forwarded to the UK Department of Culture, Media and Sport, carries the views of the Association’s members in regard to the future of the BBC, with particular emphasis on the BBC’s international operations.
“Part of the AIB’s role is to ensure that the voices of its members are heard by governments and regulators around the world,” commented Simon Spanswick, AIB chief executive. “We monitor media regulators and potential media legislation in many of the countries that AIB members operate in, and this includes the United Kingdom. The AIB makes sure that its members’ views are heard by legislators, regulators and politicians throughout the world.”
Download a copy of the AIB response by clicking on the link below.
