7 March 2012
Al Jazeera is further consolidating its longstanding relationship with Eutelsat Communications (Euronext Paris: ETL) with a new contract for capacity on the EUTELSAT 7 West A satellite (ex. ATLANTIC BIRD 7) located at 7° West. The announcement was made today at Cabsat Dubai.
Al Jazeera has chosen the new service area on EUTELSAT 7 West A that enables the media corporation to extend coverage across North West Africa to Morocco and as far as Nigeria. Broadcasts have already begun, with nine channels operational, including the flagship Al Jazeera news channels in Arabic and English, as well as documentary, childrens and sports channels.
In service since October 2011, the EUTELSAT 7 West A satellite has strengthened Eutelsats commercial response to broadcasters operating across the Middle East and North Africa. The satellites widebeam delivers unmatched performance and coverage into over 30 million homes, while the new North-West Africa footprint opens the opportunity for channels to further consolidate their reach.
7° West, the fastest-growing video neighbourhood: TV channels up by 35% in 2011
The 7° West neighbourhood assembles the largest community of satellite TV channels in the Middle East and North Africa. Channels grew by 35% in 2011, reflecting the dynamic of free-to-air and pay-TV, which represent 80% and 20% of the 822 Arab and international channels broadcast by the five satellites operated at 7° West by Eutelsat and Nilesat.
7 March 2012
Cologne-based S4M Solutions for Media GmbH becomes arvato systems S4M GmbH. Through a joint market presence, the long-term affiliation with the arvato Systems group will now be communicated proactively. This will further expand the market position of the IT experts.
arvato Systems, as a subsidiary of arvato AG and one of the top providers of professional IT services, has held an 80 percent stake in S4M shares since 2006. Together, both companies have successfully completed many projects around the world, and seek to achieve their shared vision of becoming one of the most successful IT companies with a clear focus on selected industries. The media industry has always played an important role, and as a broadcast and new media market specialist, S4M is a constant source of innovation in the field.
Together with all arvato Systems entities our aim now is to be even better prepared to meet the challenges of the future. This includes both improving our market position and boosting our profile by promoting a uniform market presence, says Dr. Manfred Heinen, Managing Director of S4M. Under the corporate arvato Systems brand we are able to even better bundle our competencies and support our customers.
arvato Systems background makes this possible: More than 2000 employees work at over 25 sites around the world. In 2010, the company achieved a revenue of 231 million euro. With its competence in the media industry S4M contributed to this success: The company has been present in the market for more than 15 years and offers a wide range of integrated software systems for broadcasters and media companies. This includes solutions for commercial airtime sales, media asset management, program planning, rights licensing, ratings evaluation, and production planning. Through many successful projects, S4M has built an excellent reputation, and an increasing number of national and international TV stations and production companies rely on the expertise of the software provider.
About arvato Systems
For over 30 years arvato Systems has been building a solid reputation as a systems integrator. The company not only implements standard software but also offers tailor-made, industry specific and individually developed solutions. As a subsidiary of arvato AG, the outsourcing service provider of Bertelsmann AG, the company has the unique capability to create entire value chains and combine IT with arvato AGs services to an integrated service offer from one source. The strength of arvato Systems is in the intelligent combination of systems integration and planning, operation and support.
For the broadcast and new media industry the company offers integrated software solutions for broadcast management and media asset management. So far, the systems are being used in more than 30 countries worldwide.
7 March 2012
Eutelsat Communications is launching its revolutionary satellite newsgathering service called NewsSpotter on March 21, 2012 at Wembley Stadium, the venue for the final of the 2012 Olympic football tournament.
NewsSpotter, from Eutelsat affiliate Skylogic, promises to revolutionize the European satellite newsgathering industry by offering a smaller, lighter, faster and far cheaper service than traditional solutions.
Light enough to be carried in a back-pack for Fly-Away use and small enough to be fixed to a smart car for Vehicular Rooftop Mounting, NewsSpotter can instantly connect mobile news crews to transmit live or High Definition recordings, images and data back to the studio via Eutelsat
7 March 2012
The 2012 AIBs – partnership opportunities
The eighth annual international media excellence awards run by the AIB will be held on Wednesday 7 November 2012. They provide a unique opportunity to promote your brand to senior executives throughout the global media world.
Coverage of the awards starts now leading up to the formal opening of entries at MIP in early April. Publicity continues in AIB publications and PR throughout the period of entries, the judging, on the night itself and through to the publication and distribution of the award winners booklet at the end of the year.
This ensures over nine months of exposure for partners to the more than 25,000 senior media executives on the AIB email distribution list and the more than 20,000 people who read The Channel magazine.
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Download our Partnership Opportunities brochure to find out more.
7 March 2012
New BMW cars in Germany will soon be able to automatically dial emergency services in the event of a crash and advise the driver how to avoid traffic jams thanks to new technology from Vodafone.
Starting this summer, all new BMW series vehicles will be fitted with a specially adapted mobile SIM chip supplied by Vodafone Germany. The Vodafone SIM, which will link BMW up to its vehicles, will provide customers with access to innovative in-car services such as the BMW Online Services, a 24/7 personal concierge service for BMW drivers and an emergency call function.
The five-year agreement between Vodafone Germany and the BMW Group involves fitting SIM cards within the vehicles at the assembly plant. The service being provided by Vodafone is based on machine-to-machine technology, which allows different devices to communicate with each other. The Vodafone SIM has a lifespan of more than ten years, can withstand temperatures from minus 40 to heat of 85 degrees centigrade and is coated with anti-corrosive protection.
In the future, this technology will become even more crucial for the automotive sector with the introduction of eCall – the automatic vehicle emergency call system in that is being planned by the European Union. From 2015 onwards, all new cars will be fitted with latest mobile data connection and SIM card that automatically calls the emergency services in the event of an accident.
Analysts see the in-vehicle connectivity as a growing market that will be worth billions by 2020.
7 March 2012
Following a successful first season, and after a flood of viewer requests and positive social media polls, MBC has announced the immediate production of a second season of 04.
Since January, viewers have been witnessing the dramatic struggles of 4 young housemates (Ziad, Abdel Aziz, Wisam and Hassan) living in the cosmopolitan city of Dubai. As well as dealing with their own cultural differences each has been seeking to fulfill their aspirations and dreams away from home and their loved ones.
The show has seen a rapidly growing fan base online and is the first to deliver a unique transmedia experience for its viewers who literally watch as 04s characters continue to live outside of the confines of their primetime 30min television slot on MBC4. Fans have been able to engage with these characters through social media sites and last week even saw evidence of the housemates celebrating the birthday of Abdel Aziz cake, candles and all. Needless to say, hundreds joined in with messages wishing him the best for the year ahead too.
Following the finale of Season 1, many of those online fans from across the region have been expressing their desire for more of this type of multi-platform entertainment. MBC are assuring fans from Egypt and the thousands of other loyal followers of the show that theyve heard their requests and will exceed their expectations with another season full of surprises and drama both on and off-screen.
04 is a joint production between MBC Group Content, 03 Productions and BPG Group, who are partnering as marketing, creative, digital and target audience consultants.
About MBC4
MBC4 is the Arab worlds first exclusive tailored channel for Women and young Arab Families. It broadcasts the latest in top-rated Western content entertainment in addition to locally produced flagship programming. The channel airs prime-time shows such as Dr. Oz, The Doctors, 90210, Pretty Little Liars, Greys Anatomy, The Vampire Diaries, Ringer, The Secret Circle, and The Good Wife, among other popular Turkish Drama soaps dubbed into Arabic.
Today, the channel is more geared towards MBC Groups own local flagship productions, as well as towards some acquired Arabic content from across the MENA region. MBC4 successfully aired the biggest production ever in the Arab TV history: ARABS GOT TALENT and is currently in production for Season 2. Moreover, MBC4 has recently reached a social media milestone by exceeding 1 million fans on the Channels official page on Facebook.
As of 2012, MBC4 has started delivering the latest in Western entertainment, airing the same time as in the US.
