29 April 2015
Broadcasters responded rapidly to the devastating earthquake in Nepal that is believed to have killed more than 10,000 people and made hundreds of thousands homeless.
BBC World Service is now broadcasting additional programming on shortwave in both Nepalese and in English while BBC Media Action – the BBC’s international development charity – is working with the Nepali Service on BBC World Service (radio and online) and local partner radio stations to broadcast ‘Lifeline’ programming.
Liliane Landor, Controller of World Service Languages, says: “Information is vital and we are doing all we can to make sure that our audiences in the affected areas receive their local and regional news as well as ‘Lifeline’ programming designed to give practical information to help deal with the aftermath of the earthquake.”
The Nepali language programme is available on shortwave as follows:
Nepali dawn transmission (01:30-01:45 GMT) on 11995 kHz (25 metre band) and 15510 kHz (19 metre band)
Nepali evening transmission (15:00-16:00 GMT) on 9650 kHz (31 metre band) and 5895 kHz (49 metre band)
The availability of World Service English on short wave to Northern India and Nepal has been extended with the service now starting one hour earlier than normal at 23.00 GMT.
Additional frequencies for World Service in English (to S Asia) from 23:00 GMT to 24:00GMT: 5895 kHz (49 metre band) and 9540 kHz (31 metre band)
From 00:00GMT the broadcasts continue as normal on 12,095kHz, 9,410kHz and 5970kHz.
For broadcasters covering the disaster, Reuters-TIMA are operational from the Radisson Hotel, Kathmandu offering
- HD/SD live stand-up positions
- Multi format playout facilities
- Editorial support
- International point-to-point delivery via the Reuters-TIMA network
The External Services Division (ESD) of All India Radio reacted quickly to the situation.
As soon as the News of devastating Earthquake ravaging large part of Nepal started trickling in, as an immediate measure, SOS announcements advising people not to panic and take precautionary safety measures against the possible aftershocks were made. Thereafter, the service got in touch with the MEA officials and by 7 pm, the helpline numbers of MEA, the Indian Mission in Kathmandu were repeatedly announced. People were advised to take all precautionary measures, as per the guidelines provided by the NDMA. Appeal of ADG, NDMA was also recorded over telephone and broadcast.
Since all lines of communication had broken down, the Nepali Service being broadcast on short-wave remained the only available communication link to reach out to the distressed people in Kathmandu valley and the hinterland Nepal.
Normal programming of the whole evening transmission was changed and programmes relating to the Earthquake were broadcast continuously.
28 April 2015
Globecast, global content contribution, management and distribution provider, and Arabsat have today announced the launch of Arabsat TV Everywhere, a new multi-platform OTT TV service with live streams of the best Arabic channels.
Powered by Globecast’s OTT Live solution, Arabsat TV Everywhere is an expansion of the already popular Global Arabic Bouquet (GAB), a grouping of premium Arabic channels from the Arab States Broadcasting Union (ASBU). The new service, which is available to watch for free from almost anywhere in the world on PC as well as iOS and Android smartphones and tablets, will enable more people to enjoy the great content the GAB has to offer at home and on the move.
Globecast, which has been ARABSAT and ASBU’s partner for the worldwide distribution of the GAB since 2004, designed and developed the complete TV everywhere service. The end-to-end solution, which includes content preparation; content management; application design and development; delivery and a player, will enable Arabsat to deliver a seamless experience across all devices.
Giorgio Giacomini, Managing Director Globecast Middle East said, “This is a very exciting development in our relationship with Arabsat and the ASBU. Arabsat’s decision to make many channels of the GAB available on smartphones and tablets reflects the growing desire of audiences around the world to consume content when and where they want. Because of this we have carefully designed our solutions to provide both technical and business acumen allowing our customers to easily expand with innovative new OTT services while concentrating on what they do best: create and develop world class content.”
Khalid Balkheyour, ARABSAT President and CEO, added, “The world of OTT service delivery is one that’s growing rapidly. You only have to look at the growth in the sale of connected devices to see why. Globecast has always provided us with excellent distribution services and we are very pleased to announce the extension of our partnership.”
Since the launch of their partnership, Globecast, ARABSAT and ASBU have expanded the Global Arabic Bouquet’s potential viewership and footprint, offering a single global coverage to ASBU members. Arabic language channels are now able to join the bouquet and reach viewers on all five continents free to air. It reflects Arabsat’s commitment to help Arabic viewers stay connected with their roots and culture from anywhere in the world.
27 April 2015
CNNI is now offered across the Middle East & North Africa via the superior coverage of ARABSAT BADR-6 in an agreement between parent company Turner Broadcasting and Arabsat. The agreement gives Middle Eastern audiences the opportunity to watch CNN International’s award-winning mix of breaking news and news, business, sports and feature programming via the minimum dish size.
CNN International has dedicated editorial and broadcast hubs in London, Atlanta, Abu Dhabi and Hong Kong, and provides round-the-clock coverage of the most important international stories for its diverse global audience.
“After being present in the region for many years we’re delighted to expand our reach in the Middle East still further through this new partnership with Arabsat,” said Rani R. Raad, Chief Commercial Officer CNN International. “As the region’s leading international news provider this is just our latest commitment to ensuring CNN is widely available in the region and we’re very pleased to welcome Arabsat viewers to the channel.”
Khalid Balkheyour, President & CEO of ARABSAT said “It was always our ambition in ARABSAT to bring CNNI on board. CNN has a long & professional history of covering the Middle East news & critical events. We are pleased to deliver CNNI to ARABSAT viewers across the Middle East & North Africa combined with an extensive offering & wide varieties of the prime Free-To-Air international and regional news channel on ARABSAT hotspot at 26⁰ E .”
CNN can be viewed on:
ARABSAT BADR-6 at 26⁰ E
Frequency: 11,785 MHz (Vertical)
QPSK, Symbol Rate: 27.5MSymb/s, FEC: ¾
CNN International’s arrival on Arabsat comes as the latest signal of CNN’s long-standing and evolving commitment to the Middle East region. The CNN Abu Dhabi bureau is home to flagship weekday show Connect the World with Becky Anderson and a number of locally produced feature shows dedicated to the region, and the CNN Arabic website based in Dubai was relaunched last year for its users with a refreshed responsive format. The network operates a number of newsgathering bureaux in the region. CNN has a portfolio of important commercial partnerships across the region and recently chose the Middle East for its first CNN Traveller café, based at Abu Dhabi Airport. (Arabsat Press Release)
24 April 2015
Since launching in February this year, Reuters-TIMA has provided global Location Services to over 25 clients across four continents. CNN, Nippon TV, Euronews and Seven Network are among the first broadcasters to have used the new service.
Reuters-TIMA Location Services provides every aspect of newsgathering facilities and support services on the ground during breaking news stories. Recent stories covered include the Germanwings crash, the Tunisia museum shooting, border unrest between Saudi Arabia and Yemen as well as migrant boat disasters in the Mediterranean.
The partnership between Reuters and TIMA, which launched at the 87th Academy Awards, also provides coverage of key global events and unprecedented access, as well as providing logistical and editorial services. In the last two months Reuters-TIMA have made 132 transmissions from five events. Upcoming events, booked by global clients, include the birth of the royal baby, the UK general election, the G7 Summit in Bavaria and the Russian Victory Day parade.
Reuters-TIMA Location Services was created in response to the increased demand for live content in a shifting media landscape. Combining Reuters’ unparalleled global editorial content, seen by over a billion people every day, with TIMA’s cutting-edge technology and considerable experience of service delivery for the international media industry, Reuters-TIMA Location Services form a vast news and editorial network.
From New York to Moscow and Rio to Singapore, plus a network of Middle Eastern offices, including TIMA’s facilities in Tehran, Reuters-TIMA Location Services has been set up to help broadcasters cover every major world event, from elections to summits, sports to national celebrations and breaking news such as war, natural disasters and militant attacks, providing every aspect of newsgathering facilities and support services.
Tim Santhouse, Reuters’ Global Head of Video Products, says: “We’re delighted that such a broad range of broadcasters – large and small, public and commercial – have taken up the service, letting them focus on covering the story while we take care of the operational side, including technical and local knowledge.”
Alla Salehian, CEO of TIMA, says: “With strategically placed broadcast and satellite resources in regional hubs around the world, we’re able to respond quickly to breaking news. Since our partnership launch, the last two months have been exciting and fast-paced, responding to important global stories and working with key broadcasters.”
Reuters-TIMA Location Services include:
> Breaking news facilities: Reuters-TIMA Location Services provide every aspect of newsgathering facilities and support services on the ground during breaking news stories throughout the year.
> Event facilities: The partnership also provides coverage of key global events and unprecedented access to events that are also of regional significance, as well providing logistical and editorial services and dedicated customer support.
> Studio space: The service also offers clients access to high-tech live studio facilities around the world, many with stunning city backdrops.
www.reuters-tima.com
Reuters
Reuters, the news and media division of Thomson Reuters, is the world’s largest international multimedia news provider, reaching more than a billion people every day. Reuters’ 2,600 journalists in nearly 200 locations around the globe deliver unparalleled international and national news coverage with speed, impartiality and insight to professionals via Thomson Reuters’ desktops, the world’s media organizations and directly to consumers on reuters.com.
TIMA
TIMA provides a range of broadcast services from its offices and studios worldwide, including production facilities, content production and events coverage. Its London headquarters opened in Spring 2012 and was swiftly followed by bureaux in Washington DC, New York and Paris. TIMA also operates across the Middle East in Saudi, Sanaa, Damascus, Baghdad and Tehran, where it provides media services for accredited broadcasters. Everything TIMA does is aimed at developing new ways of producing and distributing content. www.tima.com
22 April 2015
France 24 has launched a new Android TV application compatible with the Nexus player and all the devices equipped with the Google operating system (OTT boxes, smart TVs, etc.).
Available for free on Google Play, this new service is already available in North America, France, Germany and the UK. It will be accessible in the rest of the world by the end of 2015.
Adapted to new practices in news consumption, this new trilingual application (French, English, Arabic) has been completely designed for navigation on television. It features streamlined design and fast video loading for greater user comfort.
This application offers access to France 24 livestream in three languages as well as the latest news bulletins on demand (World news, Africa news, Business news, Sports and Weather). In addition to these short programmes, all the channel’s magazines and debates are also available for free on VOD.
In addition, users can also get access to articles and personalize their navigation thanks to a new ‘Favourite’ function that lets them create a catalogue of content.
This new development is part of France 24’s innovative multi-platform distribution strategy on connected devices. Thus, the channel renews its presence on Android operating systems on which it is available since 2010.
20 April 2015
Two Broadcast and New Media solutions from arvato Systems win awards at NAB 2015
- NewBay Media Group praises AdStore, the central advertising slot sales platform for cross-media campaigns
- Best of Show Award also goes to high-performance Media Asset Management System VPMS
At NAB 2015, the world’s leading trade show for TV and New Media, arvato Systems entered two of its software solutions – Adstore and VPMS – which both won the coveted “NAB Best of Show” awards.
NewBay Media, the internationally recognized publishing group, uses the opportunity provided by NAB to honor technology solutions in key areas of the industry. NewBay Media’s Best of Show Awards are evaluated by a panel of engineers and industry experts, and are selected based on innovation, feature set, cost efficiency and performance in serving the industry.
Taking part in the competition for the first time, arvato Systems put forward two of its customized IT solutions, which both won: centralized advertising slot sales platform for cross media campaigns AdStore convinced the judges, as did Media Asset Management system VPMS. VPMS has long been market leader in Germany and is also now increasingly in use in North America.
“Recognition with an award at the NAB Show from NewBay Media’s Broadcast & Video Group is a strong vote of confidence and admiration from our leading industry publications,” said NewBay Media Broadcast & Video Group Vice President & Group Publisher Eric Trabb.
Ralf Schürmann, CEO of arvato Systems S4M GmbH, said arvato Systems’ IT solutions are able to provide effective support for TV, Production and Media enterprises around the world as they respond to the challenges of digital transformation.
www.s4m.arvato-systems.com
