13 September 2013
WRN Broadcast and MBC today announce a partnership that sees London’s leading broadcast managed services provider responsible for a range of broadcast services for the Dubai-based commercial broadcasting company.
WRN Broadcast, who secured the deal after initial discussions at NAB 2013, offers tailor-made end-to-end broadcast solutions as well as a comprehensive range of individual services from their four core broadcast areas – Manage, Originate, Deliver and Store – across TV, Radio and Digital. The London-based company has a strong reputation for global broadcasting projects, having worked with NHK World for almost a decade, enabled the launch the East African triple-play provider Zuku and most recently agreed an international distribution deal with UK-based Channel 4’s Box TV.
MBC was the first private free-to-air satellite broadcasting company in the Arab World, launching in London in 1991 and later relocating to UAE (in 2002). The MBC Group network includes both commercial radio and television services and reaches over 77% of MENA satellite households.
Andy Palmer, Group Director of Technical Operations, MBC, said: “WRN Broadcast have been appointed to work with MBC on a number of key projects moving forward. The company’s in-house expertise and leading technology are highly impressive and were a contributing factor to our decision.”
WRN Broadcast has seen consistent business growth over the past five years which has been supported by regular large-scale investment over this time – the most recent being £1m in January this year. This has enabled the company to strengthen and develop existing and emerging technologies and in the process future-proofing their London-based facility, whilst also developing new services such as OTT Delivery and building a dedicated Broadcast Data Centre, all to better support its client’s requirements.
David Treadway, CEO, WRN Broadcast, said: “WRN Broadcast is privileged to work with some of the greatest broadcasters in the world and we’re all thrilled to have the opportunity to include MBC in this as we partner with them on a range of broadcast managed services over the coming years. This project shows how we work with a client to understand their broadcast objectives and how our flexible and fast approach, alongside our expertise in certain key areas, can be used to realise the ambitions of the world’s major broadcasting powers.”
WRN Broadcast’s continued growth and heavy investment has been supported by staff numbers doubling, primarily focused on the operational and engineering teams as well as the dedicated account teams, now under the leadership of Andrew Davies, who joined WRN Broadcast in August from TSL’s Dubai office. (Source: WRN Broadcast press release)
11 September 2013
Further to the recent release announcing the launch of the new UEFA youth club football competition, UEFA announced today that international broadcaster Eurosport has been awarded media rights to the 2013-15 UEFA Youth League.
Eurosport has been awarded the exclusive European media rights to the first-pick match each matchweek. In this respect, Eurosport will produce the first-pick matches (including the semi-finals and final) and broadcast them across its pan-European network of channels (Eurosport or Eurosport 2). As of the semi-finals, the UEFA Champions League rights-holders in the countries of the participating teams will have the possibility to acquire the media rights of the matches co-exclusively with Eurosport.
Eurosport is the first official broadcast partner of the 2013-15 UEFA Youth League, however UEFA Champions League rights holders will also have the opportunity to produce and broadcast UEFA Youth League matches.
Commenting on the awarding of these rights, Guy-Laurent Epstein, marketing director of UEFA Events SA, said: “UEFA is delighted to announce Eurosport as the first rights holder of the 2013-15 UEFA Youth League. UEFA is looking forward to working with Eurosport in order to build and promote this newly created competition. Eurosport’s wide reach and promotional and production expertise are key assets for the exposure of the competition and as a long-term partner of UEFA’s other youth competitions, Eurosport is a natural fit for the UEFA Youth League.“
The first match to be produced and broadcast live on Eurosport will be Manchester United FC v Bayer 04 Leverkusen on 17 September at 17.00 CET.
11 September 2013
Japan International Broadcasting (http://www.jibtv.com/), the distribution company of NHK, and Foxtel, one of Australia’s most dynamic media companies, have announced a new partnership which brings NHK WORLD TV (www.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld) to more than 2 million residential subscribers, as well as commercial subscribers, including hotels, restaurants and hospitals, throughout Australia. The stand-alone, 24-hour, English-language television news and lifestyle network produced by NHK, Japan’s sole public, independent broadcaster, launched on Tuesday, September 3, 2013 on channel 656.
“For several years, we have been watching Foxtel grow to become one of the most exciting and forward-looking media companies in Australia,” said Yoshihiko Shimizu, president and CEO, Japan International Broadcasting. “We are pleased to partner with them to deliver a variety of high-quality and compelling international news and entertainment to their audience.”
NHK WORLD TV provides a 24-hour programming cycle, including the network’s news show, “NEWSLINE.” Complementing Australia and Japan’s shared democratic values, NHK’s objective reporting, particularly in news originating from Asia, provides balance for a more complete perspective on world affairs. The channel also offers a variety of lifestyle and cultural shows, such as “TOKYO EYE,” “Journeys in Japan,” “imagine-nation,” “ASIAN VOICES” and “Dining with the chef,” as well as an assortment of documentaries and specials. “
As Australia’s leading subscription TV platform, Foxtel is always striving to bring the latest and most relevant content to our viewers,” said Richard Freudenstein, CEO, Foxtel. “We recognize Japan as one of Australia’s most important economic partners and are thrilled to work with Japan International Broadcasting to bring vital financial and world news, as well as lively entertainment from Japan and the rest of Asia to our audience.”
NHK WORLD TV is part of Foxtel’s basic subscription package and available on channel 656, which sits among a section of the television dial dedicated to English-language international news networks. The pay-TV company distributes programming via DTH, Cable, IPTV and other services to subscribers throughout Australia. NHK WORLD TV is currently available in 260 million households across 140 countries and regions.
5 September 2013
At IBC 2013, Vizrt, booth 7.A10, will showcase several new solutions for sports broadcasters to enhance their live sports coverage with virtual graphics as well as analyze key plays of the match.
Image-based camera tracking for live sports enhancements
Vizrt will demonstrate a new live image-based camera tracking technology and integration with its live sports enhancement product Viz Arena. Based on state-of-the-art image processing technology that is also applied in Vizrt’s sports analysis system Viz Libero, Viz Arena tracks cameras in real-time based on a clean video feed. This makes it possible to apply graphics to the field without the need of mechanical tracking heads. Live sports enhancements include virtual advertisements, distance measurements, record lines, player pointers, team badges or starting grids. Replay effects are possible using the new EVS integration.
The Harvester – Bridging studio and remote
Another new Vizrt technology showcased at IBC is the Harvester: A component that enables studio access to multi-angle footage of a live production, seamlessly integrated with Viz Libero, Viz Engine, and Viz Media Engine in the broadcast center. The Harvester allows events to be logged of a sport game together with the desired camera angles – from the stands, the studio or from home using a tablet or mobile device. Multi-angle footage will then be instantly encoded and transferred to the studio where it is directly ingested into Viz Libero for rapid and synchronized processing of 3D analysis. Multi-angle data can also be smoothly used by other Vizrt applications, such as Viz Engine for enhanced, multi-angle interactive highlights shows or for archiving the multi-angle data with Viz Media Engine. As a one-box solution in a fully automatic workflow, the Harvester can be easily integrated into any existing OB truck.
Virtual Presenter
The Virtual Presenter will be part of the Viz Virtual Studio demonstration at IBC. The Virtual Presenter places your talent among the players and action on the field of a sport analysis clip and as a unique solution for interactive and immersive post-game shows. It is easily implemented on top of an existing Viz Engine and Viz Libero installation and creates a new way for presenters to be literally on the pitch with the players.
Interactive studio solution for World Cup 2014
The World Cup 2014 in Brazil is fast approaching and at IBC 2013, Vizrt will display an interactive package that covers all aspects of a studio show for the tournament. An interactive Viz Artist scene will be controlled from a touchscreen and iPad and will include pre-game elements like team formations and stadium maps for Brazil, in-game content, such as highlight and analysis clips with telestration, post-game elements like player and team statistics, and the tournament schedule. A series of 3D World Cups stadiums, created by Vizrt partner Rakete, will be part of the Viz Virtual Studio presentation. The complete set of scenes on display at IBC are available for broadcasters to use and are easily customized for a unique look and feel.
Latest sports analysis enhancements
Vizrt will present the new features and workflow improvements in Viz Libero. Viz Libero now offers Virtual SloMo, which uses an advanced image-based algorithm to generate ultra-slow motion (up to 1500 fps) footage rather than relying on high-speed camera systems. Virtual SloMo and other Viz Libero 3D replay tools can be used on any live camera image or remote video feed. Viz Libero also includes in-game 3D virtual sports toolsets geared to motorsports, tennis, cricket, field hockey as well as Australian football. The system already supports many others, such as football, American football, ice hockey, baseball, basketball, and volleyball
3 September 2013
Japan International Broadcasting (JIB) is pleased to announce that NHK WORLD TV is now available in the Middle East and North Africa region (MENA) through Nilesat 201, frequency 12015 MHz (V). Using an OSN box, NHK WORLD TV can be viewed always on Channel 428. The launch of the channel has brought Japanese and Asian news and lifestyle programming to new viewers in MENA.
NHK WORLD TV is NHK’s English-language channel distributed worldwide 24 hours a day. At the top of every hour, NHK WORLD TV has live news programs gathered from 30 bureaus around the world. At the bottom of each hour, a variety of Asian lifestyle and information programs are featured such as the latest Japanese music program “J-MELO”, a forefront technology introductory program “J-TECH Innovation & Evolution”, a travel program “Journeys in Japan” and much more.
OSN is the home of 100 channels filled with great value entertainment, offering viewers in the MENA region exclusive access to the latest news, sports and documentaries.
NHK WORLD TV is an international service provided by Japan’s only public broadcasting network, NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation). Available around the clock in 170 million households spread over 140 countries and regions (as of July 2013.) (Source: JIB press release)
3 September 2013
RRsat Global Communications Network Ltd., leading provider of comprehensive digital content management and global content distribution services to the television and radio broadcasting industry, today announced the acquisition of JCA, a London-based provider of content management services. This acquisition is fully aligned with RRsat’s growth strategy of becoming a global company with local presence in key locations. The acquisition is expected to be accretive to RRsat’s earnings within the first full operational quarter post acquisition.
“This acquisition and the formation of RRsat Europe Ltd. are important milestones in the implementation of our strategy to become a global company with local presence, closer to our clients,” commented Avi Cohen, RRsat CEO. “There are two major aspects to our business: content management and content distribution. While the content distribution aspect involves our state-of-the-art facilities in the U.S. and Israel, content preparation and management requires a local presence working closely with our customers. The addition of JCA’s sophisticated local operation in London will enable RRsat to leverage local talent and provide services specifically for content preparation and content management to customers in Europe. This is an important asset that will expand our scope of services and we are confident that it will enhance our leadership position in the market.”
“The effort to expand our local presence in key markets began with the acquisition of SM2 in 2012. This gave us an expanded local presence in the United States, content management and distribution of lucrative sports events, as well as access to top-tier North American customers,” added Mr. Cohen. “During 2013, we opened an office in Moscow, augmenting our access to customers in Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States. Today, we are establishing a strong foothold in Europe, specifically in London, one of the world’s largest centers for media and broadcasting. The continued execution of this strategy will allow RRsat to expand further, effectively leveraging our global distribution infrastructure.”
Strategic benefits of the JCA acquisition include:
- A solid business with impressive track record of growth, exceeding 400% since JCA was acquired by TVP Group in 2004 reaching revenue of just under $10 million (non-GAAP) during the last year as well as gross margins and profit margins that are consistently higher than RRsat’s.
- A talented management team, with over 30 years of industry experience, which strengthens RRsat’s senior management team. JCA’s Managing Directors, Simon Kay and Nick Pannaman, will remain with the organization as Managing Directors of RRsat Europe Ltd., and will join RRsat’s executive management team, reporting directly to RRsat’s CEO.
- A presence in London, a key strategic market and one of the premier broadcasting centers in the world, providing access to customers in continental Europe.
- A top-tier customer base, including BBC Worldwide, Sony DADC, Shine International, Channel 4, Classic Media, DRG, Film4 as well as access to additional higher tier local broadcasting customers in the U.K. and Europe.
- A broadening of RRsat’s content management capabilities, including expanded content preparation capabilities such as film restoration, ingest and transcoding, content re-versioning, digital platform distribution and its bespoke Media Window providing clients with their own on-line platform.
RRsat is acquiring 100% of TVP Group of which JCA is a wholly owned subsidiary. In consideration for the acquisition, RRsat will pay $9 million in net cash. An additional payment of $4.5 million will be deferred, conditional on business results including revenue growth and profitability in the three years following the acquisition. Management expects the acquisition to be accretive during the fourth quarter this year.
“Once we complete the integration of JCA, we plan to increase its core service and expand its global customer base and services,” added Mr. Cohen. “Our existing client base will benefit from additional sophisticated content preparation services. We plan to take advantage of the experienced local management team and their access to top tier clients in the U.K and Western Europe and offer RRsat’s complete set of content management and global distribution services. Financially, we expect this acquisition to improve our overall profitability.”
RRsat management expects to fund this acquisition using cash on hand and through expected operating cash flow of the acquired entity. (Source: RRsat press release)
