20 March 2013
Vizrt Ltd. announced today a deal worth USD 950,000 with Thai PBS, the only public broadcasting service in Thailand. The purchase includes a full complement of Vizrt’s broadcast graphics tools for the graphics department, newsroom, control room, and studio.
“Southeast Asia in general, and Thailand especially, have become very sophisticated broadcast markets” commented Martin Burkhalter, Vizrt CEO. “Thai PBS selected Vizrt for its ability to meet the specific demands of this market, our extensive local support capabilities, and because Vizrt has proven to be a trusted partner and a quality brand for broadcasters”
In the design department, designers will work on creating a new look for Thai PBS using Viz Artist, Vizrt’s 3D design platform. Viz Artist will power the channel’s ability to produce daily graphics for news, promotions and the broadcaster’s various Virtual Studios.
The purchase also includes Vizrt’s template-based newsroom workflow driven by Viz Content Pilot. Journalists in the newsroom access graphics templates directly from within their newsroom control systems (NCRS). Once the templates are edited, the journalists build playlists that are then triggered live on-air in the control room using Viz Content Pilot.
The TV network’s studio is driven by Viz Virtual Studio. This virtual set technology allows the network to have complete and flexible creative control of their virtual set content. It also allows templated graphics from the newsroom to be triggered as part of the set.
All graphic content throughout the network is rendered in real-time with Viz Engine.
About Vizrt: Vizrt provides real-time 3D graphics and asset management tools for the broadcast industry – from award-winning animations & maps to online publishing tools. Vizrt’s products are used by the world’s leading broadcasters and publishing houses, including: CNN, CBS, Fox, the BBC, BSkyB, ITN, ZDF, Star TV, Network 18, TV Today, CCTV, NHK, The Globe and Mail, Times Online, The Telegraph, and Welt Online. Furthermore, many world-class production houses and corporate institutions such as the Stock Exchanges in New York and London use Vizrt systems.
20 March 2013
Bloomberg Media Group, a division Bloomberg L.P., and El Financiero, the media branch of Grupo Lauman, an integrated solutions company, today announced a long-term agreement to launch a new multi-platform Spanish-language business news service. The companies will create a high-definition television channel that combines Bloomberg’s global business and financial insight with locally-produced content. The service will be offered in Mexico and Central America. The companies also plan to offer content online, on mobile sites and in print with a co-branded section in El Financiero newspaper.
“Mexico is one of the fastest-growing economies in the world, and our agreement with El Financiero allows Bloomberg to deliver the sharpest global business and financial insight to a critical market,” said Andy Lack, CEO of Bloomberg Media Group. “This is a significant part of the company’s strategy of forming partnerships with leading providers in markets that have a compelling economic growth story, as we have done in India, Turkey, Mongolia, Indonesia, Africa and the Middle East.”
“The new venture with Bloomberg will provide local investors, businessmen and opinion makers, with high-quality, relevant content that moves markets,” said Manuel Arroyo, President and CEO of Grupo Lauman and El Financiero. “We look forward to bringing to the table Mexico’s key influencers to further the discussion around this region’s economic growth.”
Scheduled to launch in late 2013, this will be the first business news channel available in HD throughout Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama. It will be broadcast from El Financiero’s new HD studio in Mexico City. An executive producer from Bloomberg Television will be appointed to work alongside El Financiero to assist in the production of the network’s economic and business coverage. The programming will draw from Bloomberg’s extensive financial and economic data as well as reporting from the company’s 2,400+ journalists in 146 news bureaus across 72 countries.
Mr. Arroyo, along with Enrique Quintana, Chief Editor of El Financiero, will participate in the Bloomberg Mexico Economic Summit on March 21, 2013 at the Club de Banqueros de Mexico. This event gathers the country’s most influential political, financial and corporate minds to discuss the critical issues surrounding the region’s growth.
For more information about the Bloomberg Mexico Economic Summit please visit: http://www.bloomberglink.com/event/mexico-2013/
20 March 2013
arvato Systems will be presenting its customized solution portfolio for the TV and media industry at the 2013 NAB Show in Las Vegas. Represented at booth N4333 alongside its partner, ANNOVA Systems, the IT experts will be providing information about the advantages of its systems for media asset management, TV studio production, and cross-media sales.
The latest trends and technological developments in the fields of film, television, and media are going to be presented at the 2013 NAB Show, the world’s dominant event for media and entertainment professionals, from 8 to 11 April. The event is the most important date in the calendar for anyone involved in the creation, management, broadcast, and monetizing of content. arvato Systems’ main focus at this year’s trade fair will be offering IT solutions to the industry fields of media asset management, studio production, and cross-media sales.
As a MAM tool designed for the most demanding situations, arvato Systems’ Video Production Management System (VPMS) supports industry professionals in creating, managing, editing, and distributing digital video material. An alternative to this comes in the form of the ‘Avamio’ product, which is a compact and high-performance version of media asset management.
The ClipJOCKEY system, which is also going to be presented, is a standalone solution precisely adapted to the core processes in the control room of TV broadcasters and production houses, and is already in operation as a multichannel production tool at stations in both Europe and North America.
arvato Systems is once again able to cover the areas of channel management and media sales with its modular broadcast management system Avatega, and, in doing so, offers a true all-in-one solution. One of the highlights of this year’s presentation is the live demonstration in collaboration with the Swedish company June AB. Avatega users can also benefit from new options, such as video on demand integration, thanks to the inclusion of Comet, a content management platform.
Other specialist areas such as cross-media sales and ad slot optimization are covered by the sales platform AdStore and S4AdOpt, the optimization engine.
The arvato Systems team is looking forward to seeing you at booth N4333. Appointments can easily be arranged ahead of time via email, at corporatesales@s4m.com!
19 March 2013
Bloomberg Television today announces Anna Edwards joins the network as a new London-based co-anchor of ‘Countdown’ with Mark Barton.
Prior to joining Bloomberg, Edwards spent eight years at CNBC Europe co-presenting ‘Squawk Box Europe’, ‘Capital Connection’, ‘European Closing Bell’ and ‘Europe Tonight’. Most recently she was presenting on CNN International.
Malcolm Fried, head of Bloomberg Television, EMEA says: “Before pursuing her career in business and financial news broadcasting, Anna was an equity analyst at UBS. She brings a high level of analysis and perspective to her reporting and has a great deal of relevant experience. Anna is a strong addition to the Bloomberg Television presenting team here in Europe having covered many major global economic and financial events, interviewed countless business leaders and her experience of reporting on the rapidly moving developments in the markets will enhance our current output.”
‘Countdown’ airs on Bloomberg Television from 6am – 8am (UK) offering weekday commentary on the markets, analysing the close of the Asia business day while looking ahead as the markets open in Europe.
Bloomberg Television offers extensive coverage and analysis of international business news and stories of global importance. It is available in more than 310 million households worldwide and reaches the most affluent and influential viewers in terms of household income, asset value and education levels. With production hubs in London, New York and Hong Kong, the network provides 24-hour continuous coverage of the people, companies and ideas that move the markets. www.bloomberg.com/tv
18 March 2013
Peter Limbourg (52) will be the new Director General of Deutsche Welle (DW). The Chairman of the Broadcasting Board Valentin Schmidt announced the decision after a meeting of the supervisory body on March 15, 2013 in Berlin.
Upon the Selection Committee’s recommendation, the 17 members of the Broadcasting Board elected the current Senior Vice President of News and Political Information of ProSiebenSat.1 TV Germany as the successor to Erik Bettermann with a clear majority. Bettermann (68), whose term as DW’s Director General will officially end on September 30, 2013, has been in charge of Germany’s international broadcaster since 2001. During this time, he significantly shaped DW’s strategic realignment.
Valentin Schmidt commented: “Peter Limbourg has outstanding qualifications to further strengthen Deutsche Welle as a modern multimedia company and Germany’s international media presence as a result. He is not only a first-rate journalist with an international background and excellent language skills, but also has extensive managerial experience in the media industry.“
Limbourg thanked the Broadcasting Board for its trust. “To have the opportunity to play such a significant role in how Germany is perceived around the world is a challenge that I will make every effort to meet in the coming years. Ever since my youth, which I spent abroad, Deutsche Welle’s programs have been a valuable part of my life experience. Together with my colleagues, I hope to further enhance Deutsche Welle’s journalistic standing and its multilingual and multimedia programming. Intensifying DW’s cooperation with Germany’s public service broadcasters ARD and ZDF is another goal I have set myself,” said Limbourg.
After his military service, Peter Limbourg studied law in Bonn and passed the First State Examination of Law in 1987. From 1988 to 1989 he completed a journalistic traineeship at the German television news agency Deutsche Fernsehnachrichten Agentur (DFA) in Bonn and London. He worked as a reporter in Leipzig in the former GDR before becoming the Europe and NATO correspondent for DFA and SAT.1 in Brussels in 1990. In 1996 he became the Head of the ProSieben studio in Bonn, and in 1999 was appointed Co-Editor-in-Chief of N24 and Head of the Political Department at ProSieben, a position which he also took on at SAT.1 in 2001. In 2004/5 and 2008/9 Limbourg was the CEO of Pool TV, a joint venture of private television stations in Berlin. From 2008 to 2010 he was the Editor-in-Chief responsible for N24’s programming. He has been anchor of SAT.1 news since 2008 and Senior Vice President of ProSiebenSat.1 TV since 2010.
Limbourg is the jury chairman of the Media Award of the German Bundestag, a jury member for the Axel Springer Prize for Young Journalists as well as an advisor to the Media Commission of the German Bishops’ Conference.
Born in Bonn, Limburg spent his childhood and youth in Rome, Paris, Athens and Brussels. He is married with three children.
18 March 2013
Dailymotion, the world’s second largest video site, has launched its new home entertainment strategy with the release of new and updated apps for Smart TV’s.
Dailymotion’s new internet-connected TV apps and streaming services pull content from users’ Dailymotion web profiles to allow continuous playback, in addition to browsing for new content –providing a ‘lean-back experience’.
The apps will integrate adverts in a way which mimics traditional broadcast advertising, making them less invasive to the viewing experience.
The revamped apps also see improved interfaces, more intuitive navigation and improved search functionality with auto-complete and history, across all of Dailymotion’s streaming platforms. User playlists, subscriptions and personal videos are available directly on the TV app with an option to bookmark favorites for later viewing.
New apps are now available for LG Electronics and Samsung Smart TVs, and updates available for a variety of platforms across the globe, including Orange, Tivo for Ono, Roku and other IPTV and streaming services like Foxxum Smart TV Portal. Dailymotion is working to become compatible with all device sharing protocols, ensuring access to Dailymotion videos on all platforms.
Dailymotion is also working on thematic applications with various platform partners such as Opera TV Store, in order to provide easier and more focused access to premium content hosted on Dailymotion.
The popular ‘featured videos’, available on Dailymotion.com, is now available on the Samsung Smart TV app, enabled with geo-targeting by country and region.
“Connected TVs are becoming increasingly popular, and Dailymotion’s new internet-TV and streaming platform strategy brings our extensive body of content to any home entertainment aficionados,” said Vincent Martin, VP Distribution and Business Development for Dailymotion. “Our goal is to always ensure that viewers have the best possible viewing experience no matter where or how they like to watch.” (Source: Press release)
