2 March 2010
Vizrt Ltd., a leading provider of content production tools for the digital media industry, today announced that its Board of Directors has approved in principle the purchase of the remaining 71.01% of the issued share capital of privately held Adactus A.S. (“Adactus”). The deal values Adactus at NOK 30 million (approx. USD 5.1 M). Vizrt currently holds 28.99% of the issued share capital of Adactus, with the first investment made in September 2005 as a commitment for joint development projects.
The proposed transaction is subject to a financial, legal and commercial due diligence review to the satisfaction of Vizrt and reaching an agreed upon definitive agreement with Adactus’ shareholders. The Board of Directors of Vizrt has authorized the management of Vizrt to conclude the proposed transaction based on the above guidelines.
Adactus has developed a multimedia delivery platform based on the newly-evolving ISO standard, MPEG-21, as well as a mobile content gathering and delivery solution.
The proliferation of mobile and other content access devices, such as smart phones, tablet PCs and smart TVs, means that content has to be delivered in conformity with the different (screen)formats and capabilities of each of these devices. Adactus was founded with these requirements in mind, and the company has developed the tools that are needed to serve this fragmented market. The Company’s solutions ensure that, for instance, the video you see on your Nokia mobile is optimized for that device, and that people using the iPhone can get that same video, from the same source, in a size and quality that is optimized for their screen.
Significant resources have been spent by content providers on testing various solutions available to meet with this need to deliver content to various mobile terminals each with different specifications. Turner from the US (CNN, Cartoon Network, etc) and Norway’s NRK are two of the many companies that have selected Adactus as their video delivery platform.
Another aspect of Adactus’s business is their content gathering solution, where journalists (or private individuals) record and gather content on their mobile phone and deliver this to news organizations, enabling many exclusives and breaking news content where otherwise there would be no content.
Bjarne Berg, Vizrt’s CEO, stated, “The market for content delivery to mobile terminals is increasing in importance and is fast growing. Fully integrating this capability with Vizrt’s other content production and distribution capabilities, allows further strengthens our offering to content delivery houses. They know, as we do, that offering the best viewing experience is critical to growing market share and related revenues.”
He continues, “The decision to acquire the rest of Adactus was an easy one. We have worked with the Company for some time, already hold a significant stake and have two serving Board members. As a result, we know Adactus, its capabilities and markets well. Following satisfactory due diligence and Board approval of the take-over, we therefore anticipate a smooth integration with Vizrt’s operations.”
2 March 2010
Radio Netherlands Worldwide is sending a complete mobile radio station to the disaster area in Haiti. The Commonwealth Broadcasting Association (CBA), a global umbrella organisation of broadcasters and a partner of RNW, will take delivery of the radio station. The CBA was approached for help by Caribbean contacts and will send the equipment to the CECOSIDA radio station in Port-au-Prince.
As the Dutch international public broadcaster, RNW regards it as part of its remit to provide a country which has been so badly hit by disaster with technical services support.
RNW General Director Jan Hoek: There are virtually no radio stations still operating in Port-au-Prince. People there are cut off from every form of information. By providing the CBA with the requisite broadcasting equipment RNW is helping to facilitate the search for family members and inform people where they can get free medical care, water and food.
Radio in a box
The mobile radio station, also known as the radio in a box, was specially constructed for use in countries where radio transmitters have been partially or completely destroyed by a disaster. The radio station, less than a cubic metre in size, is equipped with an FM transmitter, a mixing console, microphones, a CD player and a laptop computer. Once the transmitters in Haiti are largely operational again the mobile station will be returned to the Netherlands.
Indonesia
Following the earthquake in Padang, Indonesia, in September last year, we sent a ‘radio in a box’ to Sumatra. RNWs partner stations were highly successful using it to get the flow of information started again. At present the radio transmitter there is being used for post disaster information provision, such as trauma healing for children.
Apart from providing a mobile radio station, RNWs transmitter in Bonaire is being used to broadcast Creole radio programmes from the Voice of America.
24 February 2010
The AIB covered, in its recent edition of The Channel magazine, the International News Safety Institute’s figure of 130 journalists and support staff killed trying to cover the news in 2009.
But new stories from 2010 are once again highlighting the risks for journalists from various dangers. From Haiti reports indicate the death of 26 journalists while Radio Free Europe has the story of a Russian journalist’s death in police custody.
Meanwhile the identification of a photographer among the bodies from the Maguindanao massacre in the Philippines takes last’s death toll yet higher.
These are further reminders, if we needed any, of the debt we owe to those who often risk their lives to help us to make sense of our world.
22 February 2010
AIB is participating in the RadioAsia2010 conference in New Delhi from 22-24 February.
Simon Spanswick, AIB CEO, is chairing the “Top of the Market” session on Tuesday 23rd and is on the panel to discuss “Change Management in the Radio Industry” on Wednesday 24th.
In addition Simon will be attending other sessions and having discussions with key delegates. A briefing will be made available to AIB members after the event. Simon’s comments on the conference can also be tracked in realtime on the AIBnews Twitter account.
RadioAsia2010 Conference brings together leading radio media practitioners, communication specialists, policy makers and academics from across the Asia-Pacific and beyond. With a focus on India, Radio Asia 2010 explores the diversity of the radio scene in Asia, where
new technologies and broadcast regulation regimes are providing greater choices for the radio
industry to become both entertainers and educators of the community. For further details of the conference click here.
The AIB trip to South Asia also involves meetings with key regional broadcasters as part of AIB’s promotion of the 1GOAL campaign to broadcasters across the world.
16 February 2010
1GOAL mobile campaign has Royal launch
In a hard-hitting and passionate speech, HM Queen Rania told an audience of
mobile executives about the need for the industry to support the 1GOAL campaign
that aims to secure primary education for the 72million children worldwide who
miss out at the present.
At Mobile World Congress, HM Queen Rania told more than 1,400 people gathered
in the auditorium that the US$16million spent annually on mobile gambling could
pay for one years education for all the children currently out of school.
1GOAL will be running a major mobile campaign over the months leading up to
the FIFA World Cup, and AIB is contributing to the campaign on the broadcast
side. We are facilitating meetings with broadcasters to get air-time
committed to 1GOAL which will be asking citizens worldwide to sign-up to the
campaign in order to exert pressure on politicians to get the worlds
education-less kids into school.
In New Delhi in late February, AIB will be introducing 1GOAL to radio and
TV broadcasters from across Asia.
9 February 2010
Al Jazeera Network announced its strategic plans for the next three years at a dinner for over 500 staff and attended by of board of directors and 25 heads of foreign bureaus at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Doha on the 7th February 2010. Entitled COMPASS 2012 This large-scale project is geared towards consolidating the content produced by all Al Jazeera channels and promoting creativity, strategic positioning in the global media industry, and a dynamic environment for Al Jazeera staff to take the Network into the future.
During the past decade journalism has undergone enormous challenges and many changes. As a result news gathering and in-depth journalism has declined worldwide. Compass 2012 aims to consolidate Al Jazeeras content and extend Al Jazeeras standard of professional journalism on all levels. It will widen Al Jazeeras newsgathering reach in order to enhance the networks capacity to cover stories first hand, and to continue to bring original and challenging journalism to the networks viewers.
Sheikh Hamad bin Thamer al-Thani, Chairman of board of directors of Al Jazeera Network officially launched the Compass 2012 project which seeks to encapsulate the Spirit of Al Jazeera across the Network while continuing to build the Networks global audience and penetrate new markets , new regions, and new media platforms. Compass 2012 will seek to establish global benchmarks for independent, trusted, and credible news and information.
Wadah Khanfar Director General of the Al Jazeera Network said The goal of this initiative is to continue to make Al Jazeera Network one of the leading players in the industry and to set the gold standard in robust international news coverage. Starting in 2010, the Network has an unprecedented opportunity to cement its status as a market leader and to become the leading provider of trusted news and information content in the world.
The event saw the announcement of three new departments to develop and implement the overall goals of Compass 2012: Corporate Development, Editorial Development and Media Development departments which are headed respectively by Dr. Abdulaziz Al-Horr, Ibrahim Helal, and Al Anstey.
