Leading satellite services company GlobeCast announced on 20 April the launch of a new online broadcast playout facility with Miracle, an Arabic language satellite television channel that broadcasts to viewers in the Middle East, North Africa, the Arabian Peninsula and Europe via Hot Bird.
Developed in-house by GlobeCasts system architects, the online hard-drive playout facility will enable Miracle to create and manage its own programming schedules via the internet. Miracle can now send content direct to GlobeCasts secure server and plan playout up to four weeks in advance. This negates the need for traditional satellite backhaul and also reduces man-hours Miracle previously employed to perform the initial playout. With the benefit of an individually tailored interface, Miracle is also able to make last minute alterations to its programming prior to broadcast.
Once content is received and stored on GlobeCasts server, Miracles newly extended 12 hour programming schedule is automatically played out to a multiplex for uplink from GlobeCasts London teleport to Hot Bird 6, to a potential community of 100 million viewers. Miracle is now able to economically send programming blocks from its headquarters in Norway to the GlobeCast multiplex in the UK.
Ranjan Thakre, General Manager, Miracle said: GlobeCasts new internet playout service means we have a cost-effective method of loading programme blocks on to GlobeCasts server well ahead of time, while retaining the flexibility to intervene and modify the blocks via the web, right up to the time of playout. We are very impressed with the user-friendly interface developed by GlobeCast and look forward to expanding the service further, as we explore new opportunities.
Juliet Bayliss, Head of UK Channel Distribution, GlobeCast said: Our new hard-drive playout service entirely compliments GlobeCasts existing full service playout facilities, and will revolutionise broadcasting for smaller channels looking for real cost savings. We are delighted to be launching this service with Miracle and to be supporting the channels continued growth. By developing a fully flexible service in-house we are able to work with broadcasters by developing an internet package that is entirely unique and meets individual requirements. We look forward to offering our playout service to new customers in the near future.