17 December 2013
RRsat Europe Ltd., the European arm of RRsat Global Communications Network Ltd., a leading provider of digital content management and global distribution services, has recently restored the film ‘Victim’ for ITV Studios Global Entertainment. The cult classic 1961 British film stars Dirk Bogarde as a prominent lawyer who risks his career to hunt down a blackmailer. The film is notable for being the first British language film to use the word ‘homosexual’ (the first film itself to use the word being a German-language film in 1919).
ITV Studios Global Entertainment sourced the necessary elements and delivered them to RRsat Europe’s facility in West London, for preparation, cleaning, scanning and restoration (both audio and video). The specialist team at RRsat Europe set to work on the 35mm Original Negative and 35mm Finegrain, which due to the age of the film had some inherent problems, such as badly tram-lined sections and fluid damage.
The end result was Super 2K scans of both restored and unrestored elements preserved for future access. The team restored the film to such a good extent that on the re-release as a DCP, it was described on the BFI website as an “immaculate restoration”.
Rod Carter, Head of Operations for ITV Studios Global Entertainment commented: “This film is a significant piece of British film history. We were concerned therefore, with ensuring that it was restored to a level that meant it was preserved for future generations.
“We have worked with RRsat Europe for a number of years now, and they have delivered some excellent projects, such as the Prime Suspect restoration last year. So they have demonstrated the necessary technical expertise and service required to restore a culturally valuable project such as this.”
Matt Bowman, commercial director, RRsat Europe, added: “As with most older content such as Victim, there are a number of problems that arise with the elements due to their age. Using a number of techniques, the team painstakingly scanned, cleaned and assembled the new film to a point that suited this British classic.
“We’re incredibly proud to work on such classics to ensure that the legacy of British film makers is viewed in the manner in which it was intended.”
29 November 2013
If you are interested in distributing your content to top cable platforms in Asia, RRsat’s new C-band DVB-S2 platform on AsiaSat 5, the most trusted contribution satellite for the Asian market, is now available at special prices.
Positioned at 100.5˚E, AsiaSat 5 comprehensive C-band footprint covers Asia and Australia and is the satellite of choice for all major Asian terrestrial broadcasters cable networks and pay TV platforms – serving millions of households.
The prime platform is used for contribution of top tier channels such as Fox Channels, TVE, FTV, APTN, Rai, Playboy and many others as well as for contribution and distribution of major live and sports events in Asia.
Thanks to the unique location of its Middle East broadcast facility and teleport, RRsat offers a convenient one-hop delivery solution via its AsiaSat 5 platform from Europe to Asia and vice versa. RRsat completes the solution with its comprehensive content management, preparation and playout services.
RRsat broadcast solution with AsiaSat 5 C-band platform highlights:
- Asia’s most established and powerful satellite platform
- Allows instantaneous access to all major Asian cable and pay TV platforms
- Wide footprint includes Asia and Australia
- One-hop delivery from Europe to Asia and Asia to Europe from RRsat’s Middle East broadcast facility
- End-to-end solution including comprehensive content management and playout services (Source: RRsat press release) www.rrsat.com
17 September 2013
RRsat Global Communications Network Ltd. (NASDAQ: RRST), a leading provider of comprehensive digital content management and global distribution services to the television and radio broadcasting industry, announced today that it has been selected by Synterra Media, the largest Media Content Logistics operator in Russia, to distribute live broadcasts of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) season games through April 2014. Synterra Media was selected by KHL to distribute live KHL game broadcasts internationally and will continue its partnership with RRsat for the European distribution, which was initiated last year.
To support the HD transmissions from Synterra Media’s Moscow headquarters to RRsat’s Middle East facility, RRsat created a dedicated fiber connection comprising five parallel fiber lines. From its state-of-the-art facility, RRsat will distribute live content through a syndicated channel as well as ad hoc requests, to millions of European viewers via the RRsat capacity on Eutelsat E10A satellite. Transmissions will utilize HD video and DVB-S2 modulation to ensure a superior viewing experience.
“Synterra Media is pleased to choose RRsat as a distribution partner for the second year and to expand our relationship to include support for ad hoc requests,” said Valery Krylov, General Director of Synterra Media. “RRsat’s winning combination of state-of-the-art distribution solutions, around-the-clock technical support and excellent service enables KHL fans across Europe to experience exciting hockey matches seamlessly, in real time.”
“RRsat’s enhanced ability to deliver sports and live event programming, thanks to our top-of-the-line infrastructure, global facilities and commitment to providing 24/7 support, make us the ideal distribution partner for sports content,” said Lior Rival, Chief Commercial Officer of RRsat. “We are glad that Synterra Media recognizes RRsat’s expertise and has decided to continue partnering with us for the distribution of KHL broadcasts for a second year. “ (Source: RRsat 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)
28 May 2013
Swire Pacific Offshore (SPO), a Singapore-based leading service provider to the offshore oil and gas industry, is upgrading to Inmarsat’s FleetBroadband (FB) Unlimited plan. The “all-you-can-eat” service will be provided on 65 of SPO’s vessels by Inmarsat partner Station711, the mobile satellite arm of RRsat Global Communications Network Ltd. (NASDAQ: RRST) and Inmarsat service provider SMTS.
SPO’s decision to upgrade from its previous FB 5GB service was driven by the need to further enhance operational efficiency across its fleet and support the growing demand for increasingly important crew welfare services beyond basic email. “Reliable communications with good through-put rates is of great importance in our industry,” said Colin Payne, HR Director for Swire Pacific Offshore. “The upgrade to FB Unlimited from our current FB 5GB plan is expected to meet the immediate needs of the ever growing demand for connectivity to friends, family and shore-based management.
“New technologies are increasingly ‘bandwidth hungry’ and while we have enjoyed excellent download and upload speeds with our FB 5GB service, to remain competitive and to deliver enhanced crew welfare, we needed to increase data allowances whilst keeping strong cost controls in place. FleetBroadband Unlimited gives us the confidence to drive even greater efficiencies without having to continually monitor our usage levels.
“FB Unlimited will assist in areas such as purchasing, and encouraging officers and others to use internal and external online services to support the management needs of the vessel. Additionally, it meets the growing demands of our customers who require robust and data heavy communication with our vessels 24/7,” continued Colin Payne.
Crew welfare was probably the most important consideration for the upgrade. SPO provides internet access free-of-charge to all members of the crew, averaging 15 persons per vessel. SPO has also allocated an adequate number of computer terminals to ensure that everyone gets a chance to go online during the day. “With unlimited access to the internet, we can allow the crew to connect with their family and friends through email and social media platforms,” commented Payne.
Frank Coles, President, Inmarsat Maritime said: “Partners like RRsat Group have been helping to change the face of communication services for the maritime industry with innovative services like smart@sea. We continually look at ways in which we can support them by providing greater value to our award-winning FleetBroadband service. SPO’s decision to upgrade to FB Unlimited is a testament to the quality and popularity of the service. FB Unlimited is another way in which we are empowering vessel owners and operators to take advantage of the latest on-board technologies, confident in the knowledge that their communications costs are fixed.”
Ohad Har-Lev, Managing Director Mobile Satellite Services, RRsat said: “Maritime broadband services have opened up a wide range of commercial, operational and personal crew communication uses. The ongoing and challenging economic environment for the shipping industry has driven the need for efficient and cost effective satcom solutions. FB Unlimited, along with the enhanced smart@sea solution, allows SPO to manage its communication costs, while meeting the growing demand for bandwidth.”
The upgrade agreement for SPO comprises SAILOR FB500 terminals, on-going maintenance and support services, as well as Station711’s smart@sea communication gateway, which was originally installed as part of the FB 5GB contract awarded back in 2011.
SMTS will conduct surveys of all SPO’s vessels before carrying out the installation of the antennas and FleetBroadband terminals, as well as the on-board Local Area Networks (LANs). Station711 will provide the satcom management and control toolset based on its DPlatform solution. This is in addition to smart@sea for Unified Threat Management (UTM) security, the crew welfare voice and data module, IP traffic real-time compression, acceleration, caching and filtering, shore-side unified POP facility providing a centralised management interface, and a powerful control system.
About Station 711
Being the mobile satellite arm of RRsat Global Communications Network Ltd. (NASDAQ: RRST), Station 711 provides communications solutions to the maritime, terrestrial and aviation markets. As Inmarsat’s 4th generation distribution partner, with our own LES for existing and evolved Inmarsat services and via our own global teleports and fibre optics network, Station 711 has you covered to guarantee seamless global communications anywhere, anytime. The Station 711 platform, based on the most advanced technologies, can be integrated into yours existing communications infrastructures. This unique capability results in significant cost and resource savings.
