Sony Professional Solutions and tv productioncenter zürich (tpc), Switzerlands largest TV production company and a member of the SRG SSR idée Suisse (Swiss Broadcasting Corporation) group, are entering into a strategic partnership in the area of high definition TV.
The two companies plan to jointly launch the HDTV format in Switzerland and drive forward its development as a top priority. As an initial step, tpc has ordered an HD outside broadcast van for 12 to 24 cameras from Sony. This van will be used for the first time at the 2006 Winter Olympic Games in Turin. After this event, tpc will be aiming to continuously increase the number of programmes recorded in high definition format, including those which fall under the headings of sport and culture.
According to a study recently conducted by British market research institute, The Business Advantage Group, high definition TV (HDTV) is the next big thing for Europe. This also applies to Switzerland where HDTV productions are already made on a monthly basis. To date, these have mostly been commissioned by Japanese or American TV stations and produced using foreign outside broadcast vans. tpc now wants to kit itself out as the first Swiss TV production company for HDTV.
In order to be best equipped for high definition TV, tpc, Schweizer Fernsehens own production company has decided to enter into a long-term strategic partnership with Sony Professional Solutions. As the largest Swiss TV production company, tpc wants to retain the technical leading edge at all times. To ensure that this is the case, Sony will become the main supplier for HDTV equipment with immediate effect. As part of this joint venture, Sony will provide tpc with HD equipment such as cameras, monitors, recording equipment and HD screen mixers.