Ericsson to acquire Red Bee Media
July 1, 2013 08.44 Europe/London By Julian Clover
Red Bee MediaEricsson has made another big stride into the media services sector with the announcement that it is to acquire Red Bee Media.
The former BBC Broadcast division has 1,500 staff in the UK and Australia. It was spun off from the BBC in 2005 and bought by a Macquarie-backed venture, specially established for the acquisition.
“Ericsson is making a step change to our business, cementing our commitment to TV and broadcast services and continuing a journey we started in 2007,” says Magnus Mandersson, executive vice president and head of Business Unit Global Services, Ericsson. “We can create value for broadcasters by making digital content more accessible, enabling monetization of TV content more efficiently. Video traffic shows very strong uptake in the mobile networks and Ericsson can address the need of both broadcasters and telecom operators through our technology expertise and services capabilities.”
Red Bee maintains contracts with the BBC, as well as providing services for companies including Canal+, Chellomedia and Channel 4, amongst others. There are also facilities in France, Germany, Spain.
The company runs media asset management to playout and digital video publishing, metadata services, multilingual access services and creative services to major broadcasters and broadband platforms. Red Bee Media is also the largest editorial metadata provider in Europe, delivers more than 100,000 hours of subtitling per year for leading broadcasters.
Ericsson has been gradually building its interest in media services. Last year it acquired the Technicolor playout business for €19 million, having previously secured the TV4 facility in Stockholm.
July 1, 2013 08.44 Europe/London By Julian Clover
Red Bee MediaEricsson has made another big stride into the media services sector with the announcement that it is to acquire Red Bee Media.
The former BBC Broadcast division has 1,500 staff in the UK and Australia. It was spun off from the BBC in 2005 and bought by a Macquarie-backed venture, specially established for the acquisition.
“Ericsson is making a step change to our business, cementing our commitment to TV and broadcast services and continuing a journey we started in 2007,” says Magnus Mandersson, executive vice president and head of Business Unit Global Services, Ericsson. “We can create value for broadcasters by making digital content more accessible, enabling monetization of TV content more efficiently. Video traffic shows very strong uptake in the mobile networks and Ericsson can address the need of both broadcasters and telecom operators through our technology expertise and services capabilities.”
Red Bee maintains contracts with the BBC, as well as providing services for companies including Canal+, Chellomedia and Channel 4, amongst others. There are also facilities in France, Germany, Spain.
The company runs media asset management to playout and digital video publishing, metadata services, multilingual access services and creative services to major broadcasters and broadband platforms. Red Bee Media is also the largest editorial metadata provider in Europe, delivers more than 100,000 hours of subtitling per year for leading broadcasters.
Ericsson has been gradually building its interest in media services. Last year it acquired the Technicolor playout business for €19 million, having previously secured the TV4 facility in Stockholm.