BBC strikes major playout deal with Ericsson

Ericsson will handle playout and media management for the BBC’s portfolio of UK channels as part of a new seven-year deal with the broadcaster.

The contract includes playout and media management services for BBC One, BBC Two, BBC Four, CBeebies and CBBC and the BBC’s interactive Red Button service.

The deal also includes playout and media management for the BBC’s international news channel, BBC World News, which is available in more than 200 countries.

“We have a very positive relationship with the BBC as a result of our acquisition of Red Bee Media in May 2014, and currently provide a number of other broadcast and media services to the BBC including metadata, interactive services and access services. We look forward to strengthening this relationship further over the coming years,” said Thorsten Sauer, head of broadcast and media services at Ericsson.

Bal Samra, managing director, BBC Television, said the deal provides “excellent value for money” and would guarantee “quality, flexibility and innovation.”

“By extending our partnership with Ericsson we have secured the future delivery of these broadcast critical services and delivered significant savings for the BBC,” said Samra.