Alarab News Channel Automates with Imagine Communications
Story Highlights
Imagine Communications has been awarded a contract to supply an integrated media traffic, planning and scheduling system for Alarab News Channel, a new broadcaster based in Bahrain. Alarab TV will join the highly competitive news market in the Middle East in early 2015, and has selected Imagine Communications software to help launch and manage a cost-effective, seamless, robust and efficient workflow for managing their operations.
For Alarab TV, Mr. Jamal Khashoggi, editor-in-chief and General Manager said, “Our goal is to change the way news is broadcast in the Middle East, bringing the news that matters to our viewers in a completely fresh way. Imagine Communications’ software will help us meet that goal.”Imagine Communications’ advertising management platform will be used by Alarab TV for detailed scheduling of both program content and commercials, as well as advertising sales. The tight integration of traffic and sales information helps maximise monetization opportunities through detailed management analytics and efficient workflows. Seamless interfacing and data exchange with third-party automation and asset management systems enables Imagine Communications’ media software applications to drive Alarab’s entire transmission operation, directing playout while simplifying content management workflows.
“Alarab is the most anticipated television channel launch in the Middle East for many years, and we are excited to be a part of it,” said Bob Lamb, Product Management of Imagine Communications’ Media Software Portfolio. “Alarab recognizes that to be effective in the broadcast arena as a news provider, you need to manage operations as simply as possible. By implementing our integrated media software system, they will be positioned to realize those efficiencies through secure, streamlined and flexible operations.”
Imagine Communications Receives Technology and Engineering Emmy Award
Imagine Communications has been recognized with a Technology and Engineering Emmy Award at the 66th Annual Technology & Engineering Emmy Awards for breakthroughs in “Standardization and Productization of JPEG2000 (J2K) Interoperability.”
This is Imagine Communications’ ninth Emmy recognition and was presented in a joint ceremony with the Television Academy during the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas.
“We are thrilled that our deep commitment and involvement in creating open standards and facilitating interoperability between industry innovators has been recognized by NATAS,” said Charlie Vogt, CEO of Imagine Communications. “These core tenets of our technology vision empower customers to maximize their investments in existing infrastructure and workflows while migrating to an IP future based on open standards and industry interoperable solutions. Imagine Communications’ early involvement in the Video Services Forum makes this acknowledgment of our work creating a multivendor, open standard for JPEG2000 especially meaningful.”
At NAB 2014, Imagine Communications introduced JPEG2000 to its leading Selenio Media Convergence Platform (MCP) for best-in-class compression over IP. The Selenio MCP is the platform of choice for media companies needing a multipurpose convergence solution to efficiently manage today’s baseband and hybrid operations – allowing migration to the future while protecting their current technology investments.
“The National Academy’s Technology and Engineering Achievement Committee is pleased to honor these technology companies and individuals whose innovation and vision have materially affected the way the audience views television and have set the standard for technological excellence in the industry,” said committee Chairman, Robert P. Seidel, Vice President of CBS Engineering and Advanced Technology and Chairman, Engineering Achievement Committee, NATAS.
Jeopardy! game show icon Alex Trebek and Yahoo Tech star David Pogue, will host the 66th Annual Technology & Engineering Emmy Awards, which honor development and innovation in broadcast technology and recognize companies, organizations and individuals for breakthroughs in technology that have a significant effect on television engineering. This event marks the ninth consecutive year that the Technology and Engineering Emmy Awards have been presented during CES and the first time that NATAS and the Television Academy have merged their Engineering Awards ceremonies. The reception and presentation will take place in the Bellagio Ballroom at the Bellagio in Las Vegas.
