Asharq News Expands Cloud DR with Grass Valley AMPP

Grass Valley announces that Asharq News, a multi-platform Arabic news service owned by the Saudi Research & Media Group (SRMG), has expanded its cloud-based disaster recovery capabilities with the deployment of Grass Valley’s AMPP based Playout X and Framelight X solutions.

The move marks a significant step in Asharq’s strategy to strengthen operational resilience through scalable, software-defined broadcast solutions.

Launched in 2020, Asharq News delivers 24/7 news and business coverage for decision-makers, entrepreneurs, and young professionals across the MENA region. Through its exclusive content collaboration with Bloomberg Media, “Asharq Business with Bloomberg,” it provides audiences access to Bloomberg’s global financial reporting network of over 2,700 journalists and analysts.

As part of its continued investment in future-ready infrastructure, the news broadcaster has transitioned from a traditional monolithic playout system to a cloud-native disaster recovery (DR) architecture powered entirely by Grass Valley’s AMPP Agile Media Processing Platform. Asharq initially launched DR channels for its History and Discovery services in June 2025 and followed with a third for its flagship news service in Oct. 2025.

“Our vision is to operate with the highest level of reliability and flexibility across our entire media ecosystem,” says Omran Abdallah, CTO of Asharq News. “Grass Valley’s Playout X solution allows us to ensure business continuity from anywhere in the world, without the dependency on traditional hardware infrastructure. The SaaS model simplifies management and provides the scalability we need to grow with confidence.”

The solution is provided by Grass Valley as a fully hosted offering combining Playout X services and Framelight X services powered by AMPP, with the underlying cloud-hosted compute. It allows Asharq to manage its disaster recovery as a single, predictable monthly SaaS expense without the complexity of personally managing cloud infrastructure. The OPEX-driven model eliminates the need for capital-intensive hardware investments, while delivering robust access, agility, and peace of mind.

“Asharq News has been a pioneer in adopting cloud-native broadcast operations in the region,” says Hany Bartela, VP of Sales for MEA at Grass Valley. “Their continued investment in AMPP demonstrates the real-world advantages of software-defined workflows — from disaster recovery to full-time operations — that scale effortlessly to meet evolving demands.”

The deployment combines Playout X for flexible, cloud-native channel playout and Framelight X for media asset management, providing a unified end-to-end foundation for both live and on-demand content delivery. That enables Asharq to maintain operational continuity and uphold its commitment to delivering real-time, trusted news across its platforms.

The success of this deployment is already influencing broader adoption within the region, with Asharq’s technical leadership exploring further use cases within the business. For Grass Valley, the expansion of its partnership with Asharq showcases its growing presence across the Middle East and its continued collaboration with SRMG and Asharq in driving digital transformation in broadcast operations.

Learn more about Grass Valley’s cloud-native solutions at FOMEX in Riyadh, Feb. 2-4, Booth 107-108.