France 24 signs broadcast services contract with Ericsson

PARIS, FRANCE: Ericsson and France 24 have signed a five-year broadcast services contract effective January 1, 2014, following a tender process conducted by the international news and current affairs channel.

A press release said that France 24 has renewed Ericsson's playout management mandate and scheduled the deployment of modernized tools, including new control rooms and HD studios. Modernization will allow France 24 to better meet the needs of the international TV market with enriched content. France 24 broadcasts news 24/7 to 250 million homes around the world in French, English and Arabic.

Partnering with Ericsson for broadcast services will allow France 24 to equip its control rooms with more advanced tools and automated systems, thereby improving quality of service and achieving a double-digit percentage increase in productivity.

France 24 plans to switch to HD during the second half of the year, which will require a complete overhaul of its five studios and production systems during the months to come.

"We are pleased to strengthen our partnership with France 24 and cater to the needs of a leading 24/7 news channel," says Thorsten Sauer, Head of Broadcast Services, Business Unit Global Services, Ericsson. "The state-of-the-art production automation systems put in place by Ericsson will enable France 24 to optimize management of its control rooms and operations."

Ericsson has designed a specific training plan that will continue throughout 2014 to ensure its engineers are well acquainted with the new tools.

This contract further strengthens Ericsson's broadcast services footprint in Europe and France in the field of managed services for television channels.