Finnish media company MTV has signed a five-year agreement with Ericsson to provide media and broadcast services, including media management, playout and studio facilities management.
Ericsson will provide these services for MTV and other customers from a purpose-built media hub in Helsinki, Finland. Under the terms of the agreement, 45 skilled broadcast services professionals will be transferred from MTV to Ericsson.
MTV broadcasts news and entertainment 24 hours a day and is owned by the Swedish Bonnier Group, which is present in 16 countries.
“We have selected Ericsson as a strategic partner because the company is a strong international player that has invested heavily in the TV industry,” said Heikki Rotko, CEO of MTV. “Our decision is also based on the success of a similar collaboration between TV4 – another Bonnier Group subsidiary – and Ericsson in Sweden for the past five years.”
Ericsson has provided broadcast and media services to TV4 Group since 2009. In addition, Ericsson and TV4 Group have established a joint technology and business development forum, whereby the two companies evaluate new business opportunities.
Joachim Bergman, head of playout and media management at Ericsson Broadcast and Media Services, said “This agreement and the media hub in Helsinki will strengthen Ericsson’s broadcast and media services business, which began in 2007 with the signing of our first broadcast services deal with C More (formerly Canal+) in the Nordic region, and is expanding rapidly.”
