France 24 and Ericsson have signed a five-year broadcast services contract effective 1 January 2014, following a tender process conducted by the international channel. France 24 has renewed Ericsson’s playout management mandate and scheduled the deployment of updated tools, including new control rooms and HD studios. France 24 broadcasts news 24/7 to 250 million homes around the world in French, English and Arabic.
The partnership will allow France 24 to equip its control rooms with more advanced tools and automated systems with the aim of improving quality of service and achieving a double-digit percentage increase in productivity. The broadcaster 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,” said 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 optimise management of its control rooms and operations.”
Ericsson has also designed a specific training plan for its engineers that will continue throughout 2014.
