The past year has proved one of the busiest we have experienced in over three decades of supplying broadcast-related consultancy, systems and services. A key reason was our ambition to become a globally active group rather than concentrating totally on our Scandinavian base territories.
The first step in this strategy was the acquisition of UK-based ATG Broadcast in September 2006. This was a merger that helped both parties, given ATG Broadcast’s substantial presence in the UK, mainland Europe and the Asia Pacific region.
More recently we have formed divisions in Asia (Danmon Asia Ltd, based in Hanoi), the Middle East (ATG Middle East, based at Dubai Media City) and Spain (Datos Media Technologies S.A, based in Madrid). We also have a close working relationship with our sister companies within the Dan Technologies group including the satcom systems specialist Hiltron GmbH in Germany and various Danmon partners across Scandinavia.
To emphasise the integration and tidy up the labeling, ATG Broadcast officially rebranded ATG Danmon as of this IBC. This acknowledges the company’s geographic base, just north of London, but will certainly not restrict its international capabilities.
Amidst all the IBC-related talk about acquisition formats, delivery channels, OTT, mobile reception and so on is the most important ingredient: good programmes. Without these, people stop watching television at home and listening to radio in their cars.
The many flavours of catch-up TV on the web have their place but are no substitute for professionally produced live reporting, well-researched documentaries and creative drama. Much of our activity is centred on designing and building the facilities to sustain this core of the entire television business.
Among many successful projects since IBC2013, we have completed a green-field complex for Lào Cai Radio & Television, Vietnam. The facilities provided include a studio stage with a multi-tiered auditorium, a news studio, a multi-function studio, news production control suite, post production suites and a continuity suite.
Built around a full high definition core, the station can handle any signal format and any aspect ratio. The facilities we provided include dedicated outputs for terrestrial and satellite delivery as well as streaming both via video-over-IP and to mobile viewing platforms. The new broadcast centre is equipped for live production as well as file-based editing, archiving and playout.
We recently commenced work on a major contract to build a high-profile production facility in London for a major Middle-East-based news channel. This is a total new-build which is scheduled to go on air just a few weeks from now. The project is being completed in co-operation with our ATG Danmon UK colleagues and will be a real showpiece of modern file-based production, content-management and playout technology.
In Greenland, we have completed relocation of state broadcaster KNR’s entire facility to new buildings. This project was managed in two phases over nine weeks and carefully co-ordinated to ensure that transmissions could continue as normal throughout.
Working in partnership with Danmon Systems Group in its systems integration role allows new ideas to be implemented as real systems quickly and coherently. Come see us at IBC. We are happy to help.
