IMG and Forbidden have signed a three-year extension to enable the sports producer to continue using the Blackbird Cloud video platform.
This agreement is Forbidden’s first multi-year contract with IMG, which the company says is worth a six-figure sum over the term.
IMG’s UK digital production team will employ Blackbird to rapidly clip, edit and publish live sports video content to IMG’s own content delivery network, as well as its partners’ online platforms. Blackbird will be used to create highlights packages and clips across a range of sports including leading European football leagues, La Liga and Serie A, EuroLeague Basketball, and the European Volleyball League.
The producer distributes more than 32,000 hours of content annually to major global broadcasters across all forms of media – including TV, audio, fixed media, inflight and closed circuit, broadband and mobile.
Forbidden CEO, Ian McDonough, said: “We are delighted that IMG, one of our key customers, has chosen to extend and expand its partnership with Forbidden for another three years. This agreement is a testament to the service levels we provide and an endorsement of our market-leading Blackbird technology, which offers editing agility and fast processing of live content in the Cloud. Blackbird is gaining traction in Europe and particularly, North America, where we work with leading companies in sports and media. We look forward to continuing to work closely with IMG’s UK digital production team as they provide sports fans with the content they demand.”
