BBC TECHNOLOGY ANNOUNCE ACQUISITION OF INTEL

THE BBC's new commercial subsidiary BBC Technology have announced the acquisition of Intel's European streaming capacity, which will strengthen significantly the new company's business capabilities.
BBC Technology, which commenced trading less than a month ago, also announced the formation of three alliances with key technology companies, Global Crossing, IBM and Sun Microsystems.
The expansion of BBC Technology's capacity to provide media rich streaming solutions involves buying a capacity to offer up a further 25,000 concurrent streams from the purpose built Intel Internet Media Services centre in Reading, England. This Internet Broadcasting Operations Centre includes a range of new equipment which can provide comprehensive ingest, edit, re-purposing, streaming and customer demonstration. The extension of the business includes the purchase of equipment, software and recruitment of key personnel from Intel.
Philip Langsdale, Chief Executive, BBC Technology, said: "By acquiring Intel's capacity for media rich streaming we are sending a strong message that we mean business. While continuing to service all the technological requirements of one of the world's most sophisticated broadcasters, we are positioning ourselves to draw in new customers who can benefit from the expertise acquired in supporting BBC programming on all platforms. There is no doubt that the Internet is here to stay and we believe that customers will turn to a company which has experience, stature and robustness."
The alliance between BBC Technology and Global Crossing Media & Entertainment Markets, will offer the worldwide media and entertainment business community a platform on which to create and connect.
IBM and BBC Technology plan to market their combined digital media solutions and skills through their respective sales channels. This will include providing commercial consulting and integration services to customers and leveraging the respective solutions, extensive web/content hosting and outsourcing services.
The alliance between BBC Technology and Sun Microsystems will help media, network and enterprise companies leverage their digital and legacy assets more effectively. It will combine the leading edge industry expertise in BBC Technology with Sun Microsystems' established position in Enterprise, IP and Service Provider solutions. (CD)