BBC TECHNOLOGY AND IBM FORGE ALLIANCE

BBC TECHNOLOGY and IBM have announced an alliance to deliver rich media solutions and services to customers in Europe and the Americas.
The alliance will blend the media technology and production expertise of the BBC’s new commercial subsidiary, BBC Technology Ltd., with IBM’s solution, software and services knowledge. This will provide a dynamic set of skills and capabilities to assist customers as they transform their businesses by implementing digital content production and management of IT infrastructures.
Phillip Langsdale, Chief Executive, BBC Technology, said: “Linking the newly formed BBC Technology with IBM is an exciting opportunity for our mutual customers. The alliance will draw on the BBC’s experience in designing and operating the most advanced media technology in the world. It will broaden the range and scope of solutions we can offer and the skills, which can be drawn on to meet customers’ needs. The extremely complex world of digital and converging media often requires sophisticated solutions.
Dick Anderson, IBM’s General Manager for Media and Entertainment, said: “There is no doubt that the combination of our respective resources and assets will provide a solutions capability second to none. The ability to offer IBM’s digital media solutions and services expertise along with BBC Technology’s well-honed broadcast and internet/infrastructure skills will provide our customers a powerful set of offerings to help them create, manage and distribute digital content.”
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. Initially, the BBC Technology partnership with IBM will focus on the key emerging market segments of digital media production, content management and distributions for television and radio.
For television broadcast, IBM’s Media Productivity Suite (MPS) incorporating IBM and third party software and hardware, consulting and integration services will be linked with BBC Technology’s unmatched technical and video engineering expertise. This offering will enable broadcasters to transform their business, providing a new digital media workflow and data management infrastructure that can support their current and future content production and distribution requirements.
(GB)