BBC World Service chooses IBIS for Arabic Channel

BBC World Service will be launching a new channel - BBC Arabic TV in autumn 2007, broadcasting in Arabic to 22 countries across the Middle East from a 1.8 million euro tapeless facility.
IBIS playout applications have been chosen for 24 hour news transmission playout from two BBC studios, integrating with Omneon Spectrum media servers, DaletPlus News Suite and an AP ENPS newsrooms system.
Each studio will have two IBIS ServerPlay applications. One four channel ServerPlay will be used for the main playout using rundowns sent from ENPS via MOS. The other ServerPlay will be used for backgrounds, loops and any other clip playout required which has not been scheduled via an ENPS rundown. Both a main and standby MOS gateway to ENPS are included.
Two IBIS ServerBase applications, one main and one failover, will provide Media management for the Omneon Spectrum media servers servers and additional MOS interfacing for both studios.
Graphics will be provided by a VizRT system, which will be interfaced to the IBIS ServerPlay using the BBC ‘BigTed’ interface.
The BBC has been broadcasting in Arabic since 1938 and already has a measured audience of over 14 million on Radio and Online across the Middle East and North Africa.
The TV service, due to launch in the autumn of 2007, will be the first publicly funded international television service launched by the BBC.
It will be editorially independent in line with BBC’s long-held reputation for impartial, trustworthy news reporting and analysis.
Research from seven capital cities across the Middle East indicates that between 80 and 90% of those surveyed are likely to watch an Arabic Television service from the BBC.
(SP)