IABM member companies step up to Stand with Ukraine with boycotts of media equipment to Russia

IABM member companies have taken advantage of IABM’s Stand with Ukraine initiative that launched on 10 March to announce their backing for boycotts of media technology equipment supply and support to Russia, and in many cases to pledge funding for humanitarian efforts in the region.

2wcom, Accedo, Argosy, Avid, Cobalt Digital, Codemill, Eon Media, farmerswife, Hi Tech Systems, Imagine Products, Lynx Technik, Mediaproxy, Newsbridge, Nextologies, Octopus Newsroom, Ross, Squared Paper, Techex, Telestream, Utah Scientific, Videon, and x.news have all announced that they stand with Ukraine. Organisations outside the IABM family, including Beam Dynamics, BNNRC, Lumina, Source Elements, TVB Europe and Videstra, have also joined the pledge. The list of supporting companies continues to grow; pledges of support can be made here or by emailing [email protected].

Some member companies have gone further. For example, Octopus Newsroom has pledged to support, “any organisation or outlet that aims to get the facts to Russian viewers or readers,” with production technology to enable them to do this, CEO Petr Stokuc said.

Radio technology company 2wcom has already begun shipping its technology to Ukraine, “in order to guarantee this important communication channel in the crisis area”. It went on: “A small batch of our 2wcom Systems products is already on its way to Ukraine. 2wcom is eager to support and wants to continue to help keep radio alive!”

Nextologies announced that it is making, “channels carrying Ukraine’s ‘United News’ broadcasts available to any North American broadcaster, IPTV or OTT provider free of charge”.

The Support for Media Professionals in Ukraine group on LinkedIn, created by Cinegy and Playbox Neo, is posting ,“job openings and offers, as well as information about local help, shelters and transport, or any resource that could help our Ukrainian colleagues”. The group, “would also like to provide support for our colleagues in broadcasting and media currently remaining in Ukraine with all the help that they need; equipment, walkie talkies, resources, bandwidth, transmitters and satellite allocation, food, shelter, and any resource they may need”.

Finally, IABM is working with member companies and other industry organisations to organize the supply of key technology to maintain broadcasting in Ukraine. More details to follow.

Said David Ross, CEO at Ross Video: “It’s impossible to not be shocked by the 95% destruction of previously beautiful cities like Mariupol and the associated humanitarian atrocities. Employees, shareholders, and customers today expect their companies to be about more than pure maximization of profit but also expect them to make the obvious moral, environmental, and humanitarian decisions that are in front of them. Frankly, I’m surprised at the silence coming from some of the larger companies in our industry.”

Jeff Rosica, CEO and [president at Avid, said: “What’s encouraging amid this very grave situation is that our industry simply won’t sit still and is acting with extreme initiative to bring relief to Ukraine’s people. Whether taking action as companies or as individuals, we know that we in media & entertainment technology have power and reach to make a difference in many ways.”

Peter White, CEO, IABM, concluded: “I am proud to be part of an industry that backs its convictions with actions. I hope that we can encourage more companies to step forward and publicly stand with Ukraine. As Volodymyr Zelensky has said, ‘If we remain silent today, we will be gone tomorrow.’”