SVG Europe rounds up the deals before and during the show, with mergers, acquisitions and alliances involving Riedel, Broadcast Solutions, Egripment, Ross, Lama, EVS, XD Motion, Telemetrics, Megahertz and Mediability.
Riedel Communications made sure that this year’s IBC got off to a memorable start, hosting a press conference shortly after the show opened that featured a puppet display with miniature versions of Riedel founder and chief executive Thomas Riedel and Broadcast Solutions chief executive Stefan Breder.
As well as providing the assembled press and analysts with some alternative photo opportunities, the duo also announced Riedel’s acquisition of the hi human interface from Broadcast Solutions.
Launched some seven years ago, hi is a browser-based control layer that allows operators to manage devices such as baseband routers, multiviewers, video and audio mixers and third-party SDN controllers.
Described by Thomas Riedel as “a benchmark for intuitive control in the industry” and “a catalyst for reimagining how broadcasters and production teams interact with their workflows”, it provides a customisable interface which Riedel will use as a control system for its ever-expanding range of broadcast and production technologies.
Riedel executive director of product management Jake Dodson spoke with SVG Europe shortly after the press conference. He said: “First of all, we like to put on a little bit of a show at Riedel and have a bit of fun. But the serious message is that Riedel is a solutions provider.
“We have some great products but often we’re involved in big projects, and when we look at the entire solution the bit that’s always been missing is the control piece. So bringing together the hi human interface with Riedel’s product portfolio is a really nice step forwards for us in terms of how we provide the best possible overall solution that we can.”
One in, one out
Ahead of the show, Broadcast Solutions had its own acquisition to announce, with a deal for Egripment, the Dutch camera support specialist Egripment and its rental subsidiary Egripment Deutschland.
Egripment is a developer and manufacturer of high-end camera support systems, including cranes, dollies, remote heads across television, film, and live events with in-house design and manufacturing. This will continue under the ownership of Broadcast Solutions, with Philippe Tresfon staying as managing director of Egripment.
The brand names will also remain, with the subsidiary in Germany led by Philip von Senden (COO) and Martin Dreesbach (CTO). In addition to his role as CTO of Egripment Deutschland, Martin Dreesbach will also continue his responsibilities as senior R&D product manager within the Egripment Broadcast Solutions Group.
Speaking with SVG Europe at IBC, Tresfon and von Senden said the aim is to provide a complete spectrum of special camera systems, including aerial camera systems and other special cameras, and that the integration process started a few months ago, with rental departments in Holland and Germany.
Looking ahead, the ambition is to expand into various areas, including live events, bigger sports projects, and TV entertainment shows.
Breder said: “Growing the rental business is particularly important to us, because it brings us into direct contact with the creative users of the technology, the directors and operators. That brings us really valuable knowledge and understanding, which will be reflected across all we do as a group.”
Ross Video hops on Lama for live mixing
Another deal announced before IBC was Ross Video’s acquisition of Lama, the developer of advanced audio production software known for its innovative live mixing solutions that are designed to streamline live audio workflows.
Nigel Spratling, vice president of production switchers at Ross Video, told SVG Europe that Ross was keen to break down barriers between video and audio production.
He said: “One unusual thing in our business is the divide between video companies and audio companies. Even today, if you look at us and our competitors, we all build great video production equipment, but customers must go elsewhere for audio production equipment. We’ve long felt this doesn’t make sense, because there’s a real need for tight integration across these products.”
Spratling said that after a couple of “false starts”, Ross customers had led them to Lama and encouraged the two firms to work together. “This makes sense for both us and Lama – and clearly for our customers too. Since the announcement, we’ve already had a lot of feedback from customers saying, ‘What a great acquisition. That’s perfect. Now we can get the whole thing from Ross’,” said Spratling.
EVS doubles down on robotics
On the eve of IBC, EVS announced its second acquisition in less than a month, with France-based XD Motion and its aerial filming and multi-dimensional tracking solutions joining EVS. Prior to that, at the end of August, EVS announced it had bought US-based Telemetrics, with the company’s advanced robotics portfolio to be integrated with EVS’s existing platforms, including Cerebrum and the Flexible Control Room concept.
Following the deal, EVS has created a new solution named T-Motion. EVS chief executive Serge van Herck explained: “By integrating the cutting-edge robotics expertise of Telemetrics and XD motion into our ecosystem, we’re giving our customers and channel partners access to smarter, more flexible, and more immersive storytelling tools.
“Whether it’s capturing the perfect live video images with precision robotics or enhancing production workflows with AI-driven automation, T-Motion will help our customers elevate their content while optimizing operational reliability and efficiency.”
Both deals are expected to close at the start of October.
Integrators integrate: Megahertz joins with Mediability
On the opening day of IBC, Megahertz and Mediability announced that the two companies are to be integrated. Megahertz is a global systems integrator headquartered in Cambridgeshire, UK, while Mediability is described as an engineering-driven systems integrator based in the Nordics, delivering hybrid IP, cloud, and traditional broadcast solutions across broadcast.
Jon Flay, group CEO, said clients need a partner who can bridge both worlds seamlessly – one with the scale, structure, and expertise to deliver across regions, technologies, and sector…we’re delivering something clients have been asking for – the ability to handle their most complex challenges with a single, trusted partner.”
Speaking with SVG Europe at IBC, Flay said both brands would remain, and that the collaboration had been in the works for a year and a half, with minimal overlap and complementary strengths in corporate and broadcast sectors.
