IBC 2019: The Switch to showcase expansion of live production services and increased global reach
The Switch will showcase how it is expanding its services and extending its global reach across Europe and Asia Pacific at IBC 2019.
The Switch, which is publicly debuting its new brand identity on its stand at the show (Hall 5, A73), is also unveiling its latest European partnership; an agreement with EI Towers, a provider of network infrastructure and services for broadcasters, streaming services and other rights holders in Italy. The partnership enhances the two companies’ ability to acquire live feeds in each other’s key markets and distribute coverage of events via an extensive and reliable international network.
The EI Towers deal comes on the heels of The Switch forging a similar partnership with MTI Teleport, Germany’s leading media backbone operator, also aimed at bolstering its position in Europe. Through the partnership with EI Towers, The Switch’s US customers now have access to games from any of the 24 stadiums in Italy’s Serie A, the country’s top soccer/football league – as they do with Germany’s Bundesliga through MTI – while Italian rights holders will now be able to broadcast live coverage of major North American sports, including NFL football and NBA basketball.
The moves extend The Switch’s already strong footprint in Europe, where the countries it operates in now include the UK, France, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, as well as Italy. The Switch also has a strong Asia Pacific presence, with extensive networks from China and Japan to Australia and New Zealand.
Eric Cooney, president and CEO at The Switch, commented: “IBC offers a great opportunity for The Switch to show broadcasters, over the top (OTT) operators, rights holders and others producing live events how they can benefit from our complete offering of live production services and our growing global reach. Our expansion in Europe by extending our presence on the ground and partnering with local leaders in transmission and production, such as EI Towers and MTI Teleport, underlines our strategy of offering support for the coverage of any major live event, wherever it is taking place, seamlessly, efficiently and with all the necessary production facilities connected.”
The Switch, which is exhibiting at IBC for the second time, will also highlight its The Switch At-Home service, expanded by the recent launch of an additional at-home/remote production facility in Burbank, California. The new investment is aimed at meeting rising demand for live content – driven primarily by sports and fast-growing events such as eSports – through at-home/remote and complete live production services. Visitors to its stand will learn how the expansion is enabling more broadcasters, streaming platforms and other content producers to capitalise on the flexibility of at-home/remote production. The expanded The Switch At-Home service has already successfully delivered remote events for the likes of CBS Sports, FOX, ESPN, Univision, MLS, NFL, and TVG Network.
“We are excited to have the perfect opportunity at IBC 2019 to update the industry on how we are enabling smarter live production,” said George Lopez, The Switch’s senior vice president of operations. “Rapidly growing global demand for live event coverage is putting huge pressure on rights holders. We are giving them innovative, efficient ways to manage the production and transmission of live video, taking the pressure off and enabling them to focus on what they do best: producing great content.”