Harmonic Inc. (NASDAQ: HLIT), a global leader in video delivery infrastructure, today announced that BT Sport has established a scalable, high-efficiency production and broadcasting system for its new sports television channel, launched on August 1 in the UK and Ireland, utilizing Harmonic's video infrastructure.
BT Sport utilizes the processing, storage, and broadcasting systems from Harlequin to enable rapid turnaround production and support timely, high-quality broadcasts of high-profile sports events. BT Sport facilities will broadcast BT Sport 1, BT Sport 2, and ESPN. BT Sport will be accompanied by a series of new studio debates and information displays, featuring 38 exclusive live football matches from the Barclays Premier League, the FA Cup, and the Europa League, as well as showcasing "BT Sport Live."
Jamie Hindhaugh, Chief Operating Officer of BT Sport, stated, “The core of our new studio is built on a spirit of collaboration, bringing together the best in the industry - sometimes even competitors - to work towards a common goal, making the BT Sport studio a world-class hub for the best ideas and talent. We believe that talent attracts talent, and our harmonious partnerships have helped us cultivate this mindset.” The production system for the BT Sport channel by Timeline Television is developed in the studio located in the London incubator city, the home of BT Sport, as well as at the London Telecom Tower. At each site, the system integrator, MHz, has installed a 1 PB Harmonic MediaGrid™ scalable shared storage system, closely integrated with the EVS integrated production management system. The MediaGrid system supports file-based rapid turnaround sports workflows, providing continuous service while offering the high bandwidth required for significant work progress storage capacity. For reliability and scalability, BT Sport utilizes the market-leading Harmonic Spectrum™ broadcast server along with the Spectrum MediaPort™ real-time video encoder/decoder and the SAS-based Spectrum MediaStore™ storage array.
Harmonic's market-leading ProStream® 1000 stream processing platform and NMX™ digital service manager are utilized in the BT visual platform, which includes BT Sport's major services. The ProStream 1000 offers integration with both Conax and Nagra and Marlin digital rights management systems. "Harmonic's video infrastructure enables leading media companies to deliver content quickly and efficiently while maintaining the highest quality video standards," said Ian Graham, Harmonic's Vice President of Sales (EMEA). "The interoperability, performance, and reliability of our processing, storage, and server systems allow users to leverage all their resources effectively to create exciting and engaging content for audiences, such as BT Sport." BT Sport is available for free with BT Broadband and is offered through the Sky digital satellite platform, BT TV with Unlimited, and online at btsport.com or via the BT Sport app.