ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates
and LONDON, July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Blackbird plc (AIM:
BIRD), developer and seller of the market-leading cloud video
editing platform, Blackbird, has been chosen by Sky News Arabia for
remote and collaborative cloud video editing and publishing of
digital news content.
Sky News Arabia is a 24-hour Arabic news channel broadcast
across the Middle East and
North Africa (MENA). With a
free-to-air TV channel, digital and audio platforms, Sky News
Arabia delivers analysis of both news from the Middle East and North Africa region and international
news. The channel is broadcast to more than 50 million
households in the MENA region.
Sky News Arabia will use Blackbird to drive major video
production efficiencies across a number of key workflows. Sky News
Arabia's multi-site production teams in Abu Dhabi, UAE and other locations will be
able to collaboratively and remotely edit and publish news content
live to social platforms including YouTube for its 1.25 million
subscribers to view.
Production staff will utilise Blackbird's market-leading suite
of professional video editing tools such as multi video and audio
tracks, graphic effects, colour correction, transitions and voice
over to enrich content. Editorial approval will be a key feature of
the workflow, ensuring content quality and accuracy. Blackbird will
also be used by Sky News Arabia to repurpose the network's output
through the editing and publishing of file-based video content.
Sky News Arabia Director of Technology, Suresh Kumar, said: "Sky News Arabia
operates one of the most progressive newsrooms in the Middle East and Blackbird will empower our
multi-site production teams to work collaboratively in the cloud
with a rich suite of video editing and publishing tools. The
adoption of this platform supports our drive to continuously use
technology and innovation to enhance our screens and digital
platforms."
Blackbird plc's CEO, Ian
McDonough, said: "We are delighted to begin a
relationship with one of the world's most respected news brands and
a market leader in the Middle East
and North Africa region. As Sky
News Arabia is a multi-site operation with a product of the highest
quality, Blackbird is the perfect choice. The power and
sophistication of the Blackbird editing suite combined with the
simple and elegant scalability of our architecture means Sky News
Arabia has a world class solution that can also be expanded quickly
and cost effectively when required."
Blackbird drives awareness, reach and monetization for brands in
the sports, esports news, and entertainment
sectors. Customers include IMG, Deltatre, Peloton, A+E
Networks, Eleven Sports, Riot Games, NHL, the U.S Department of
State and 50 local US news stations with TownNews.
About Blackbird plc
Blackbird plc operates in the fast-growing SaaS and cloud video
market, and has created the world's most advanced suite of
cloud-native computing applications for video, all underpinned by
its lightning-fast codec. Blackbird plc's patented technology
allows for frame accurate navigation, playback, viewing and editing
in the cloud. Blackbird underpins multiple applications, which are
used by rights holders, broadcasters, sports and news video
specialists, esports, live events and content owners,
post-production houses, other mass market digital video channels
and corporations.
Since it is cloud-native, Blackbird removes the need for costly,
high end workstations and can be used from almost anywhere on
almost any device. It also allows full visibility on multi-location
digital content, improves time to market for live content such as
video clips and highlights for social media distribution, and
ultimately results in much more effective monetisation.
Blackbird® is a registered trademark of Blackbird plc.
Websites
www.blackbird.video
Social media
www.linkedin.com/company/blackbird-cloud
www.twitter.com/blackbirdcloud
www.facebook.com/blackbirdplc
About Sky News Arabia
Sky News Arabia is a leading pan-Arab news organization
broadcasting 24/7 to households across the Arabic-speaking world.
With a free-to-air TV channel, audio platforms and online
platforms, it is the home of breaking news, business, lifestyle,
arts, culture and sports coverage.
Committed to delivering outstanding analysis of the regional and
international news agenda since 2012, Sky News Arabia has become a
trusted and respected news outlet appealing to people of all ages,
nationalities and backgrounds. Alongside its core news coverage,
the channel has built a strong audience for its business coverage,
daily sports analysis and current affairs.
Sky News Arabia recently announced a fresh programming line-up
with new presenters, cutting-edge broadcast technology and a
digital-first approach to content creation. This was complemented
by new virtual news studios using the latest in virtual reality
(VR) and augmented reality (AR) technology that have been
introduced for the first time in the region, giving Sky News Arabia
the most progressive newsroom in the Middle East and North Africa.
Sky News Arabia has a network of bureaus across MENA,
Europe and the US, ensuring
viewers are up-to-date with all the news and the stories behind the
news as it unfolds.
www.skynewsarabia.com
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