The highly anticipated International Broadcasting Congress (IBC2024) recently concluded successfully in Amsterdam. As one of the world's largest and most influential broadcasting events, IBC brings together industry leaders, experts, scholars, and technology pioneers from around the world to discuss and shape the future blueprint of media technology. On this stage that has captured global attention, Sobey, in partnership with Sony, successfully signed a cooperation agreement with Czech National Television. Its mature Media Backbone HIVE converged news solution (hereinafter referred to as "MBH") and AI-driven video program production tool APE, adapted to media processes, attracted the attention of many attendees and garnered widespread industry attention and praise.
Major signing, partnering with Czech National Television to present unlimited possibilities
During the exhibition, Sobey and Sony successfully signed a contract for the Czech National Television's next-generation news production and broadcasting system project. This system will support the production and broadcasting of its news channel CT24, main channels CT1 and CT2, and sports channels including CT Sport, CT Art, and CT D. Facing rapid changes in the news production field, Czech National Television is seeking more modern and innovative solutions. Sobey MBH will help Czech TV's channels reach new heights, attracting a wider audience while jointly showcasing the infinite possibilities of news production and broadcasting.
When we were looking for a new solution for our news production, to upgrade from the current Sony Sonaps system, we were keen to select one that didn’t disrupt our existing ways of working by starting from scratch again, but could help us take our channels to the next level, while providing support for the next few years. In a context of increased security risks, Sony Media Backbone Hive ticked all the boxes for this.
Said Michal Kratochvil, Technical Director, Czech TV.
Michal Kratochvil, Technical Director of Czech National Television, stated:
When searching for a new news production solution, we wanted to upgrade our existing Sony Sonaps system in a way that wouldn't disrupt our current workflow, would help us improve the channel's performance, and would provide ongoing support for years to come. Given the current increased security risks, Media Backbone Hive perfectly met all our needs.
Innovative products, leading a new paradigm in news program production
At the main exhibition booth, MBH highlighted its cloud-based camera material aggregation, AI-assisted intelligent technology, and next-generation converged news and internet production tools. It gained favor with numerous mainstream European media organizations, including France's FTV, Denmark's TV2 Denmark, and Norway's NRK. Its efficient news production and internet production and distribution process inspired users with new content production models.
Meanwhile, Sobey also engaged in in-depth discussions with existing MBH clients. Andreas Jenni, Chief Technology Officer of Swiss SRG Radio, stated, "Over the next five years, we will explore more new applications and scenarios based on Sobey's MBH system." Fabian Hoffmann, Head of the MBH Project at Deutsche Welle, also expressed a strong desire to deepen cooperation with Sobey, planning to further upgrade and apply the MBH system in television program production.
In addition, APE also made a significant appearance at Tech Suite. APE is an intelligent, routine video program production tool built on artificial intelligence technology for the audiovisual industry. It supports the integration of plug-in algorithm models and enables efficient collaboration among multiple agents based on various large model foundations. With story scripts at its core, APE achieves "one-click" controllable intelligent generation of video content, from text/manuscript to script, storyboard, and final cut, generating timelines that conform to film and television production standards and cinematic art. This ensures complete video program output while automating and intelligentizing video content production, significantly improving the efficiency of content creation and program production.
The exhibition of APE generated a warm response from the audience. Many international experts said that APE is an amazing innovative tool with great potential to transform current video production methods and is a brand-new production approach that deserves the industry's attention.
Accepting an exclusive interview, continuously demonstrating the international influence of the Sobey brand
In addition to successfully signing cooperation agreements and showcasing cutting-edge technologies at this year's IBC, Liu Xinxing, General Manager of Sobey's Overseas Business Division, also received an exclusive interview with Chris Evans, Head of Knowledge and Insights at IABM. During the interview, they discussed MBH's significant contributions to the current media landscape and its development plans for the next few years. Liu Xinxing emphasized, "Sobey will focus on industry needs, continuously optimize its products and services, and provide better solutions for global users. In the future, we will also keep pace with global technological innovation trends, ensure our products meet industry needs, and continuously increase R&D investment to maintain our leading position in the technology field."
The successful hosting of IBC2024 not only provides an important communication platform for the global media and entertainment industry, but also showcases the infinite possibilities of media technology innovation. Sobey, with its outstanding performance in technological innovation, has not only won wide recognition from the industry, but also demonstrated the strength and influence of Chinese enterprises in the global media technology field. Looking ahead to the future, Sobey will continue to uphold the spirit of innovation, continuously promote the research and application of cutting-edge technologies, explore the development direction of global media technology, and strive to bring better and more immersive audiovisual experiences to global audiences.
