Software Defined Television to drive Thomson US market return
April 3, 2019
Broadcasting technologist Thomson Broadcast is planning a high-profile return to the American market with the introduction of Software Defined Television as a key ingredient of next-generation ATSC 3.0 broadcasting.
With new, international ownership, fresh investments, and a cadre of supporting technology companies, Thomson Broadcast will introduce a new way of managing television broadcasting utilising the latest in energy-efficient transmission and cloud-based technologies that it suggests will save time and money for broadcasters making the transition to IP-based broadcasting.
Thomson Broadcast is opening a New York office and distribution centre to meet the growing demand from private and public broadcasters for Low-Power to High-Power transmission solutions during the ATSC 3.0 repack.
“We want to reassure our current and future clients that Thomson Broadcast is back and that we are here to stay,” confirmed Aby Alexander, the newly-named President of Thomson Broadcast USA. “Our US operational headquarters in New York City will allow us to reach new clients and provide strong support and services. And that’s just the first of several announcements that we are planning.”
“The 2019 NAB Show is the perfect opportunity to demonstrate our Low-Power and High-Power TV Transmitters that are ideal for the Spectrum Repack and for ATSC 3.0 deployment,” added Dr. Jay Yagoshwar, chief strategist of the revamped Thomson Broadcast. “We’re also proposing new solutions for the delivery and monetisation of ATSC 3.0 content with an all-software suite of encoding, packaging, signalling, metadata management, service quality assurance, content distribution, security monitoring, media migration, media asset management, playout automation and master control,”.
Thomson Broadcast was purchased in the summer of 2018 by the international business firm Groupe Sipromad of Madagascar – a conglomerate that operates in industrial, technology, finance, real estate, tourism, aviation and broadcasting markets.
“The acquisition of Thomson Broadcast is just one part of a larger developmental plan that goes beyond TV transmitters and into the areas of cloud-based solutions, cybersecurity and digital solutions to support private and public TV broadcasters,” advised Ylias Akbaraly, CEO of Groupe Sipromad and Chairman of the board of Thomson Broadcast. “We want to create greater value for Thomson Broadcast and offer cutting-edge solutions for the evolving television and global digital market from Africa to the United States.”
Maintaining a long-standing tradition of French technology and expertise, Groupe Sipromad created a new management company called Phenixya that allows the Thomson Broadcast brand to retain its autonomy and support from existing French partners and collaborators. A renovation of the new Colombes HQ of Thomson Broadcast, in a western suburb of Paris, is planned to begin soon.