EBU goes for gold with Ericsson at London 2012

Ericsson (NASDAQ:ERIC) is bringing the 2012 London Games to a global audience of almost 5 billion after supplying the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) with solutions for the delivery of coverage of the event, and other future sporting occasions, to broadcasters around the world.

This premium global sports content will be distributed to EBU members and other rights holders across the globe over both satellite and fibre networks in MPEG-2 Standard Definition (SD) or MPEG-4 AVC 4:2:2 High Definition (HD) using nearly 1000 Ericsson RX8200 professional receivers, part of the company’s market-leading contribution and distribution portfolio. This extends the relationship between the EBU and the Ericsson team, which has previously provided the EBU with solutions for major sporting occasions including the 2008 Games in Beijing, Tour De France, Wimbledon and European football.

“The EBU has over 60 years’ experience in delivering premium live content in a seamless, reliable and cost-effective way. We are delighted to extend our relationship with Ericsson for the 2012 Games – the biggest sporting event in the world – to allow us to provide our broadcast customers with the high-quality and flexible service they demand,” said Paolo Pusterla, Head of Procurement & Network Partnerships, EBU.

The EBU operates a global satellite and fibre network out of Geneva, Switzerland, covering all of Europe, the Americas and the Asia-Pacific region. The requirements of the broadcasters that it serves for differing equipment configurations and the many and varied ways in which receivers are used are driving the need for a flexible receiver platform. The Ericsson RX8200 Advanced Modular Receiver has been designed to precisely meet these requirements.

“The 2012 Games in London is one of those critical events for which reliability and quality are of absolute paramount importance to the viewer, and therefore to broadcasters as well,” said Staffan Pehrson, Vice-President and Head of Solution Area TV, Ericsson. “The Ericsson team has worked with the EBU for over 14 years on the world’s highest profile sports coverage, supplying the industry’s most advanced solutions for live event broadcasting. The quality with which Ericsson enables broadcasters to deliver these major events to viewers is creating lifelong TV memories.”

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