PRINCETON, N.J.—Triveni Digital has announced an expanded partnership with Thomson Broadcast to streamline NextGen TV/ATSC 3.0 service delivery by integrating Triveni Digital's StreamScope XM Analyzer and Monitor with Thomson Broadcast's Channel in the Cloud solution.

The integration enables broadcasters to deliver outstanding-quality NextGen TV services and build robust, intelligent Network Operation Centers (NOC).

"As we move past the initial deployment phase of ATSC 3.0 to monetization, assuring broadcast service quality is critical for continued business success," said Mark Simpson, president and CEO of Triveni Digital. "Integrating our StreamScope XM with Thomson Broadcast's Channel in the Cloud enables broadcasters to quickly pinpoint the quality of service issues so that they can deliver a high-quality, engaging, and interactive NextGen TV experience to viewers."

Expanded integration between ATSC 3.0 solutions from Triveni Digital and Thomson Broadcast provides broadcasters with a single point of view for managing the broadcast chain. Leveraging Triveni Digital's StreamScope XM, broadcasters can perform complete real-time analysis of ROUTE, MMTP, and STLTP streams from RF, Ethernet, and file inputs at multiple delivery points, the companies reported. 

In addition, they can perform advanced, real-time monitoring of ATSC 3.0 streams and create rules-based notifications to pinpoint and rapidly troubleshoot NextGen TV service quality issues. Triveni Digital's ATSC 3.0 Broadcast Gateway, GuideBuilder XM Transport Encoder, and GuideBuilder Cloud SaaS are also integrated with Thomson Broadcast's Channel in a Cloud solution, they explained. 

Thomson Broadcast's cloud solution enables broadcasters to create, manage, monetize, and deliver broadcast signals, including over the air (OTA) and OTT, through an innovative and robust channel in the cloud application. The Channel in the Cloud solution comprises ATSC 3.0 playout to signal encoding and distribution, bringing a more interactive and immersive experience to viewers, Thomson said. 

"We are excited to expand our partnership with Triveni Digital and be at the forefront of ATSC 3.0 deployments," said Aby Alexander, president of Thomson Broadcast, USA. "Quality assurance is a critical requirement for monetizing ATSC 3.0 services. By joining forces with Triveni Digital, we can ensure exceptional NextGen TV NOCs for broadcasters, streamlining their ability to monitor and deliver ATSC 3.0 offerings."

Both companies will demonstrate their solutions at the 2023 NAB Show, April 16-19 in Las Vegas at the Thomson Broadcast (W2933) and Triveni Digital (W3251) booths More information about Triveni Digital products is available at www.TriveniDigital.com.

CINCINNATI—GatesAir, a Thomson Broadcast subsidiary, has appointed Barbara Spicek its new CEO effective immediately. She succeeds Bruce Swail, CEO since 2017, who is retiring. Spicek was most recently an executive at Vizrt Group, a provider in broadcast graphics and software-defined live production, for three years. 

Spicek has a nearly three decades-long career with executive roles at Fortune 500 companies such as Brocade Communications and Veritas Technologies. In 2020, Spicek became president and GM for Vizrt subsidiary NewTek, heading the company’s live production business.

A year after GatesAir’s acquisition by Thomson Broadcast, Spicek will be tasked with growing the company’s international footprint and expanding its products and solutions offerings beyond the brand’s TV and radio transmission products to new markets, the company said.

“GatesAir’s longevity speaks for itself, and we will continue to innovate for the global over-the-air broadcast market,” said Spicek. “Business opportunities for TV, FM and digital radio systems continue to grow worldwide, and GatesAir’s Intraplex networking business has flourished as broadcasters accelerate their IP transitions. I see clear opportunities for GatesAir to bring new cloud and software-based solutions to market, both within its product portfolio and in collaboration with Thomson Broadcast and an extended ecosystem. That adds up to phenomenal growth opportunity for GatesAir, fueled through a strong company foundation anchored by Thomson’s supportive ownership.”

“Barbara brings an amazing skillset to GatesAir that assures continued business growth through her proven track record as a proactive, innovative and strategic business leader,” said Aby Alexander, President–USA, Thomson Broadcast. “Her ability to define a company’s business direction and corporate culture align well with our vision to move the GatesAir brand into exciting new places.”

“When we committed to acquiring GatesAir, we challenged ourselves to develop ideas that would increase the company’s global footprint,” said Ylias Akbaraly, Chairman of Redland, the holding company of the Sipromad Group and Thomson Broadcast. “That includes a business integration strategy that allows the GatesAir brand to thrive, and empowers both companies to develop more complete solutions for our customers. As we searched for a new CEO, we were determined to find the right leader to help us enact our vision. That leader is Barbara, and we are excited at the possibilities that lie in front of us moving forward. We thank Bruce for his important contributions and look forward to the next phase of GatesAir under Barbara’s leadership.”

CINCINNATI—GatesAir has announced that Thomson Broadcast completed its previously announced acquisition of GatesAir from an affiliate of The Gores Group on August 1. 

Terms of the deal were not disclosed. 

“The acquisition of GatesAir is an excellent and significant step for Thomson Broadcast to further reinforce its worldwide leadership in the fast-evolving world of broadcast technology,” said Ylias Akbaraly, chairman of Thomson Broadcast. “Today opens an exciting new era in the rich history of two companies and trusted brands that have each been delighting customers for more than 100 years. Today’s announcement is also exciting for our customers and employees. The combined force of these ideal strategic partners will support each other’s growth and the growth of the industry at large.”

“Thanks to its global platform, significant resources, and commercial and innovation expertise, Thomson Broadcast is perfectly positioned to ensure the success of GatesAir’s operations over the long term,” added Akbaraly. “We are convinced that this great combination will create a very strong platform with improved reach and value-added solutions and services delivered to our customers.”

Bruce D. Swail, CEO of GatesAir said that the completion of the deal “marks the completion of a robust process that evaluated strategic options for GatesAir to accelerate our strong growth to date. We are delighted with the final outcome of the acquisition process and look forward to working together with our new partners for this next chapter in our eventful story.”

“GatesAir and Thomson Broadcast combine century-old dedication to the broadcast industry to innovate and bring cutting edge solutions to the market,” said Aby Alexander, president, Thomson Broadcast, U.S. “This acquisition will strengthen our presence globally to be the leader in the industry.”

CINCINNATI—Thomson Broadcast announced today that it will acquire GatesAir, a leading provider of radio and TV transmission systems. Thomson is buying GatesAir from an affiliate of The Gores Group ("Gores"), which acquired the Harris transmission business in 2012 and rebranded it as GatesAir.  The transaction is subject to certain regulatory filings and is expected to close in the second half of 2022. Details of the transaction were not disclosed.

The acquisition comes after Thomson Broadcast's announcement in 2019 that it was expanding its focus in the U.S., anticipating a strong market for the spectrum repack (which was completed in 2020) as well as for ATSC 3.0 transmission systems. It opened a New York office and distribution center to meet demand for its low-power to high-power transmitters.

GatesAir has a storied history in the broadcast industry over the past 100 years and  has recently seen strong growth from the spectrum repack program. GatesAir worked with Bowen Inc. to find a buyer, eventually settling on Thomson Broadcast. 

The combination of GatesAir with Thomson Broadcast will create a scaled, comprehensive platform with greater capabilities in innovation, design and product efficiency and an expanded portfolio of holistic, turnkey broadcast solutions, the companies said. 

“GatesAir is already an undisputed leader in the broadcast industry, and our combination with Thomson Broadcast will create a combined company of larger scale even better suited to meet the ever-evolving needs of our customers all over the globe,” said Bruce D. Swail, CEO of GatesAir. “I am very proud of the GatesAir team for its stewardship of and innovation in this industry over the past century and look forward to entering the next 100 years as an even stronger business leveraging the strengths of two legendary broadcast brands. On behalf of everyone at GatesAir, I’d like to thank Gores for their strategic guidance which was invaluable in growing our business and driving innovation.”

“Over the course of our successful partnership with Bruce and the management team, GatesAir has driven tremendous growth and transformation through organic and inorganic initiatives, establishing itself as a premier, independent broadcast company with market leading technology and service,” said Edward Johnson, Senior Managing Director at The Gores Group. “We have no doubt GatesAir will continue on its successful trajectory and strengthen its market leadership alongside Thomson Broadcast.”

Based in France, Thomson Broadcast has been in existence for more than 100 years, and has extensive experience in DTV and AM Radio, including DRM. Over the past two years, Thomson Broadcast has received awards for providing exceptional DTT turnkey solutions to large-scale digital migration projects in Africa.

“In 2018, we have set the goal to establish ourselves in the US Market. With Thomson Broadcast and GatesAir now united, these two companies will make us stronger in America and globally as well,” says Ylias Akbaraly, Chairman of Thomson Broadcast.

"Thomson Broadcast and GatesAir together can bring innovative and revolutionary products to the broadcast industry in the centuries to come,” says Aby Alexander, President of Thomson Broadcast USA.

“We are delighted to have reached this point,” says Amine Oubid, CEO of Thomson Broadcast. “From the start we were excited to work with the GatesAir team and saw the obvious fit of the two companies. The transaction closing can’t come fast enough for us. We’re very proud to participate in the rallying of two century-old companies and excited to start working together.”

LONDON & ATLANTA—Synamedia this week announced a partnership with Thomson Broadcast and Triveni Digital to offer an ATSC 3.0 channel-in-the-cloud solution to advance broadcasters’ uptake of NextGen TV, as well as a new professional ATSC 3.0 RF and IP receiver for MVPDs. 

“Our partnership was formed in response to broadcasters’ concerns over having to disrupt their current on-prem systems to trial ATSC 3.0,” said Elke Hungenaert, vice president of product management at Synamedia. “Our offering shows that a channel-in-the-cloud solution is readily available, while facilitating broadcast personnel to trial both operation and support of ATSC 3.0 with minimum disruption of their current on-prem systems.” 

The 3.0 channel-in-the-cloud solution will help stations looking to trial and deploy NextGen TV quickly and cost-effectively without disturbing 1.0 operations before buying ATSC 3.0 equipment for their facilities, Synamedia said.

“In addition, the channel-in-a-cloud system we built is demonstrable as a disaster recovery scenario, whereby switchover from on-prem to cloud-based infrastructure can be shown with less than a two-second disruption of the consumer signal,” said Hungenaert.

The companies bring their own unique technologies and expertise to the solution. Synamedia is drawing on its encoding and packaging capabilities from its video network portfolio; Triveni Digital on its GuideBuilder and Broadcast Gateway; and Thomson on its tower transmission products.

“The ability to trial ATSC 3.0 channels in the cloud will be a game changer for station operators in terms of capex savings, beginning with deployments of ATSC 3.0 lighthouse configurations using the cloud,” said Triveni Digital President and CEO Mark Simpson.

PLUS: NextGen TV Poised to Break Out in Big Way in 2020

The solution also makes it possible for broadcasters to benefit from the NextGen TV standard’s ability to transmit IP packets over the air and over the top. “‘Channel in the cloud’ enables broadcasters to synchronize and orchestrate over-the-air transmission and cloud applications with an ATSC 3.0 signal, enabling a compelling, interactive and immersive experience,” said Aby Alexander, president, USA, at Thomson Broadcast.

Synamedia’s new ATSC 3.0 receiver takes advantage of the company’s Media Edge Gateway software-based integrated receiver/decoder (IRD). The new receiver will allow cable operators to trial 3.0 signals and deploy NextGen TV on a smaller scale with cost efficiency and flexibility by selecting features at their own pace, Synamedia said.

Not only will the new receiver make it possible for cable operators to capitalize on the ATSC 3.0 market, it will act as a bridge between the IP-based NextGen TV standard and MPEG Transport Stream-based ATSC 1.0 standard by allowing them to receive signals from broadcasters correctly, the company said.

“The promised benefits of ATSC 3.0, including high-quality video and audio, cross-screen capabilities, targeted advertising and interactivity, are closer than ever to becoming a reality,” said Julien Signes, senior vice president and general manager, Video Network, at Synamedia. “Cable operators are well-positioned to augment the value of these new services, and the availability of an ATSC 3.0 receiver for MVPDs is the key to unlocking widespread adoption for ATSC 3.0,” he said.

In lieu of product demos that would have taken place at the cancelled 2020 NAB Show, Synamedia has placed video demos of its products online. 

More information is available on the Synamedia website. 

LAS VEGAS—Thomson Broadcast has announced that it is expanding its business to the United States in response to what it sees as a invigorated broadcast television market spurred by the channel repack and the deployment of ATSC 3.0 Next Gen TV.

The company, which for the past several years, has focused most of its business on the Asian and African broadcast markets, is opening a New York office and distribution center to meet demand for its low-power to high-power transmitters. Aby Alexander, former president and CTO for cybersecurity company eXstream, has been appointed the president of the new Thomson Broadcast USA division. Jay Yogeshwar, founder of Front Porch Digital and formerly with Hitachi Data, is the new chief strategy officer.

At the 2019 NAB Show, Thomson will launch what it calls “Software Defined Television” targeting the ATSC 3.0 transition and repack. The approach, according to Yogeshwar, is to develop a “software as a service” platform that can handle all of the components within the signal chain that can be processed within the cloud.

“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," Yogashwar said. “We’re also proposing new solutions for the delivery and monetization of ATSC 3.0 content with an all-software suite of encoding, packaging, signaling, metadata management, service quality assurance, content distribution, security monitoring, media migration, media asset management, playout automation and master control.”

To this end, Thomson is working with partners Triveni Digital, Media Translation, eXstream Security, mediathand and Pace Media Development to offer this end-to-end solution and will show the following demonstrations at its NAB Show Booth (N4206):

. • Triveni Digital will provide metadata management and content distribution systems for broadcasters, cable operators, content providers and telco and IPTV providers.

• Media Translation offers non-disruptive media migration to the cloud, media asset management in the cloud, and federated Search and Discovery across all content repositories.

• eXstream Security has cybersecurity products and services for broadcast and enterprise customers to protect against cyber threats. The company’s Sentinel Cyber 360 predicts, detects, prevents, protects, remediates and responds to any internal and external threats to a broadcaster’s mission critical infrastructure.

• mediathand provides a real-time cloud-based encoder, multiplexers and packagers for Over- the-Air and Over-the-Top content, media players, and ATSC 3.0 receivers with convergence and personalization options.

• Pace Media Development specializes in playout automation with integrated playout either “on premise” or “in the cloud” using the same software. All software is provided as a service with remote monitoring options.

With its headquarters in Paris, Thomson Broadcast currently has 191 television broadcast customers in the U.S. and this “rebirth” in the U.S. market comes after the company was acquired by Groupe Sipromad of Madagascar, a conglomerate that operates in industrial, technology, finance, real estate, tourism, aviation and broadcasting markets.

Headquartered in Antananarivo, the capital city of Madagascar, Groupe Sipromad has additional locations in Mauritius, Seychelles, Morocco, Mali and Paris. Groupe Sipromad owns information technology and telecom operator Broadcasting Media Solutions Indian Ocean (which primarily serves the Indian Ocean region.)

“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,” said said 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.”

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 headquarters of Thomson Broadcast, in a western suburb of Paris, is planned to begin soon.

In addition to the broadcast market, Thomson is also looking into expanding into the U.S. satellite and aerospace markets and plans to partner with, according to officials, a “prestigious” U.S. university to establish an Innovation Center in North America.

LAS VEGAS—At the 2018 NAB Show, Thomson Broadcast will highlight Gigativy, a full-power transmitter designed for the spectrum repack and shift from ATSC 1.0 to ATSC 3.0. This high-efficiency, wide-band transmitter provides a continuous stream in the UHF band (470 to 600MHz) and reaches up to 18kW with 12 power amplifiers in a single cabinet, or higher power with multiple cabinets.

Furthering Thomson’s commitment to its “GreenPower” transmission solutions, Gigativy maximizes savings of up to 15 percent on energy, while improving motor fan life and reducing vibration noise and operating costs. Featuring the latest Doherty technology in its liquid cooled range, this compact transmitter optimizes heat exchangers and circulators with an expanded cooling systems range.

It also permits easy access to all modules, hot plugs and amplifiers within a sliding cabinet system. Gigativy joins the company’s ATSC 1.0/3.0 transmitter product line, designed for the spectrum repack, including Megativy and Dreamline products.

The 2018 NAB Show takes place in Las Vegas, April 9-12. Thomson Broadcast will be in booth SU6525. For more information, visit www.nabshow.com.

Read up on all of TVT's NAB Show Sneak Peeks and other 2018 NAB Show news here.