Grass Valley played a transformational role at Bahrain TV, the Kingdom of Bahrain’s leading broadcast news and entertainment network. The company worked closely with its diamond partner in the region, systems integrator First Gulf Company (FGC), to redesign Bahrain TV’s new, highly complex live IP video production environment. As part of this modernization project, Grass Valley and FGC retrofitted Bahrain TV’s master control suite, making it the first broadcast facility in the region to implement an IP playout system.
Bahrain TV has also upgraded its main live news studio with a best-in-class, IP-enabled Grass Valley system. The UHD news studio now features the latest Kayenne K-Frame switcher, Edius X Pro non-linear editing solution and a Sirius 840 576×576 router with integrated multiviewer functionality.
“Grass Valley has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to providing cutting-edge IP broadcast infrastructure tailored to our evolving needs. In particular, we expect Grass Valley’s modular and scalable IP-based playout system to deliver tangible benefits over the coming years,” said Abdullah Al-Balushi, Undersecretary for Technology at Bahrain TV. “We expect to realize significant cost savings by eliminating hardware costs associated with traditional broadcast setups. We also expect productivity gains through newly streamlined workflow processes and operational efficiencies that minimize manual intervention and enable faster content delivery.”
The IP playout solution includes Grass Valley’s IP-enabled Masterpiece IP UHD Master Control System, a UCP 3901 video gateway and a two-rack unit MV-821 IP standalone multiviewer configured for four outputs. The suite also incorporates GV Orbit, configured for dynamic orchestration of Bahrain TV’s IP broadcast environment.
Other tangible benefits Bahrain TV expects include the ability to scale easily without significant capital investments, as well as increased advertising revenues due to improved viewer experience and increased viewer engagement.
“We are excited to have played an active role in this milestone achievement by implementing and launching the region’s first IP-based playout system,” said Hany Bartella, regional sales director, Grass Valley. “Bahrain TV’s adoption of IP-based live broadcasting represents a quantum leap in efficiency, scalability and flexibility, positioning the network as a technology leader in the region.”
