Key Highlights
Kordia, New Zealand’s state-owned enterprise with specialist expertise in broadcast infrastructure and digital technology services, has entered a five-year partnership with global media services provider Arqiva to deliver a suite of cloud-based solutions for media and content businesses.
This first-of-its-kind partnership in New Zealand gives local media companies access to Arqiva’s best-in-class cloud solutions, delivering increased efficiency, scalability, and quality of service.
Neil Livingston, Chief Executive Officer at Kordia, says the partnership is central to Kordia’s strategy of leveraging global innovation to address challenges facing the local media industry.
“Legacy broadcasters are facing many challenges, balancing cost pressures with shifting consumer habits and rapid technology changes. The need to maintain legacy broadcast infrastructure, while investing in digital platforms, has created major financial strain for players both in New Zealand and globally,” says Livingston.
“At Kordia, we’re committed to helping New Zealand media companies solve these challenges and unlock better cost efficiencies when it comes to cloud-based distribution. We’ve been looking at how global players are innovating around these challenges, and we see real opportunities to bring these solutions to New Zealand to help our own industry.”
To launch the partnership, Kordia is bringing four of Arqiva’s solutions to the New Zealand market, effective immediately:
• Arqplex – Unified Headend-as-a-Service for broadcast and OTT: Arqplex is a future focused way to approach Headend-as-a-Service (HaaS). The service is designed for broadcasters, pay TV operators and content owners needing to deliver across broadcast and IP platforms without complexity. When content must move flawlessly between broadcast and OTT, Arqplex is the simplest way to unify, manage, and deliver headend services in any environment, be it on-prem, in the cloud, or as a hybrid solution, with speed, resilience, and flexibility built in.
• Arqade – Cloud Content Transportation & Management: A global cloud ecosystem for content, offering a lower cost and less complex alternative to conventional physical interchanges. With a world of content at your fingertips, Arqade helps New Zealand media companies access thousands of hours of high-quality content. It also helps content producers to connect with global players to easily syndicate their live, linear and streaming content across the world, while retaining complete control over access.
• Playout - for linear and on-demand content: Modular, scalable and cloud-enabled, Playout is designed to give broadcasters unmatched flexibility, with a “pay only for what you use” offer and broadcast-grade reliability from the very start of the service setup. Playout offers a solution that delivers infrastructure efficiencies; the flexibility to adapt quickly; unifies the media supply chain; and simplifies workflows.
• Streaming Optimisation – Delivering a high quality of experience at a lower cost: This next-generation solution improves the audience experience and lowers content delivery costs by using AI in combination with a centrally orchestrated peer-to-peer network. This is particularly valuable for media organisations seeking to reduce reliance on traditional content delivery networks (CDNs) during periods of peak demand, effectively reducing internet bottlenecks for content like high demand live streamed sporting events. Case studies have shown a reduction in audience churn usually triggered by a poor viewing experience, in addition to costs savings of up to 70% by utilising this solution.
Alaina Hall, Director of Global Media at Arqiva, says Arqiva is enabling broadcasters worldwide to transition into the cloud and Kordia is the natural partner to expand their cloud offering into the New Zealand market.
“Kordia has more than 60 years of experience as a trusted provider of broadcast infrastructure and technology services. It is deeply invested in delivering innovative solutions for media clients,” says Hall.
“By combining Kordia’s local expertise with Arqiva’s international leadership in cloud-based broadcasting, this partnership will deliver better cost efficiencies, service quality, security and value to New Zealand broadcasters and content providers looking to get the most out of their digital content distribution.”
About Arqiva
Arqiva is at the heart of the broadcast and utilities sectors in the UK and abroad, providing critical data, network, and communications services. We work in partnership with our customers – major broadcasters and utilities like the BBC, ITV, Sky, Global, Bauer, Thames Water, and Anglian Water – to meet demand for information, content, and entertainment, and enabling a switched-on world to flow. With our extensive global reach and proven reliability, Arqiva is trusted by the world's leading broadcasters to deliver when it matters most. We distribute over 1,100 channels internationally using our fibre and satellite infrastructure. We have a global reach covering 60 countries with over 600 local experts. For more information visit https://www.arqiva.com/
