Vizrt Announces $1.5 Million Sale of Viz Ardome MAM to GMA Network in the Philippines

Oct. 14, 2010 - PRLog -- Bergen, Norway, Vizrt Ltd. (Oslo Main List: VIZ)

Vizrt announces a major $1.5 million (USD) sale to GMA Network Inc., the premiere broadcast television network in the Philippines, for its Viz Ardome media asset management software. GMA Network broadcasts news, entertainment, and public affairs programming to over 12 million households across the Philippines and Southeast Asia.

This sale supplements GMA Network’s first order for Vizrt products, including a complement of real-time broadcast graphics products purchased to cover the results of the Filipino national elections held on May 10, 2010.

With the recent purchase of Viz Ardome for media asset management, GMA Network intends to migrate to a tapeless, file-based workflow for greater efficiency. Viz Ardome is a modular, open, scalable media asset management platform that integrates seamlessly with Vizrt graphics products, broadcast automation systems, and petabytes of media storage.

The Viz Ardome MAM product family represents a proven approach in IT-based media management with a combination of instant access to content and tight integration with leading production tools, including newsroom systems, nonlinear editing systems, traffic, and playout automation. Among the systems that GMA Network plans to integrate with Viz Ardome are multiple Apple Final Cut Pro editing seats and the Harris D-Series broadcast automation system currently in use at its network operations center in Quezon City in Manila.

GMA Network Chairman, President and CEO Felipe L. Gozon said that the MAMS is part of the Network’s commitment to produce top quality programs using state-of-the-art technology. “GMA remains steadfast in acquiring top-of-the-line technologies to produce high-caliber shows and deliver news and information in the shortest possible time.” Gozon likewise underscored the importance of the Network’s MAMS project to the environment. “We have adopted many green practices within our compound. This time, by going tapeless, we are able to contribute further to the reduction of carbon footprint. This is part of our corporate social responsibility,” Gozon stated.

Of the Vizrt selection, Felipe S. Yalong, Senior Vice President-Corporate Service Group, GMA Network, Inc. said, “We simply wanted to partner with the best.”

Explaining the selection further, Jay V. Fuentes, E.C.E., head of the MCTOA Division, Engineering Group at GMA Network Inc., added, “We chose Viz Ardome because it’s a powerful, mature, software-based infrastructure that passed all the tests we conducted. During this ‘proof of concept’ testing, we determined that Viz Ardome met all technical parameters we set, including the operational speed and efficiency we must have. Our intention is to use Viz Ardome as a way to manage our wide array of broadcast media assets, including syndicated programming, soap operas, primetime dramas, documentaries and archival content.”

Vizrt technicians are currently coordinating with GMA Network engineers, as well as Composite Technology, Inc., the systems integrator and dealer in Manila, to lay the groundwork for implementation of Viz Ardome within its facilities.

“We’re delighted that GMA Network has decided to base its new MAM infrastructure on Viz Ardome software,” explained Martin Burkhalter, CEO, Vizrt. “This is a clear vote of confidence to our leading technology, as well as our efforts over the last years to build up our organization in Asia. We are fully committed to support GMA’s goals to move to an efficient tapeless, file-based media asset management workflow.”

About Vizrt:

Vizrt provides real-time 3D graphics and asset management tools for the broadcast industry – from award-winning animations & maps to online publishing tools.
Vizrt’s products are used by the world’s leading broadcasters and publishing houses, including: CNN, CBS, Fox, the BBC, BSkyB, ITN, Tele5, laSexta, ETB, TV3, Antena3 and FC Barcelona, The Globe and Mail, Times Online, The Telegraph, and Welt Online. Furthermore, many world-class production houses and corporate institutions such as the Stock Exchanges in New York and London use Vizrt systems.

Vizrt is a public company traded on the Oslo Main List: VIZ, ISIN: IL0010838154.

Press contacts:
Martin Burkhalter
CEO
+41 22 365 7501
mburkhalter@vizrt.com

Ofra Brown
CFO
+47 5351 8040
ofra@vizrt.com

SCHWARZ Financial Communication
Frank Schwarz
+49 611 1745 398 11
schwarz@schwarzfinancial.com

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