Grass Valley
Steering Media Workflows Smartly

Videosys and Grass Valley to Demonstrate Remote Camera Control for REMI Live Streaming Productions at NAB Show 2023

Friday, April 21, 2023

13 April 2023 - Videosys, announce their demonstration of remote camera control for REMI live streaming productions at NAB Show 2023 in Las Vegas.

Wireless camera control via Ethernet provides great flexibility and convenience for live productions. . This innovative solution for Grass Valley’s latest LDX 100 series cameras allows remote adjustment of camera settings without the need for a serial connection, offering enhanced control and ease of use for broadcasters.

Colin Tomlin, Managing Director of Videosys, states: “We are proud to showcase this new development at NAB Show. Our remote camera systems and solutions have always been at the forefront of the industry, and we are excited to continue to push the boundaries of what is possible in live production. This is just one example of how we are working to enhance the capabilities of our customers and provide them with the best tools for their productions.”

Videosys and Grass Valley will be exhibiting their latest technology at the Videosys booth LV78952 and the Grass Valley booth C2408. For more information about Videosys’ remote camera control systems, please visit their website.

Grass Valley Completes Three-Year Business Transformation Plan

Tuesday, September 12, 2023

In tandem with its expansion initiatives, Grass Valley has appointed three key executives to its leadership team, closing the final phase of its three-year transformation plan.

Grass Valley, a provider of live production solutions, together with the growth-focused private equity firm Black Dragon Capital, owners of Grass Valley, has completed a successful three-year business transformation and has transitioned to growth mode.

This transformation journey has witnessed the streamlining of Grass Valley’s organisational structure, emphasising enhanced client service and continued investments in integrated hardware solutions. Significant investments have also been channelled into the cloud-native AMPP ecosystem and connected GV Alliance solutions, consolidating the Grass Valley Media Universe (GVMU) suite’s reputation as the industry’s most open and integrated ecosystem.

Commenting on the development, Louis Hernandez Jr, Chairman and CEO of Grass Valley, said: “I’m very proud of the incredible transformation that the Grass Valley family has navigated. We set out a bold ambition to reimagine the future workflow for media and to accomplish this we’d have to work closely with our clients, who themselves are transforming to win in the next phase. We’ve simplified our organisational structure, with leadership changes and key new hires, optimised our global facilities, and focused our product portfolio to align with the changing media landscape. With the supply chain issues subsiding, we are seeing a considerable reduction in our backlog. I’m excited for our team and our industry that we are in a position to surge when our clients need us most.”

Since the launch of AMPP, Grass Valley has further refined its hardware portfolio, with upcoming innovations closely linked to the AMPP ecosystem. The company has developed nearly 100 native applications and certified approximately 80 Alliance partners within AMPP’s open and integrated ecosystem. This platform offers clients an open multi-vendor platform for live production and playout workflows as cloud-native solutions. Grass Valley has also expanded the AMPP deployment models to encompass on-premises, cloud-hosted, or hybrid configurations, all while retaining the advantages of a cloud-native architecture. These developments have led to the issuance of eight significant patents in the first half of 2023 alone.

Throughout 2023, major Grass Valley customers have benefited from the cost-efficiency of hybrid (ground/cloud) architectures offered by AMPP. Notable clients include CBS Sports Golazo Network, Sky, Telstra Broadcast Services, and Canal+.

Grass Valley’s performance over the past year, driven by the culmination of the business transformation and the rapid market growth of AMPP, has resulted in a significant increase in earnings. The company has more than doubled its earnings in the last year, allowing for accelerated investments across the portfolio. AMPP itself has experienced over 200% year-over-year growth since 2020, surpassing 100% of its 2022 targets. The average application usage in AMPP now exceeds 3m hours per month globally.

Adam Marshall, CPO, Grass Valley, added: “With AMPP, we’ve ushered in a new era of cloud-native, open, and integrated solutions for media production, giving our clients the freedom to craft their workflows as they envision, whether it’s on-premises, in the cloud, or a seamless blend of both. Combine this with Grass Valley’s industry-leading innovations in cameras, routing, processing, and switchers, it underscores our steadfast commitment to propelling advancements in media technology.”

In tandem with expansion initiatives, Grass Valley has appointed three key executives to its leadership team, marking the final phase of its three-year transformation plan. Jon Wilson will assume the role of Chief Operating Officer (COO) on October 1, 2023. Ian Fletcher has been appointed Chief Technology Officer (CTO) immediately, and Adam Marshall is now the Chief Product Officer (CPO).

Wilson former President and COO at Telestream previously served as CFO for just under three years. Wilson brings leadership skills and a proven track record of driving strategy and results, team development and continuous improvement throughout organisations. He is recognised for his ability to quickly comprehend and position new business models.

With immediate effect, Fletcher has been appointed CTO following his tenure as Senior Vice President VP of Enterprise Product Strategy. Prior to this, he held the position of Chief Application Designer within the Advanced Technology Group, playing a pivotal role in the inception and continuous enhancement and development of AMPP.

Marshall has been appointed as CPO, following his previous role as VP of Marketing for Grass Valley. Marshall has quickly risen through the ranks of Grass Valley, previously holding the position of Pre-Sales Director and prior to that, Senior Global Pre-Sales Manager for AMPP & Playout. In his new role, Marshall will continue to have overall marketing responsibility for Grass Valley.

Grass Valley is on track to meet its goal of hiring more than 400 new employees by the end of 2023, with positions distributed across key global centres of excellence in Krakow, Poland; Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; and Montreal, Canada.

As part of its customer-centric initiatives, Grass Valley has launched an industry leadership council named GV, comprising more than 35 influential leaders in the media technology industry, providing insights into industry issues, market trends, and technology needs.

Grass Valley will showcase its solutions at IBC 2023, Amsterdam, from September 15-18, 2023, demonstrating the advantages of the GV Media Universe in decentralising operations to align with project requirements, eliminating the traditional choice between on-premises and cloud solutions.

Grass Valley appoints final piece of the leadership puzzle

Thursday, December 14, 2023

Grass Valley

has selected Michael Prinn as the company's chief financial officer. Prinn has previously worked at Poplar Homes and SeaChange International, experienced in leadership and team building focused on automation and process efficiencies.

Jon Wilson, chief operating officer at Grass Valley, commented: “Mike’s appointment as CFO represents the final piece in our go-forward leadership team. Mike’s track record as a financial executive includes leading companies through both business model transformation and growth phases. His joining signifies our commitment to further enhancing our operational capabilities and advancing our growth strategy."

Prinn said: "I'm incredibly impressed by the hard work and achievements during Grass Valley's three-year business transformation. I'm excited to be part of the company as it transitions into its growth phase, especially witnessing the leadership changes and key new hires over the last six months. My aim is to continue driving automation and efficiencies, while enhancing our financial model that will play a pivotal role in supporting the company's growth plans."

Grass Valley Equips Fujairah TV with Advanced Live Production Technology

Monday, May 20, 2024

CAN: Grass Valley, a leader in live production solutions, announces its collaboration with Fujairah TV,

a prominent broadcaster in the United Arab Emirates, to upgrade their existing studio facilities.



The upgrade features cutting-edge Grass Valley equipment including the LDX C98 compact camera with unique DPM imagers that enable both native 4K/UHD and native HD operation, providing exceptional quality in all studio and LED wall applications. The extremely powerful K-Frame XP production switchers with the Korona control panel, the high-performance Sirius 830 router and the modular Densité Processing Platform enable native HD and 4K/UHD operation without compromising on the number of input or output signals and offer exceptional flexibility and reliability. The Masterpiece Master Control Switcher, used for playout and with the innovative FormatFusion3 technology, provides an ideal solution for all standards from SD SDR to 4K/UHD HDR.



Fady Boustany, General Manager of Pharaon Broadcast S.A.L., systems integrator for the Fujairah TV project, commented on the decision to select Grass Valley. "Fujairah TV is committed to being at the forefront of the industry through both innovation and reliability. Their choice of Grass Valley's advanced solutions demonstrates their dedication to maintaining a competitive edge and enhancing operational resilience."



Boustany added: "This strategic investment reflects the exceptional value and reputation of the

Grass Valley brand within the live production industry. It underscores the high quality and performance

that Grass Valley’s traditional technology brings to the Fujairah TV studio infrastructure and highlights

the strong trust and confidence they place in the brand."



Mr. Raphael Yammine, COO at Fujairah TV, commented on their decision to partner with Grass Valley, saying: "Our choice to integrate Grass Valley’s solutions was driven by several key factors. Foremost among these was the seamless integration, ensuring a smooth transition and continuity in our operations. Additionally, the renowned quality of Grass Valley's services and the local support provided were critical in our decision-making process. This partnership allows us to not only meet but exceed the high standards

of broadcast quality and innovation that our viewers expect."



Hany Bartella, Middle East & Africa Regional Sales Director at Grass Valley, expressed enthusiasm about the partnership. "We are pleased to be supporting Fujairah TV’s broadcasting capabilities and ensure they can leverage our technology for enhanced production quality. This collaboration is yet another example

of how Grass Valley is setting the standard for innovation and excellence in the region, enabling media companies transform their operations to generate new revenue streams and deliver outstanding content

to their audiences."

Arabsat & Grass Valley Revolutionize Broadcast with New Cloud-Playout Services

Monday, June 10, 2024

CAN: Grass Valley, a pioneer in live production solutions, announces that Arabsat has chosen its AMPP SaaS platform as the foundation for a new three-tiered suite of broadcast transmission services. Arabsat is a major global satellite operator that delivers over 700 TV and radio channels to more


than 80 countries.





The new services are based on Playout X, an AMPP-based SaaS solution that will enable Arabsat customers to broadcast quality signals in a much more flexible and efficient way. “These new AMPP-based services will allow our customers to set-up a new TV channel in just a few minutes,” said Alhamedi Alanezi, CEO & President of Arabsat. “Because this new agile, accessible and scalable cloud-based transmission technology is also more affordable, it will allow us to reach many new customers,” he continued.





The three playout products offered by Arabsat are TV Starter, TV Advanced and TV Pinnacle, leveraging state of the art private cloud infrastructure as well as GV AMPP orchestration platform. TV Starter and TV Advanced are designed to accommodate today’s Broadcasters playout needs for high quality and reliability in a cost-effective package while TV Pinnacle is a very sophisticated cloud production and playout system capable of handling multiple live sources for the most demanding events.





According to Grass Valley’s CEO and chairman Louis Hernandez: “We’re extremely gratified to be partnering with Arabsat on this TV transmission paradigm shift. Both companies have a long track record of leadership, and this collaboration represents the next logical next step in the ease, scalability,


and affordability of television distribution.”

DMC Production Leverages Grass Valley AMPP

Friday, June 28, 2024

CAN: Grass Valley, a leader in live production solutions, announces that Scandinavian remote video production powerhouse DMC Production (DMC) revolutionized its live coverage of the 2024 RallyX, leveraging Grass Valley AMPP to live stream the exciting motorsports races and championship

via YouTube with exceptional quality.

Using AMPP’s comprehensive, integrated, and scalable live video production and processing services,

DMC completely reimagined its live remote broadcast workflow for RallyX. Considering the cost-efficiency, quality, and sustainability demonstrated by AMPP for RallyX, DMC plans to use AMPP for various other remote high-profile sports and entertainment productions in the future.

In previous years, DMC deployed two large Outside Broadcast (OB) mobile trucks to each site, equipped with utility, mobile control rooms and operators. In contrast, the compact AMPP live production server setup required only two small vans per site. This significantly reduced the need for large OB vans,

lowered operating costs such as fuel and travel, reduced crew sizes, and decreased the carbon footprint, helping DMC and RallyX meet their environmental sustainability goals.

AMPP also solved connectivity challenges. Had DMC just sent a dozen cameras signals to the remote

site for switching back at a DMC remote production hub, they would have needed ample highspeed connectivity to backhaul the camera signals, which cannot be guaranteed at RallyX racing venues.

It was therefore advantageous that AMPP enabled a fully remote workflow controlled over a mere

100 Mb/s public internet connection from the racetrack to DMC’s remote production center,

further reducing the cost of production.

“AMPP is a game-changer that is dramatically transforming our live remote video production of RallyX

and ultimately other media and entertainment events globally,” said Jens Envall, CTO of DMC Production Sweden. DMC has many production facilities worldwide, including Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark,

and The Netherlands. “AMPP’s scalability and agility is remarkable. We can easily scale up the number

of cameras, add production sites and stream program outputs to any of our remote production centers

if needed. AMPP is saving us valuable time, reducing travel time and costs, and allowing us to use

our resources, skilled operators and talent how and where it benefits us most.”

Envall’s DMC colleagues also played pivotal roles. DMC MD Johan Hedblom helped pioneer the revolutionary approach by leveraging AMPP technology to decentralize production infrastructure.

And Adrian Falck, DMC Production’s Head of Networks, helped configure and plan the technical setup ensuring a seamless implementation of the AMPP solution.

“We’re extremely pleased to collaborate closely with DMC Production to realize their innovative live remote video production workflow,” said Adam Marshall, Chief Product official at Grass Valley. “Following the continued success of the RallyX production, DMC is well-poised to further benefit from our cutting-edge AMPP technology platform. Together, we’re re-imagining traditional broadcast workflows and reshaping the landscape for live media and entertainment productions globally.”

Grass Valley Appoints Alex Keighley SVP of Sales for North America

Friday, August 30, 2024

MONTREAL— Grass Valley announced the appointment of Alex Keighley as the new senior vice president of sales for North America. In this role, Alex will play a key part in driving growth and strengthening relationships with customers across the region, the company said.

Keighley has held leadership roles at Avid and Telestream, most recently serving as chief revenue officer of Backlight. He also led Grass Valley’s U.S. West Sales team for five years prior to these roles, and now returns to lead the North America team as the industry enters another phase of unprecedented change.

“We’re thrilled to have Alex back at Grass Valley,” said Tim Banks, chief revenue officer at Grass Valley, who welcomed Alex’s return. “His deep understanding of both our industry and our customers, coupled with his proven leadership, makes him the perfect fit to lead our North American sales efforts. We’re confident that under his guidance, we’ll continue to strengthen our position as the go-to partner for media organizations across the region.”

With a wealth of experience spanning both the media and technology sectors, Keighley brings a unique blend of industry knowledge and sales leadership to Grass Valley, the company reported.

"While media companies are navigating a challenging period with rapidly evolving technology and business models, it's also a time of tremendous opportunity,” Keighley said. “They need trusted partners who can guide them through these transitions while ensuring they continue to deliver outstanding content. My mission is clear: to demonstrate that Grass Valley offers world-class technology, is the #1 trusted advisor for our customers, and that we are the technical and business partner they can rely on.”

A key focus in the new role, will be on building a market-leading organization. “One of the most important responsibilities of a sales leader—or any leader—is to enable their team and everyone around them to deliver their best results,” he said. “My priority will be to ensure we have the best people in the right roles, equipped with the tools and resources they need to deliver for our customers and achieve the company’s goals.”

Earlier in his career, he also led sales teams for major media organizations, including Reuters during the dot-com era and the Associated Press' EMEA commercial organization during the initial wave of multimedia transformation. This experience deepened his interest in the technology behind news gathering, leading him to join Bitcentral, where he supported numerous local station groups in the U.S.

Wasabi Technologies Joins Forces with Grass Valley as Cloud Storage Provider of Choice to Enable Streamlined Media Archiving for Live Events

Tuesday, September 24, 2024

Grass Valley customers benefit from low-cost, high-performance cloud storage within the AMPP platform for active archiving, live playout and record/edit/render workflows

BOSTON & MONTREAL-- Grass Valley, a leading media technology provider for the media and entertainment industry, will offer Wasabi’s low-cost, high-performance cloud storage within AMPP. Grass Valley customers can now purchase and easily use Wasabi cloud storage within AMPP to enable efficient and flexible media production workflows for live event content creation, management, and distribution.

Media and entertainment organizations everywhere are looking for solutions that can streamline content creation and distribution while reducing cost. AMPP addresses this need head on by delivering agile, software-defined workflows and enabling customers to select best of breed solutions on a single common platform and realize ultimate control and flexibility. Pairing these capabilities with Wasabi’s trusted cloud storage that does not charge for egress, AMPP users can freely move assets in and out of Wasabi storage without incurring unpredictable expense. The integration of Wasabi storage can now support AMPP applications for active archiving, live playout and edit workflows.

“AMPP has revolutionized the broadcast industry by delivering the most flexible, scalable, and efficient platform for media production and distribution,” said Whit Jackson, vice president of media & entertainment at Wasabi. “The addition of Wasabi hot cloud storage to the AMPP platform further delivers on the goals of driving down operational costs, enabling AMPP users to easily scale storage up and down as needed, and allowing media companies to deliver more content to more channels.”

“The addition of Wasabi hot cloud storage to AMPP is a testament to Grass Valley’s commitment to providing our customers with the most innovative, agile and efficient tools they need to thrive in an ever-evolving landscape,” said Adam Marshall, chief product officer at Grass Valley. “The scalability and flexibility that Wasabi’s cloud storage offers makes it a natural fit for the AMPP ecosystem.”

Together, Grass Valley and Wasabi empower media professionals to innovate with confidence, ensuring their content is always accessible, protected, and ready for the next big live event. Grass Valley will be showcasing Wasabi amongst its AMPP ecosystem Alliance partners from 13th – 16th September at IBC 2024 at the Amsterdam RAI center. Visit stand 9.A01 to meet with Wasabi and the Grass Valley team.