PLAZAMEDIA Now Driving Playout of 16 Premium Channels

"Our company has been using Snell software and hardware since 1996, and we value our nearly 16-year partnership. Over this period, Snell has consistently applied its insight to develop products that meet the evolving requirements of broadcasters," said Chris Wieland, director of technology, PLAZAMEDIA GmbH. "Morpheus is the ideal choice for our range of high-end and premium channels, and we look forward to continuing our partnership with Snell well into the future."

As one of Europe's foremost full-service providers of broadcast and media services, PLAZAMEDIA provides playout services from its headquarters in Ismaning, north of Munich. The Sky sports channels now under Morpheus playout automation include four SD channels, three HD channels, and Sky 3D, as well as an additional "wild card" channel that enables Sky to open additional program slots temporarily during peak periods. In addition, the channels SPORT1 and SPORT1+ are running on Morpheus, as well as two channels for Walt Disney Company Germany (Disney XD and Disney Junior), a new American pay-TV channel called My German TV, and the sports channel My Sports Germany. PLAZAMEDIA decided to migrate the Disney Channel to Morpheus automation in order to meet the specifications of its customer, Walt Disney Company Germany.

In addition to Morpheus automation, nine Snell Sirius 600 routers — including two 64x64 routers, two 256x256, and the rest 128x128 — drive PLAZAMEDIA's playout operation "Because 80 percent of our Sirius routers are controlled by Morpheus automation, it made sense to choose automation hardware and software from the same vendor. Looking back, this has saved us a lot of time during channel design and commissioning, since all consulting and support are handled by the same expert team of Snell specialists," said Wieland.

"PLAZAMEDIA has a solid reputation in Europe as an industry expert in handling broadcast operations for a wide range of sports channels. The company's unique production workflow approach combines the work of a traditional playout suite with that of a live production facility, resulting in more demanding automation requirements that could only be fulfilled by Morpheus," said Stefan Geradts, Snell sales director, Central and Eastern Europe. "This large and highly successful installation is solid evidence of Morpheus' leadership position in Europe for playout automation."

About PLAZAMEDIA
PLAZAMEDIA GmbH, part of Constantin Medien AG, is an established full-service provider for TV and new media, as well as one of the leading producers of sports TV in the German-speaking world. Based in Ismaning, near Munich, Germany, the company produces, among other things, domestic and international football, basketball, boxing, and Formula 1, as well as European and world championships in a variety of sports on behalf of TV broadcasters and rights owners.

As well as Sky, Constantin Sport Medien/LIGA total!, SPORT1, Deutsche Telekom, and Walt Disney Television International, PLAZAMEDIA's clients also include public TV broadcasters, international sports associations such as UEFA, and renowned sports-rights agencies — among them Infront Sports & Media and SPORTFIVE — as well as numerous national and international companies. Together with its subsidiaries PLAZAMEDIA Austria Ges.m.b.H and PLAZAMEDIA Swiss AG, PLAZAMEDIA GmbH offers comprehensive services in the fields of in-house production (program operations, new media, eCenter, studio, and postproduction) OB production, and technology from a single source — all that for national and international customers.

About Snell
Snell is a leading innovator in digital media technology, providing broadcasters and global media companies with a comprehensive range of solutions to create, manage, and streamline the distribution of content for today's multi-screen world. Specializing in TV Everywhere, Broadcast Infrastructure, and Live Production applications, Snell provides the necessary tools to transition seamlessly and cost-effectively to HDTV, stereoscopic 3D, and 3Gbps operations, while enabling broadcasters to monetize and deliver their media assets across multiple distribution platforms. Headquartered in the U.K., Snell serves more than 2,000 broadcasters, post facilities, and global media companies in more than 100 countries through its worldwide team of sales and support personnel.