Grass Valley, the media and entertainment industry’s leading technology innovator, is pleased to announce a new partnership with the Saudi Broadcasting Authority (SBA) to provide a major technology upgrade for its broadcast facility at the holy city of Makkah (also known as Mecca). Delivered in partnership with First Gulf Company (FGC), the new installation marks a significant leap forward for SBA’s live production capabilities, particularly in supporting round-the-clock online broadcasts from the Grand Mosque (Al-Masjid Al-Haram).
SBA is the Saudi state broadcasting body that provides high-quality news, cultural, and entertainment programming to domestic and international audiences, and its facility at Makkah is a primary hub for live religious event coverage. The latest deployment is part of a long-term SBA project to upgrade its broadcasting capabilities with more robust, scalable, state-of-the-art systems to deliver world-class media content across radio, television, and digital platforms.
Grass Valley systems and equipment were chosen for the project following extensive planning and coordination and were delivered in December with installation currently being carried out by integration partner FGC. “SBA chose Grass Valley for its proven broadcast technology, reliability, and seamless integration,” explained Joe Chbat, Executive Vice President at FGC. “The solution ensures high-quality video switching, scalable infrastructure, and efficient signal processing which are critical for SBA’s current and future broadcasting needs. Grass Valley’s strong track record in the region, alongside its renowned long-term support and competitive pricing, made it the ideal technical partner for a project of such importance.”
The new system is based on 12G technology and offers significantly higher capacity, improved performance, and futureproofing for SBA’s growing high-quality and high-definition production needs.
The installation includes the Kayenne K-Frame XP Standard (main switcher) 3ME System with K-Frame XP ELITE Performance Suite software and 12G License, with a Kayenne K-Frame XP Compact as a secondary switcher; a Sirius 850 Dual Frame (2x 34RU) router; several Densité-configured Kaleido Modular Frames; Densité glue systems (including audio and audio processing in 12G); the XIP 3911: Agile SDI/IP Processing Platform; and a Masterpiece 12G-SDI Master Control Switcher.
“This project has been years in the making, and we’re proud to be a collaborative, enabling partner of SBA’s growth journey,” said Hany Bartella, VP of Sales for MEA at Grass Valley. “The deployment of the Kayenne switcher, Sirius 850 Router, and Densité processing at the Makkah facility enhances live production capabilities for a location of immense global significance. These state-of-the-art solutions from Grass Valley will modernize SBA’s infrastructure and enable it to fully realize its commitment to delivering world-class religious and cultural programming both now and into the future.”
This landmark deployment is the latest example of Grass Valley’s growing footprint in the Middle East region, and executives from the company will be on hand at CABSAT – Dubai World Trade Centre, 13-15 May, booth S1-H10 – to demonstrate how the products and solutions of the GV Media Universe are pushing the boundaries of live production for organizations around the world.