Ethiopias state broadcaster Amhara TV recently deployed the countrys first HD terrestrial TV station broadcasting to more than 50 million viewers. We look at the key kit installed at the facility The recently built Amhara TV station is Ethiopias first High Definition (HD) terrestrial TV facility. Offering HD services to more than 50 million viewers […]
Ethiopias state broadcaster Amhara TV recently deployed the countrys first HD terrestrial TV station broadcasting to more than 50 million viewers. We look at the key kit installed at the facility
The recently built Amhara TV station is Ethiopias first High Definition (HD) terrestrial TV facility. Offering HD services to more than 50 million viewers across the country, the TV station went live early this year.
The project was executed by Grass Valley from start to finish and the complete solution was implemented within a span of two months. The successful implementation of the project not only marked Ethiopias first steps into HD broadcast but also opened the door to a world of opportunities to broaden the countrys broadcast scope.
The talks for the project began in 2012, which was finally awarded to Grass Valley in the last quarter of the year to deliver an end-to-end service.
“This project with Grass Valley holds real importance for Ethiopia because it offers our television viewers their first ever HD experience. With this in mind, it was crucial for us to select a partner we could trust and that could offer us the best HD solutions,” says Leykun Mekonnen, Vice General Manager and Media Technology Head, Amhara TV.
The vendor not only supplied the solutions but also provided full systems integration along with training, project management and consultation. The project was implemented from scratch to finish, with the idea of building a world-class broadcasting hub for the country.
The TV station broadcasts all kinds of shows ranging from entertainment shows, talk shows, panel discussions and news, and the solutions were tailor-made to suit the profile of the broadcaster and cater to the various broadcasting requirements.
With the introduction of HD, the government-owned broadcaster has brought about a complete transformation of the media landscape in this East African nation.
Whilst the facility is up and running, there are plans for further implementations in the months to come. The content will be made available internationally through satellite very soon.
“The solutions provided equip Ethiopias first HD terrestrial TV station with high- quality broadcast equipment so that its viewer base across the country can enjoy unprecedented quality of coverage. We are expanding to satellite transmission for international viewers,” says Mekonnen.
