Video Enhancements Help Red Bee Win Channel 5 Account

Already the video-on-demand partner for Channel 4 (with 4oD) and BBC (with the iPlayer), London's Red Bee Media seals its position as the UK's leading VoD supplier by winning Channel 5 Broadcasting as a client.

In it's new role, Red Bee will manage all the video-on-demand services for Channel 5's Demand Five, as well as the syndication, live streaming, content management, and delivery of original full-length programs to YouTube.

Using its Media Gateway file acceleration platform, Red Bee will manage all the channel's video content and metadata. But it won't simply serve data; it will also enhance it. Red Bee is able to transcode source video into several formats, adding on-screen graphics and metadata. The result is a streamlined, tapeless workflow that adds value to video. Viewers will be able to find the videos they want easier, and those videos will be served with the appropriate graphics.

“This deal signals a new era in Five’s digital media strategy," said Paul Thornton-Jones, controller VoD and technology at Five Digital Media Group. "The VoD world is rapidly changing and as a result the technology and workflows required are increasingly sophisticated. Red Bee Media’s advanced integrated media solutions and multiplatform know-how provides us with the expertise to help continue to grow our digital offering and in turn our audience base.”

Alan Wright, chief commercial officer for Red Bee, adds: “Five’s decision demonstrates confidence in both our operational capabilities and our vision of the future of on-demand.”

Red Bee's clients also include Discovery International, Virgin Media, UKTV, Nike, and Lonely Planet.