BERGEN, Norway -- May 24, 2012 -- Sweden's largest private provider of broadcast news, Nyhetsbolaget Sverige AB, has launched the country's first 24/7 news channel using the Mosart(R) newscast automation system from Mosart Medialab. As the sole supplier of news to TV4, Sweden's largest commercial network, this service from Nyhetsbolaget allows TV4 to extend the network's strength in news coverage, which has been a major component of its offering to the Swedish market since the inception of the network in 1990.
Newly constructed for the channel launch, the TV4 News gallery is the network's second installation of a Mosart system. The main TV4 channel has used the platform for its newscasts since 2010. The two galleries share a common playout system and content store, with all devices under Mosart control, including cameras, audio and vision mixers, and servers. Schedules are loaded by Mosart from the network's ENPS system, and the two channels are linked every 30 minutes during the morning show, which runs between 6:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m., with the TV4 News gallery controlling the broadcast. Despite featuring a large proportion of live production, the 24/7 news channel is highly automated, and the gallery is usually operated by only one or two staff members.
"TV4 News demonstrates that a high-quality 24/7 news channel can be run very efficiently with the right technology," said Stefan Kurvinen, head of technology at Nyhetsbolaget Sverige AB, the company that supplies all news to TV4 and publisher of the 24/7 news channel. "With Mosart, the director and the editor-in-chief can run the whole newscast with complete flexibility. This is the real benefit of the Mosart system; it provides very sophisticated automation, but it doesn't limit what the operators can do when they need to deviate from the schedule."
In addition to originating its own content for the channel, Nyhetsbolaget also features BBC World as part of the TV4 News schedule with local commercial insertion. The Mosart system also handles the automated triggering of Swedish subtitles for scheduled content that requires it.
"The launch of a 24/7 channel is a voyage of discovery," said John Kjellevold, managing director at Mosart Medialab. "There's a steep learning curve, and each broadcaster finds its own way of running the channel in conjunction with its other newscast operations. The Mosart system has been designed to let broadcasters arrive at the best solution for their own unique requirements."
Further information on Mosart Medialab and its products is available at www.mosart.no or by phone at +47 55 90 80 70.
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About the TV4 Group
The TV4 Group is the Nordic region's leading TV Company, and has delivered engaging news, grand entertainment of great variety and quality, live sport, and top-class drama to Swedish viewers for more than two decades. In addition to the main channel, TV4, the group's portfolio includes 40 TV channels in the Nordic region -- in the free-TV, basic cable, and premium segments -- and 25 local stations in Sweden, as well as a wide range of Web and mobile sites and on-demand services such as TV4 Play, where programs from the group's different channels are available online. Due to its engaging content and effective offers, the TV4 Group is the number one choice for distributors, audiences, and advertisers alike.
The TV4 Group focuses on Swedish drama, broad entertainment, extended news, current affairs programmes, and high-class drama acquisitions. The TV4 Group's objective is for all content to be available through all channels of distribution (terrestrial, cable, satellite, IPTV, mobile, and Internet) and on all platforms. The TV4 Group always wants to be available to viewers wherever they are.
About Mosart
Mosart Medialab is a subsidiary of TV 2 Norway and one of the cluster of technology spin-offs originating from TV 2, including Vizrt, StormGeo, Vimond, and Wolftech. Mosart Medialab (www.mosart.no) develops and markets the Mosart(R) automation system for news, sports, weather, and live broadcasting applications. Conceived in 2002 at TV 2 by professional news directors, producers, and editors, Mosart meets the demands of live production by simplifying workflow and control, eliminating operational errors, and providing a highly flexible environment for ad hoc operation. High-level gallery control is combined with a sophisticated user interface, making it easy to override the schedule and improvise when breaking news demands instant response. Open-systems architecture ensures industry-leading compatibility with the widest range of third-party systems. Mosart is used for prime-time shows and 24/7 operations by major broadcasters. Mosart is Europe's market leader in studio automation. ARD, BBC, SKY, N24, TV2 Denmark, SVT, YLE, Global TV, and NRK are a few of its customers.
