Paris, FRANCE, 21st October 2009 – Panasonic Professional Broadcast and IT Systems (PBITS) and GlobeCast, a leading content management and delivery company, have formalized a technology partnership to integrate Panasonic’s P2 broadcast workflow and production technology with GlobeCast’s Media Sharing Platforms (MSP). The agreement will result in strong compatibility between the technology, software and media asset management platforms that facilitate the seamless exchange of content among broadcast professionals.

This global partnership will drive the development of specialised players and new interfaces between Panasonic’s P2-enabled hardware and GlobeCast’s software and MSP, allowing major broadcast clients to benefit from a unified technology environment. In the newsgathering field, for example, the product synergy resulting from the companies’ agreement will allow P2 camcorder users in the field to ingest footage directly to a GlobeCast distribution platform at the TV studio. Continued development of this technology partnership will empower users further, with GlobeCast’s MSP reading and extracting the metadata wrapped in a P2 file in order to populate an intelligent database and automatically reference the associated video content. The result will be a streamlined workflow from acquisition through worldwide distribution and archiving.

GlobeCast’s Media Sharing Platforms combines the best of the company’s unique expertise in core networks, content acquisition, and content delivery with the advanced media asset management software and integrated archive manager offered by its subsidiary NETIA. Designed to simplify the cataloguing, indexing, archiving, accessing, and distribution of media, the software helps to maximize productivity gains in asset management and the use of rich media, whether broadcast or repurposed and published to platforms such as Web portals and mobile devices. Working with Panasonic P2 cameras and the GlobeCast MSP with NETIA software, the camera operator will be able to mark key files and scenes with icons to help production staff back at the station identify crucial scenes, thus saving time in post-production. The camera’s ability to send in/out points, playlists, and low-res proxy versions in advance of full-resolution video clips enables managing directors to make the most of available bandwidth, to create rushes or edit decision lists quickly, or to publish video to a catalog with minimal delay.

Welcoming the deal, Jaume Rey, Director of Panasonic PBITS, said: “Eighty five percent of broadcasters in Europe who have expressed an interest in migrating to a tapeless solution have selected Panasonic’s P2 technology over other alternatives. In pursuing this partnership with a global content management company such as GlobeCast, we will continue to reinforce the value of P2 as a true IT-based solution which eliminates the need for tape and enhances the speed and efficiency of the production process.”

Christian Pinon, GlobeCast Chairman and CEO, said: “The integration of Panasonic’s innovative P2 technology with the GlobeCast MSP, including NETIA’s robust digital media asset management software, supports a workflow-oriented, end-to-end delivery concept tailored to the specific requirements of broadcasters and production houses. By enabling a high degree of flexibility in managing media across this workflow, our technology partnership simplifies operations, enhances access to and handling of media, and significantly speeds time to air or market.”