Multinational tech firm Ericsson to establish broadcast services facility in Salford

Multinational communication technology firm Ericsson is taking steps to strengthen its UK-based TV and media operations with a new facility in Salford, Greater Manchester.

The Sweden-headquartered company is set to establish a broadcast and media services centre at MediaCityUK, home of the BBC, ITV and a number of other national media organisations.

Once up and running in Q1 2017, the facility will comprise playout suites, media management areas, continuity and quality control space, a network operations centre and master control facilities.

Additionally, Ericsson’s new MediaCityUK facility will house studio space for its creative agency, Red Bee.

Thorsten Sauer, the head of broadcast and media services at Ericsson, said: “Every day people across the UK watch television programs prepared, managed and broadcast by Ericsson.

“TV and media remains a key priority for Ericsson and an important part of our ongoing growth strategy and this move really underlines our ongoing commitment to the industry and the UK.”

Thorsten added: “Our broadcast and media hubs in London and Salford will provide our clients with world-class facilities, ultimate resilience and leading edge technology both now and in the future, all delivered by our talented teams.”

Each year, Ericsson’s broadcast and media division distributes over 2.7m hours of programming across more than 500 TV channels globally.

MediaCityUK’s managing director, Stephen Wild, commented: “We are delighted that Ericsson has chosen MediaCityUK as the base for its new northern media services facility.

“This move further confirms MediaCityUK’s status as a location for critical broadcast operations and will enable Ericsson to take advantage of the resilient power and connectivity infrastructure designed into the campus.”

In addition to the new Salford base, Ericsson has extended the lease on its broadcast centre in London.