Signiant Adds High-Profile European Broadcast Customers

BURLINGTON, MA--(Marketwire - Mar 19, 2012) - Signiant, a global leader in intelligent file movement software for the media and entertainment industry, today announced the recent signing of new and expanded installations with Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen (ZDF), Österreichischer Rundfunk (ORF) and SRG SSR -- offering clear evidence of continued momentum for secure, accelerated digital content exchanges among European broadcasters based on Signiant's family of software solutions.

"Three of the most recognizable brands in the German, Austrian and Swiss broadcasting industries have selected Signiant to facilitate the movement of their high-value media assets. Our expanding presence among the leading players in the European broadcasting community is the direct result of Signiant's efforts in the region over the past three years," said Joachim Bause, Signiant's General Manager for Central Europe. "The accelerated rate of adoption across Europe for Signiant solutions is a powerful testament to our products' relevance and 'fit for purpose,' as well as our commitment to building solid partnerships with our customers as they work to improve and accelerate workflows."

ZDF, a public-service German television channel based in Mainz, is well-known for its original programming including "Heute," a newscast established in 1963, and "Wetten, dass . .?," an entertainment program launched in 1981 that has become the most successful Saturday television show in Europe. ZDF will install Signiant Manager™ and Signiant Media Exchange™ for use in its newly re-designed playout center. Signiant will serve as the single content transport method for journalists, producers and other internal and external users, bringing new efficiencies to the channel's processes for content ingest, aggregation and distribution.

A dominant player in the Austrian broadcast industry, ORF is that nation's public service broadcaster. Signiant Manager and Signiant Media Exchange now form the backbone for the accelerated movement of content among the broadcaster, its producers and other business partners. ORF relies on Signiant to bring new levels of security and efficiency to internal content processes such as transcoding, format conversion and archiving.

SRG SSR, Switzerland's premier national public television broadcaster, has selected Signiant Manager to provide the file movement infrastructure for content aggregation and distribution among its French, German and Italian production centers and external partners. As with ORF, SRG SSR will also use Signiant Manager to streamline internal content processes such as automated transcoding and QC checks. This is the second large Signiant installation for SRG SSR, which recently completed a major installation for its production subsidiary, Technology and Production Center Switzerland AG (TPC). Using Signiant Manager, TPC has built a value-added service that supports the live production workflows of its broadcasting clients by providing a secure, managed system for transferring digital media quickly and efficiently.

"European media organizations have many critical requirements for global file movement, including technologies that are easy to implement and support; tools for secure, intelligent movement of high-value content assets throughout the broader media ecosystem; and the ability to support automated workflows and replace costly and time-consuming processes such as FTP or shipping tape," Bause said. "Our continued expansion in Europe is further proof of Signiant's increasing recognition as the market's preferred file transfer solution."

About Signiant
Used by the world's top content creators and distributors, Signiant is a leading global provider of intelligent file movement software for the media and entertainment industry. The company's powerful software suite optimizes existing enterprise network infrastructure and media technologies to ensure secure digital media exchanges, workflow efficiency and superior user and workgroup experiences. Headquartered in Burlington, MA, with offices around the world, Signiant connects tens of thousands of media professionals in more than 50 countries. For more information, visit www.signiant.com.