The need for broadcasters to integrate multiscreen IP solutions and mobile content delivery into their existing workflows has led to a ground-breaking partnership between Visual Unity and Salam Media Cast – two leading systems integration companies in the Middle East.

Under the terms of the new cooperation, broadcast and multiscreen system integrator Visual Unity will work alongside fully integrated broadcasting solutions provider Salam Media Cast (SMC) to provide its renowned multiscreen expertise in managing content across the networks and solutions that SMC installs.

This innovative arrangement covering the Middle East and North Africa will allow SMC, which already has a significant presence in these regions, to enter new markets and develop its business in the burgeoning multiscreen environment. In return, Visual Unity, which recently established an office in the Middle East, will have the opportunity to leverage SMC’s regional presence and facilities.

Based in Dubai, SMC has been serving the media industry in the Gulf region for nearly 40 years. It represents many worldwide manufacturers such as Avid Technology, Quantel, SeaChange, Leitch, Drake Electronics, Vinten Broadcast Ltd., Strand Lighting, Telestream, Vizrt and EVS Broadcasting. It also serves TV channels and networks, movie studios and network operators in the region, providing telecommunications, broadcasting, integrated systems and state-of-the-art security. Under the direction of newly appointed CEO Paul Hennessy, the company is making a shift that reflects the dynamics of the industry with the aim of bringing innovation and the latest technology to the region.

Visual Unity, which also has an office in Dubai, is already helping broadcasters and operators worldwide to deliver the premium viewing experience that their audiences demand. Clients such as Al Aan TV and government agencies across the Middle East and Asia are reaping the benefits of solutions provided by Visual Unity, efficiently delivering content to any screen.

Recently established PoPs in UAE, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia now enable Visual Unity to offer the benefits of its own Content Delivery Network (CDN) to Middle East customers, providing cost effective, secure and robust content distribution across the region.

Commenting on the new arrangement between the two companies, Paul Wallis, Head of Business Development at SMC, says:Visual Unity’s expertise in multiscreen systems integration, combined with its powerful vuMedia™ platform that allows broadcasters to manage and monetize multiscreen content, provides SMC with a complimentary addition to our existing business model. SMC is targeting growth across a number of new business areas and this collaboration with Visual Unity opens up exciting possibilities for us.

Tomas Petru, Managing Director of Visual Unity, says:Visual Unity will provide SMC with multiscreen IP solutions, software development and mobile delivery knowledge in a way that compliments SMC’s existing offerings. From our perspective, this arrangement brings enormous benefits as it will enable us to extend our reach via one of the largest and well-funded integrators in the Middle East region.

Jamal Bnari, Visual Unity’s Head of Sales and Marketing for the Middle East and Asia, adds:By working with SMC we can engage in opportunities that require both traditional linear and multiscreen systems integration input. We are already collaborating on large tenders for IPTV, application development and digital signage tenders.

Both Wallis and Petru believe the synergy between the two companies will benefit broadcast customers as they move into the multiscreen broadcast market.