WTS Group Brings Live HD To Nigeria's National Broadcaster

Media and broadcast solution provider WTS has announced that it has completed a multi-million deal to upgrade Nigeria's National Television Authority (NTA) to HD.
Nigeria's goal is to improve the scope, quality and flexibility of its national broadcast offering, so that it can compete on a pan-African and worldwide level.
Over the last 18 months, WTS has worked closely with Azule Finance's export finance business to navigate a changeable economic and political environment and deliver a complete end-to-end HD infrastructure.
As part of this multi-million pound deal, WTS will supply Nigeria's NTA with six fully renovated fitted HD OB trucks, a nine metre earth station and upgrade the NTA's International Broadcast centre. The new earth station will broaden Nigeria's broadcast reach, taking its channel to remote parts of this 500,000 square mile country and broadcast worldwide. Better still, the six HD outside broadcast trucks will widen the geographical scope of programming, allowing production teams to report on breaking news and sporting events across the continent and beyond.
Natalie Bainbridge, General Manager at WTS Group, explained why this deal is so significant for WTS' business growth: "Nigeria is as truly emerging market in the media and broadcast space. Channelling decades of experience providing tailored media and broadcast solutions to national broadcasters, we aim to support Nigeria at every stage of its broadcast evolution.
"We aim to help the country create a scalable HD infrastructure to rival its African and indeed global counterparts. Thanks to Azule's unparalleled understanding of the intricacies of global export, we were able to effectively navigate this market and establish ourselves as a trusted supplier, perfectly positioned to help shape Nigeria's national broadcast infrastructure."
Reflecting on the last 18 months, Emma Nelson, MD Azule Finance's Export Finance Business, commented on the complexities of a deal of this scale: "It's no mean feat exporting to a developing country such as Nigeria and we provided an end-to-end service for WTS, from contract negotiation through to document preparation and presentation. For just under two years, we've been working closely with the Nigerian Government, UK Export Credits Guarantee Department as well as both UK and Nigerian divisions of First Bank Nigeria, to minimise risk and ensure the safe transit of goods and secure payment."
In the coming months, Nigeria WTS's consultants will be on hand to support the NTA as its broadcast teams get to grips with the new technology and streamline new production workflows.
(KMcA)