Prime Focus Technologies (PFT) has signed a multi-year strategic deal with A+E Networks® UK, a joint venture between Hearst and Sky, and a leading media network with a portfolio of popular, high-performing, and creative brands like Sky HISTORY®, HISTORY®, Crime+Investigation®, Lifetime®, History2®, and the UK free to air channel BLAZE®.
PFT will automate and manage compliance operations workflows for A+E Networks UK using its flagship product, CLEAR™ Media ERP. CLEAR will become the hub interfacing with upstream systems and downstream vendors of A+E Networks UK and offer a single dashboard for deep visibility into compliance operations.
“We are thrilled to strengthen and grow our partnership with PFT, a company that shares our spirit of innovation and passion,” said Matt Westrup, VP Technology and Operations EMEA at A+E Networks UK. “PFT is an experienced technology solutions provider whose expertise and specialism perfectly complements our operation, so we can both focus on what we do best. CLEAR offers us a welcome and effective boost in automation and insight that supports our talented teams.”
“PFT’s operational agility and flexibility to set-up a compliance team at extremely short notice using a global delivery model of distributed resources in the UK and India, as well as the robustness of our CLEAR technology stack impressed A+E Networks® UK,” said Nick Kaimakami, Executive Vice President & Head – EMEA & USA East, Prime Focus Technologies. “We look forward to adding value to the engagement.”
PFT will perform end-to-end compliance review and edit as per standards laid down by regulatory bodies like OFCOM, BLM, and BCCSA. The end-to-end compliance process orchestration will be enabled by CLEAR, making it extremely easy for the A+E Networks® UK teams to preview content and perform collaborative reviews.
With a smart approach to compliance editing, CLEAR comes with an extensive in-built framework of parameters for all content scenarios considered objectionable by various regulatory bodies, helping automate the generation of edit suggestions. As the central compliance operations workflow orchestration engine, CLEAR will add significant value to A+E Networks® UK by lowering their Total Cost of Operations (TCOP), ensuring faster Turn-around time (TAT), driving greater efficiencies, and achieving never-before scale in compliance operations.
CLEAR has been deployed successfully on Cloud for the last eleven years. It automates the content supply chain and currently manages 1.5 million hours of content across 220+ multi-cloud locations. CLEAR helps content creators enhance efficiencies, lower costs, and realize new monetization opportunities.
Think Automation. Think CLEAR.
About A+E Networks® UK
A+E Networks® UK, a joint venture between Hearst and Sky, is a leading media network reaching 58 million homes across 100 countries. With our portfolio of popular, high-performing and creative brands – Sky HISTORY®, HISTORY®, Crime+Investigation®, Lifetime®, HISTORY2® and UK free to air BLAZE® – we have entertained and inspired audiences for over 20 years; telling the stories that need to be told. Our award-winning factual and entertainment content includes global hit franchises like Forged in Fire and Born this Way, must see dramas Knightfall and Vikings as well as original local commissions including: Al Murray’s Why Does Everyone Hate the English and Murdertown with Katherine Kelly (UK), Married at First Sight (Africa) and The Hunt for Baltic Gold (Poland). We currently partner with over 360 operators broadcasting throughout the Nordics, Benelux, Central Europe, the Middle East and Africa. We have offices in London, Warsaw, and Johannesburg. A+E Networks UK is a member of the Commercial Broadcasters Association (COBA), the Television On-Demand Industry Forum and the Association of Commercial Television in Europe (ACT). The company is also an International Patron of The Royal Television Society and in 2018 topped Broadcast Magazine’s Best Places to Work list.
About Prime Focus Technologies
Prime Focus Technologies (PFT) is the creator of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software, CLEAR™, for the Media & Entertainment (M&E) industry. It offers broadcasters, studios, brands and service providers transformational solutions that help them lower their Total Cost of Operations (TCOP) by automating business processes around content and managing their business of content better.
PFT works with major M&E companies like Turner, PBS, Walt Disney-owned Star TV, Hearst, Channel 4, CBS Television Studios, 20th Century Fox Television Studios, Lionsgate, Starz Media (a Lionsgate company), Showtime, HBO, IFC Films, Miramax, CNBC Africa, TERN International, Sony Music, Disney+ Hotstar, National Geographic, Amazon, Viacom’s Voot, BCCI and Indian Premier League.
PFT is the technology subsidiary of Prime Focus, the global leader in M&E industry services. For more information visit www.primefocustechnologies.com
Press Contact
T Shobhana
Vice President & Global Head, Marketing and Communications
Prime Focus Technologies
Los Angeles, CA
t.shobhana@primefocus.com