Ericsson’s acquisition of Red Bee Media, which is subject to regulatory approval, will bring 1,500 highly-skilled employees, as well as media services and operations facilities in the UK, France, Germany, Spain and Australia. With 1,240 Red Bee Media employees based in the UK, Ericsson’s UK business will grow to around 4,000 employees and with more than one-third working in the media services business, the UK will become a global media hub for Ericsson.

Since its foundation in 2005, Red Bee Media provides a range of media services: from media asset management to playout and digital video publishing, metadata services, multilingual access services and creative services to major broadcasters and broadband platforms. Red Bee Media, which is known for its high quality playout services, is also the largest editorial metadata provider in Europe, delivering more than 100,000 hours of subtitling per year for leading broadcasters.

“Ericsson is making a step change to our business, cementing our commitment to TV and broadcast services and continuing a journey we started in 2007,” says Magnus Mandersson, Executive Vice President and Head of Business Unit Global Services, Ericsson. “We can create value for broadcasters by making digital content more accessible, enabling monetisation of TV content more efficiently. Video traffic shows very strong uptake in the mobile networks and Ericsson can address the need of both broadcasters and telecom operators through our technology expertise and services capabilities.”

Serving one billion subscribers worldwide, Ericsson has invested in processes, methods and tools in this segment for more than 15 years. In recent years, Ericsson has expanded this successful business model to other industries, such as utilities, transportation and the TV industry. The closing of the acquisition is subject to approval from relevant regulatory authorities and other contractual conditions.