Satellite uplink, outside broadcast and product design specialist NEP Connect (formerly known as SIS LIVE) announces this week its increased presence at MediaCityUK as the latest developments to its facilities come online.

NEP Connect has now fully occupied three floors of the Blue Tower within the MediaCityUK complex. The 8th and 9th floors now house new broadcast facilities including a master control room, production galleries, studios, voice-over booths, edit suites and data control centres. A number of departments such as Information Technology, the Projects and Development teams; and Engineering teams are now also accommodated at the same location.

These core technical and production facilities and have been fitted out to a very high specification and were entirely designed, installed and commissioned by NEP Connect’s in-house systems integration team in close consultation with the NEP Connect production team.

NEP Connect Customer Services, Finance, Information Technology, Human Resources and Production are now enjoying their new home right in the heart of the vibrant MediaCityUK community. This new office space is designed to be entirely open plan with meeting rooms and pods available for ad hoc meetings or informal discussions. Supporting and investing in the Salford area, NEP Connect have employed over 90 people locally, with a total of 120 now based on the 10th Floor of The Blue Tower. Everyone is settling in well and enjoying the spectacular views across the complex and neighbouring canals, including NEP Connect’s new teleport facility glinting in the sunlight across the water.

In July NEP Connect announced the launch of its new teleport at MediaCityUK which is the largest broadcast teleport ever built in the north of the UK confirming the company’s position as the leading provider of satellite solutions in Europe, and the aspirations of the group to further enhance their services to a Global customer base.

This state of the art facility, located on Trafford Wharfside, close to the new Coronation Street facility, includes nine satellite dishes; two 3.8m, two 4.8m, two 6.3m, two 8.1m and one 9m, plus a handful of smaller dishes. Making use of optimised viewing angles of at least 45°East to 45°West, and via careful placement and separation, the dishes are able to see most satellites in use in the UK.

NEP Connect also has a five year strategic partnership with international media solutions company BT Media and Broadcast. This agreement sees BT provide NEP Connect with a market leading MPLS-based fibre network to support its rapid growth in broadcast solutions. This network also connects the main NEP Connect headquarters in Milton Keynes and MediaCityUK, Salford with BT Tower, with resilient connectivity directly to strategically important locations around the UK, including major UK broadcasters.

Since November 2010 NEP Connect has been working with Peel Media, the owners of MediaCityUK in a joint venture to manage and operate the shared studio services offered at the complex. Earlier this month The Studios, as they were formerly known, were re-branded as dock10. dock10 is one of the most technologically advanced facilities in Europe, employing almost 100 people, and is already partner of choice for the BBC, ITV, C4 and Sky. dock10 has created over 700 hours of production since launching in April 2011, including programmes such as Dragons’ Den, The Sarah Millican Show, John Bishop’s Only Joking, Baggage, Match of the Day and BBC Sports Personality of the Year.

With its comprehensive and wide-ranging facilities, and its close business ties, NEP Connect is now firmly embedded within the MediaCityUK community and well placed to continue to grow through the years.

David Holdgate, CEO, NEP Connect Ltd says “The opportunities open to us with our move to MediaCityUK are only limited by imagination. MediaCityUK will be the centre of the broadcasting universe for many years and our relocation there has increased our ability to work with a wider field of production businesses and provide them with new services, particularly with our newly-built teleport and on-site technology.”

David Meynell, managing director, NEP Connect says, “In only a short time we have developed an impressive portfolio of services at this new state of the art complex. Our strategic fibre partnership with BT Broadcast gives us resilient connectivity to important locations around the UK and our teleport provides MediaCityUK with direct access to the global satellite market. We are able to provide a stunning range of technical solutions to deliver an excellent menu of services to suit any potential need our clients might require.”

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