Ericon wins captioning services contracts with ABC and SBS in Australia

Ericsson signs new contract to deliver live and file based captioning across the ABC network

Ericsson extends access services contract with SBS for an additional three years

Deals further strengthen Ericssons position as a leading provider of access services in Australia and around the world

Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC) today announced it has signed multi-year access services contracts with Australian public service broadcasters, ABC and SBS.

Ericsson has signed a new contract with the ABC to deliver live and file based captioning across its television network of ABC, ABC2, ABC3 and ABC News 24.

Ericsson and SBS are also continuing their partnership with the extension of a captioning contract for an additional three years. Ericsson will continue to provide both live and file based captions for SBS TV.

Noel Leslie, SBS Chief Technology Officer, says: Our commitment to servicing diverse multicultural communities is at the heart of SBS and this captioning agreement allows us to use the best available technology innovations to ensure all Australians can access SBS television.

Thorsten Sauer, Head of Broadcast and Media Services, Ericsson, says: We are very proud to be selected by both ABC and SBS to provide captioning services for their TV networks. We believe that television should be accessible to everyone and our ongoing investment in technology and innovation reflects our continued commitment to delivering the very highest levels of service and quality to both our customers and their audiences. Drawing on a blend of our expertise and technical innovation, our aim is to ensure that we deliver the high standards of captioning that audiences expect, particularly when it comes to higher accuracy, lower latency and the availability of captions on all platforms.

In November, Ericsson announced a multi-year news captioning contract with ANC, Australias leading 24-hour multi-channel, multi-platform news service provider. As part of the contract, Ericsson provides captioning services for SKY NEWS-produced bulletins on Qantas flights.

Ericssons closed captioning business is one of the largest in the world, with hubs in Australia, the UK, France, Germany, Spain, the Netherlands and the US. Ericsson has been providing captioning services for over 30 years and delivers over 230,000 hours of captions every year, more than 100,000 of which are live. It is also the worlds largest provider of TV audio description and sign-language translation.

Ericssons real-time platform supports live captioning in various languages for broadcasters around the world by using speech-to-text, newsroom integration and rapid offline content preparation.

The enterprise-level, schedule-driven software platform, which was developed in-house, uses the best possible speech recognition and stenography technologies to power Ericssons live captioning services. It allows multiple captioners to prepare and deliver real-time services for clients while maximizing re-use of the caption data after it has been broadcast - for example, by helping to power content discovery and enrich archive search. The platform is currently being used to deliver live captioning services for major broadcast clients around the world.

More information about Ericssons Broadcast and Media Services portfolio can be found here.

NOTES TO EDITORS

About ABC Australia

The ABC is Australias only independent, national, commercial-free public broadcaster, operating four national radio networks, 56 Local Radio stations, five free-to-air television services on four channels, an extensive ABC Online network, as well as International services.

About SBS

With a background as Australias multicultural broadcaster, SBS holds a unique place in the Australian media landscape. As described in the SBS Charter, SBSs principal function is to provide multilingual, multicultural and Indigenous radio, television and digital media services that inform, educate and entertain all Australians, reflecting Australias diverse society. SBS carries out this function through an ever increasing number of distribution platforms including free-to-air television channels, subscription television, analogue and digital radio, online, and via mobile devices and apps. SBS inspires all Australians to explore, appreciate and celebrate our diverse world, and in doing so contributes to a cohesive society. For more information visit www.sbs.com.au.

Broadcast and Media Services press backgrounder

For media kits, backgrounders and high-resolution photos, please visit www.ericsson.com/press

Ericsson is the driving force behind the Networked Society - a world leader in communications technology and services. Our long-term relationships with every major telecom operator in the world allow people, business and society to fulfill their potential and create a more sustainable future.

Our services, software and infrastructure - especially in mobility, broadband and the cloud - are enabling the telecom industry and other sectors to do better business, increase efficiency, improve the user experience and capture new opportunities.

With approximately 115,000 professionals and customers in 180 countries, we combine global scale with technology and services leadership. We support networks that connect more than 2.5 billion subscribers. Forty percent of the worlds mobile traffic is carried over Ericsson networks. And our investments in research and development ensure that our solutions - and our customers - stay in front.

Founded in 1876, Ericsson has its headquarters in Stockholm, Sweden. Net sales in 2015 were SEK 246.9 billion (USD 29.4 billion). Ericsson is listed on NASDAQ OMX stock exchange in Stockholm and the NASDAQ in New York.

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LINK:	http://www.ericsson.com/uk/thecompany/press/releases/2016/04/2001200...
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