Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

SVG Sit-Down: Grass Valley's Tim Banks on the Next Phase in the Company's History

26/09/2023

SVG Sit-Down: Grass Valley's Tim Banks on the Next Phase in the Company's History The chief revenue officer sees a virtuous cycle of growth and investment' By Ken Kerschbaumer, Editorial Director

Tuesday, September 26, 2023 - 10:20 am

Print This Story | Subscribe

Story Highlights

Grass Valley's presence at IBC this year signaled a new chapter in the company's history: it has completed a multi-year transition that finds it focused on a new stage of corporate growth. Its AMPP (Agile Media Processing Platform) has been a major focus in recent years, but, as Grass Valley Chief Revenue Officer Tim Banks explained to SVG during IBC, the company is still more than happy serving up quality hardware products as well.

Grass Valley's Tim Banks: We've recently made lots of smart organizational changes to deliver great operational efficiencies.

It has been an interesting time for Grass Valley. What was the mood of customers compared with NAB 2023?

The big difference is, at NAB, we were having to explain the context for the business transformation. There've been lots of changes not only in our industry but in any industry and businesses that have been transforming themselves. And the parallels are there when you look at some of the major media and entertainment companies in terms of protecting their core business while capitalizing on the opportunity of new business and new services. Most of the revenue and the margins come from the core business, but most of the growth is coming from the new business. That's where they're looking to invest, but it's not yet profitable.

So, there are still customers here at IBC who are looking for hardware.

Candidly, I think we may have overemphasized the software aspect at NAB. From an engineering perspective, most of our hardware products are made up of ever increasing proportions of software. The switchers have a lot of software. The cameras have a lot of software. The infrastructure products have a lot of software. When we messaged earlier in the year that we were doubling our investment in software, people [questioned whether it was] at the expense of hardware. But that isn't what we said: it was that the hardware that we're delivering is composed more and more of software. That required a change in skillset, resources, processes, and NAB was about explaining that context.

The cool thing about coming to IBC is, we can now say that transformation is complete. The end of June marked the end of Phase 3 of the business transformation since Black Dragon acquired Grass Valley, and all the reorganization, all the operational efficiencies that were needed to be made, are complete.

The history of Grass Valley saw several businesses amassed together, but they were not integrated. We had six business units each with their own P&L and their own management structure. We've recently made lots of smart organizational changes to deliver great operational efficiencies, and, by the end of this year, we'll have hired 400 new hires in the past 24 months into R&D and engineering positions. Those hires will allow us to accelerate our R&D roadmaps and deliver a best-in-class customer experience. For live production, we continue to innovate with our industry-leading solutions, such as the LDX150 and LDX135 camera platforms and the latest generations of K-Frame switcher and Kayenne panel. And we've also been investing heavily in the infrastructure products, like the IP gateways and the multiviewer range. There are lots of clients who want to keep buying their infrastructure from GV. It's what they're used to and what they're confident in and have a huge amount of trust in. Our credibility is based on core principles to lead through innovation and deliver the highest levels of quality and reliability.

One of the things COVID and the supply-chain disruption taught us is that we should take more control of our own destiny. For instance, we've recently made the move to in-source camera manufacturing; previously, the assembly of the PCBs was contracted to a manufacturer in Europe. All the cameras are now manufactured in-house in GV's main manufacturing facility in Montreal. Final assembly and testing will still be in the Breda[, Netherlands] facility, which is where all the R&D is located.

We're now transitioning into GV's next phase of growth and investment, and with that comes the appointment of some new key positions, like Ian Fletcher as CTO. Ian has been in the business for a long time, and I can't think of anyone better to lead the next phase of evangelizing about our vision, our technology strategy, and how we leverage the best agile software-defined architectures to create the future of media.

Also, Adam Marshall has been appointed chief product officer. He comes from a broadcast-operations background as well as solution architecture. He is responsible for the product portfolio in terms of product management and also the marketing function.

Most recently, we've made the appointment of Jon Wilson, who, as of Oct. 1, will be president and COO. He will be a great addition to the leadership team, as will Stephanie Sanchez, who has joined as chief strategy officer. She'll be working closely with Executive Chairman Louis Hernandez and Jon on the planning process for 2024 and our key strategic initiatives.

You mention the next phase. Can you walk me through some rough details of that phase?

There's not an end date on it because it's likely that it'll be a virtuous cycle of growth and investment. The key aspect of that is, the business is surging across the portfolio. For example, we've seen 200% revenue growth for AMPP year over year. We're also going to deliver our strongest revenue since the pandemic for cameras, switchers, and infrastructure as
LINK: https://www.sportsvideo.org/2023/09/26/svg-sit-down-tim-banks-grass-va...
See more stories from svg

North America Stories

14/04/2026

NAB 2026: Haivision Launches Falkon X4 5G Mobile Video Transmitter

Haivision has announced the Falkon X4, a 5G mobile video transmitter for live broadcast and remote production. The device will be showcased at NAB Show 2026. ...

14/04/2026

SVG New Sponsor Spotlight: Stripe TVs Matthew Pavey on Making Live-Production Tech More Portable, Intuitive, and Accessible

Founded by veterans of the production-truck world, Stripe TV was born out of a d...

14/04/2026

Studio Berlin Adds LDX 135 and LDX 180 Camera Systems from Grass Valley

Grass Valley has expanded its partnership with Studio Berlin, supplying 12 LDX 135 UHD/HDR camera systems and 12 LDX 180 Super 35mm cinematic cameras, including...

14/04/2026

LTN Appoints Mark Romano and Edward Cox to Vice President Roles

LTN has announced two senior appointments ahead of NAB Show 2026: Mark Romano as Vice President, Multichannel Platforms, and Edward Cox as Vice President, Sales...

14/04/2026

Agor and Sennheiser to Deploy Largest Spectera System to Date at Eurovision Song Contest 2026

Sennheiser and Italian rental company Agor have begun preparations for their Eu...

14/04/2026

DAZN and ADI Predictstreet Announce Prediction Market Partnership Ahead of FIFA World Cup 2026

DAZN and ADI Predictstreet have announced a partnership to integrate ADI Predict...

14/04/2026

Deltatre Completes Digital Platform for Serie A as Part of Four-Season Partnership

Deltatre has announced the completion of a direct-to-fan website and app for Leg...

14/04/2026

NAB 2026: Daktronics to Exhibit with Grass Valley

Daktronics, will exhibit at NAB Show 2026 in partnership with Grass Valley at Booth C2408, Las Vegas Convention Center, April 19-22. Daktronics will showcase a...

14/04/2026

NAB 2026: Backblaze to Host Partner Showcases

Backblaze will host a series of partner presentations at NAB Show 2026 (Booth N1259, North Hall), open to all exhibition hall badge holders. Showcase partners i...

14/04/2026

NAB 2026: BRAHMA AI to Exhibit Enterprise AI Content Platform

BRAHMA AI will exhibit at NAB Show 2026 (Booth W2415, West Hall), demonstrating its Enterprise AI Content Platform for media, entertainment, sports, and technol...

14/04/2026

Bridge Technologies VB440 Integrated into NEP Platform

Bridge Technologies has announced that its VB440 production probe has been integrated into NEP Platform, NEP Group's software orchestration system. The inte...

14/04/2026

NAB 2026: Clear-Com to Demonstrate Expanded Intercom Ecosystem

Clear-Com will introduce new products and demonstrate its communications ecosystem for broadcast and live production at NAB Show 2026 (Booth C5807, April 19-22)...

14/04/2026

NAB 2026: EZDRM to Introduce Revenue Security Prism Framework

EZDRM will use NAB Show 2026 (Booth W2260) to introduce the Revenue Security Prism, a framework for combining multiple security technologies to protect streamin...

14/04/2026

NAB 2026: Telos Alliance Product Preview

Telos Alliance will introduce the following products at NAB Show 2026: TV and Media Telos Infinity MK2 Panels: A new generation of hardware control panels for...

14/04/2026

NAB 2026: Panasonic to Showcase IP and IT Production Solutions

Panasonic Video and Audio Systems North America will exhibit at NAB Show 2026 (Booth C3509), demonstrating IP- and IT-based production solutions for sports, bro...

14/04/2026

Behind the Mic: WNBA Adds Sue Bird, Sophie Cunningham to Networks Commentary Teams; John Buccigross Signed to ESPN Extension

Behind The Mic provides a roundup of recent news regarding on-air talent, includ...

14/04/2026

NAB 2026: Blackmagic Design Announces Multiple New Products

Blackmagic Design will exhibit at NAB Show 2026 (Booth N2502). CEO Grant Petty s product announcement livestream is available at youtube.com. The company announ...

14/04/2026

Thomas Riedel Acquires ARRI, Adding Camera and Lighting Component to Riedel Group Portfolio

The deal establishes a close strategic alignment' between the iconic cinema...

14/04/2026

Taming the Untamed: Producing the 2026 Absa Cape EPIC Mountain-Bike Race

BIGSHOT Media, with support from Teradek, produced untamed African mountain-bike race' with daily coverage and highlights show The 2026 Absa Cape EPIC, an...

14/04/2026

SVG Announces Sports AI Innovation Lab to Advance the Use of AI in Live Production

The Sports Video Group (SVG) today announced the launch of the SVG AI Innovation...

14/04/2026

Supporting Safe Space Flights with WESCAM MX-Series Imaging Systems

WESCAM MX -Series EO/IR Systems Provide Critical Visibility During NASA Re-Entry Operations....

14/04/2026

L3Harris Demonstrates Autonomous Electronic Warfare Capability During US Army Experiment

DiSCO reduces uncertainty during the fog of war in modern threat environments an...

14/04/2026

GOES-19 One Year Later: Protecting Communities Through Advanced Technology

GOES-19 imagery captured by L3Harris-built Advanced Baseline Imager technology helps forecasters issue life-saving weather warnings. Credit: NOAA/NASA...

14/04/2026

Reimagining Earth Measurement for the AI Era: L3Harris and Xoople Develop a New Spacebourne Capability

For decades, understanding the physical world from space has required a trade-of...

14/04/2026

Nielsen Appoints Roberto Ruiz to Lead Measurement Science

Ruiz has helped fuel growth for both client-side and media companies, including, most recently, TelevisaUnivision. He will spearhead transformation, innovatio...

14/04/2026

LTN Appoints Mark Romano, Edward Cox to Leadership Positions

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

14/04/2026

Grass Valley Adds Telestream Vantage, Pulse and UP to AMPP

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

14/04/2026

XenData Announces Backup, Archive and Cloud-Connect for LucidLink

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

14/04/2026

Thomas Riedel Acquires ARRI

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

14/04/2026

Shotoku Introduces the World to Aura P2 PTZ Prompter Pann...

Shotoku Introduces the World to Aura P2 PTZ Prompter Panner at NAB 2026 New system removes PTZ pan restrictions for teleprompter-based productions Shotoku US...

14/04/2026

Telestream and Grass Valley Connect Live and File-Based W...

Integration of Vantage, Pulse, and Telestream UP with Grass Valley AMPP Ecosystem enables scalable, interoperable workflows spanning live production and file-ba...

14/04/2026

Dalet Appoints Brian Doheny as President and Chief Revenu...

Enterprise growth leader to scale Dalet's next phase of innovation and global expansion New York, NY April 14, 2026 Dalet, a leading technology and ser...

14/04/2026

Berklee Celebrates Prince's Legacy in Two-Night Signature Series Event

Berklee Celebrates Prince's Legacy in Two-Night Signature Series Event Directed by Tia Fuller, the Prince Project (April 16-17) brings together more than ...

14/04/2026

Arooj Aftab Is Anything but Predictable

Arooj Aftab Is Anything but Predictable The singular artist explores the juxtaposition of grief and joy, dark and light, in her distinctive sound. April 14, ...

14/04/2026

Appear Expands X Platform from Core to Edge at NAB Show 2...

Appear launches include XM estate management and new X Platform processing enhancements to add density for next-generation hybrid & IP workflows, X5 is also now...

14/04/2026

Synamedia turns OTT content into TikTok-style feeds with...

Addressing the needs of a new generation's viewing habits, Synamedia launches GO Shorts. The AI-powered module turns existing catalogues into TikTok-style ...

14/04/2026

NAB 2026 - Vubiquity and Eluvio Showcase Streaming Soluti...

Vubiquity, an Amdocs company and global leader in technology-led media services, will be showcasing a new end-to-end streaming solution in collaboration with El...

14/04/2026

LiveU Announces Expanded Collaboration with Sony at NAB S...

LiveU today announced a significant expansion of its collaboration with Sony Corporation, introducing integrated support for Sony's file-based workflow solu...

14/04/2026

BBC World Service TV selects Open Broadcast Systems for I...

Open Broadcast Systems (https://www.obe.tv/) has announced that BBC World Service has selected its decoders for IP Television distribution. The high-quality, lo...

14/04/2026

Blackmagic Design Announces DaVinci Resolve 21

Blackmagic Design Announces DaVinci Resolve 21 Brie Clayton April 14, 2026 0 Comments Major update adds new Photo page bringing Hollywood's most a...

14/04/2026

Sinclair's WTOV Taps Brightline for Lighting Upgrade

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

14/04/2026

Grass Valley Showcases Alliance Ecosystem at 2026 NAB Show

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

14/04/2026

FCC Selects New Lead Administrator for U.S. Cyber Trust Mark Program

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

14/04/2026

Gray Media Names Jim Hays GM of WTHI

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

14/04/2026

NAB Blasts CTA in FCC Sports Probe Comments

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

14/04/2026

Wowza to Showcase AI-Powered Video Workflows and Emerging...

Wowza will return to NAB Show 2026 with a set of live demonstrations focused on how video infrastructure is evolving for a new generation of AI-powered and oper...

14/04/2026

Stegawave Debuts Real-Time Forensic Watermarking to Tackle Piracy in Live Sports Streaming

Stegawave Debuts Real-Time Forensic Watermarking to Tackle Piracy in Live Sports...

14/04/2026

Living in Boston: A Guide for Incoming Boston Conservatory Students

Living in Boston: A Guide for Incoming Boston Conservatory Students From navigating the T to balancing school with professional gigs, a current student shar...

14/04/2026

Just What Is Genre These Days, Anyway?

Just What Is Genre These Days, Anyway? Understanding the business and art of genre-bending in 2026. April 13, 2026 By Bryan Parys Illustration by Jack Fla...

14/04/2026

Lenora Helm Hammonds Is Turning Passion Into Plan A

Lenora Helm Hammonds Is Turning Passion Into Plan A The dean of the Professional Education Division has seen the industry from all sides. Now shes bringing it...