BT Broadcast Services (BTBS) and Pathfire have announced the launch of BT Mediarelay. This is a new transatlantic video file transfer (VFT) service.

A company release informs that BT Mediarelay will offer a fast, secure, easy-to-use, and cost-effective alternative to distributing broadcast content via videotapes or by linear satellite services. Using a simple drag-and-drop PC interface to queue files for transfer, BT Mediarelay does not requires technical knowledge to operate and streamlines the process of transferring content, giving complete control to users.

Bringing together BT Broadcast Services' robust global telecommunications capabilities with Pathfire's innovative and widely deployed digital media gateway distribution and management platform, BT Mediarelay is expected to revolutionise transatlantic content delivery. The new service will allow BTBS' European and global customer base to connect to over 1,000 Pathfire enabled broadcast television stations in the US. As a result, broadcast content owners, news providers, advertising agencies and film production companies will be able to quickly and easily send and receive video content within and between both networks. This will open up new markets and commercial opportunities for content.

BTBS has stated that Pathfire's solutions are already widely deployed in the US creating enormous efficiencies for its users. By offering a transatlantic service BTBS is seeking to extend this capability, while laying the foundations for new commercial and production opportunities throughout the television, film and advertising industries. BTBS already claims to have received a lot of interest from international broadcasters and content owners who are keen to take advantage of a service that makes sending and receiving video content as simple as using email.

A subsequent development phase will include a local server allowing, for example, a news broadcaster to operate a 48-hour archive of recent news reports for on-demand retrieval. Users taking content will be able to browse the local server, then dub off the video file to tape or direct to an editing or play-to-air server. Content owners utilising the system in this way can instantly see what is popular. This will enable them to tailor output and consequently increase the value of their service to broadcasters.

BTBS is a media solutions company. It provides content transportation, management, scheduling and play-out services to content-owners worldwide. BT Broadcast Services also claims to be a pioneer in digital content technology. Its BT Mediahive platform manages all kinds of content, cutting storage costs and opening up new revenue streams for content owners by enabling play-out to mobile, broadband, PC, corporate networks and traditional TV.

The Atlanta headquartered technology company Pathfire provides digital content distribution and management solutions for the broadcast television industry. It supplies innovative digital content distribution solutions, from delivery to air, for broadcasters, news organisations, television networks, Hollywood studios and other media and entertainment companies.

Through its advanced digital store- and-forward platform, Pathfire delivers news stories, syndicated programming, commercial spots, public service announcements and video news releases to more than 1,100 broadcasters throughout the US.