Kordia revamps media and broadcast division

Kordia New Zealand has initiated a revamp of its media and broadcast division. The company said the move is designed to maximise its ability to exploit growing opportunities in the media space.

Kordia Group CEO Scott Bartlett said embracing new emerging technologies and platforms was central to the company’s vision for its media division, and for the growth of its business.

“The domestic broadcasting market is going through a period of change – this change is a good thing for New Zealand as we’re now seeing a layering of new services in the market,” he said.

“We’re particularly excited to see the emergence of new players such as Choice TV and look forward to the arrival of Radio NZ Plus; and what this new service will mean for vibrancy of the broadcasting industry.”

Kordia says it will invest in a range of new technologies, including digital audio broadcast (DAB) and next-generation cloud for digital playout in the expectation that these will have a positive impact on the New Zealand media eco-system by making it easier for local content creators to share and distribute content.

“Historically, we’ve been known as the company that runs and operates the only transmission service to New Zealand,” Bartlett said.

“The last five years have put an end to that old business model and just like any other business, we’re looking to the future. Kordia’s media division is underway with a transformation that will embrace new digital platforms that enable multi-platform and multi-cast transmission; and that will ultimately give New Zealanders more choice.”

Kordia’s Content Services division will be renamed Kordia Mobile Media, to “better reflect the company’s expanding offering in transmission, linking, data and connectivity, web-streaming services and more.

The head of content services, Dean Brain, will take on the newly created role of head of media. He has more than 35 years of broadcast experience and has been head of content services at Kordia for the past 12 years.

Kordia said he had been “tasked with growing Kordia’s offering and technology capability, and assisting both new and existing customers with the adoption of new services that will help their businesses thrive.”

Other changes include the appointment of account director Mark Johnston to the role of media sales manager; of content services operations & technical manager, Shane Clements, to the role of operations manager; and of corporate receptionist Audrey Campbell to the role of business development executive.