beIN teams up with Cognacq-Jay Image and Synamedia to launch a 4K UHD World Cup channel in the cloud

beIN Media Group, the global sports and entertainment broadcaster, added a 4K UHD channel to its OTT platform, beIN CONNECT, to stream the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022TM with the support of Cognacq-Jay Image and using Synamedia Quortex’s just-in-time processing.

With Synamedia’s SaaS-based solution and Cognacq-Jay Image’s team of experts, beIN was able to quickly launch the 4K UHD channel to live stream the World Cup matches to subscribers in 24 countries across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) with low latency and high image quality.

beIN selected Cognacq-Jay Image and Synamedia after the two companies had demonstrated the ability to set up a HD channel in the cloud in under 90 minutes. As Quortex becomes more deeply integrated with Synamedia’s broader Video Network portfolio, the beIN deployment also incorporates Synamedia’s industry-leading Vivid compression module for the first time.

Cognacq-Jay Image’s team of experts optimised the QoE of the service’s head-end and had responsibility for secure workflows, the transformation of content, and 24/7 operations, as well as using Quortex to distribute content on all OTT channels in seconds.

beIN’s 4K channel, now a permanent addition to its OTT offering, complements its use of Quortex for just-in-time streaming of several dozen entertainment and sports channels in the MENA region. Synamedia Quortex ’s multi-tenant SaaS technology builds video streams on-the-fly, matched to beIN viewers’ locations, devices and time zones. It dynamically adapts to fluctuations on network infrastructure and audiences demand, automatically scaling cloud resources up and down, leveraging spot instances that take advantage of spare cloud capacity at a fraction of the typical cost, while maintaining quality of experience. With more than 20 free-to-air games, expectations were high, but Cognacq-Jay-Image, with Synamedia, was able to meet beIN’s expectations thanks to its expertise in streaming high-profile sports events.

Marc Baillavoine, Senior Director of Cloud Products, Video Network at Synamedia, said “As the exclusive broadcast rights holder of the FIFA World Cup 2022 across 24 countries in MENA, beIN wanted to deliver a stellar 4K UHD experience to its subscribers. beIN is one of the first customers to benefit from the closer integration of Quortex with Synamedia’s portfolio of video processing and delivery solutions.”

Philippe Bonpunt, Director of Cognacq-Jay Images, added, “We were delighted to partner with Synamedia to support beIN’s FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 TM streaming goals. We deployed an extremely responsive support and oversight team that worked with Synamedia Quortex’s flexible solution to satisfy the viewing demands of such a huge number of football fans. We look forward to continuing our collaboration to deliver more great viewing experiences for beIN in the future.” BCS Bureau