Sony announces purchase of Nevion

Mikio Kita, Sony

Sony has announced the purchase of Norwegian communications equipment company Nevion. Terms of the deal have not been disclosed.

The company said that the acquisition of the virtualised media production solutions provider would “further enhance its portfolio, providing end-to-end IP and cloud-based production solutions for broadcasting and other applications.”

Sony has been a minority shareholder in Nevion for over a year, but said that it is purchasing the remainder of its shares and turning it into a subsidiary. Nevion’s customers include the likes of the BBC, TV 2, France Télévision, BT and RTRN.

Transformation in the industry towards remote broadcasting and remote production solutions and remote integration (REMI) has been accelerated by the Covid-19 pandemic. Sony said that the integration of Nevion would allow resources such as equipment, facilities and staff to be shared across locations in real-time, resulting in greater efficiency and effectiveness.

The company added that the investment would enable it to build a closer relationship with Nevion and “lead to the delivery of more integrated solutions.”

Mikio Kita, VP of Media Solutions, Sony, said: “We are always listening to our customers’ feedback, pushing hard to deliver innovation that goes beyond their expectations. Through this investment, we will take the scope of IP-based remote production to the next level as one of our highly focused business fields.

“As the Sony Group, we pursue technologies to achieve `Remote’, `Reality’ and `Real time’ solutions. With Nevion’s acclaimed expertise, we will deliver more integrated and optimal experience for our customers.”