The deal will increase TBS’ global footprint by 50% and expand its customer-base to more than 170 broadcast and media organisations worldwide.

The five-year agreement will initially deliver expanded media and broadcast network footprint across Asia-Pacific and other key regions worldwide. It will also greatly enhance access to global markets.

BT Group currently stands as one of the UK’s leading providers of fixed line broadband and mobile telecommunications delivering secure digital products, solutions, and services.

It’s service offerings extend to managed telecommunications, security, as well as network and IT infrastructure services, reaching customers in 180 countries.

Telstra Broadcast Services (TBS) plays a pivotal role in supporting broadcasters, media, and entertainment enterprises worldwide. It provides end-to-end solutions globally and offers access to more than 2,000 points of presence across the world.

Among its offerings, Telstra also provides data and IP networks and network application services, along with professional and managed services.

Leveraging its robust and high-capacity global media networks, coupled with an array of innovative managed services, TBS is dedicated to enhancing the operations in the dynamic landscape of the media and entertainment industry.

As part of the deal, customers of both TBS and BT will have access to the best unified operations of the two Global Media Networks via a product offering headed up by Telstra, including key Asia-Pacific regions with India, Malaysia, and Hong Kong, and other countries.

How customers will benefit from Telstra’s high-capacity media networks.

Customers will benefit from Telstra’s high-capacity media networks, generating expanded reach and distribution of their content and will be supported by an increased local team in APAC and access to the broader suite of TBS products and services, including:

• Field services,
• Special events teams,
• Broadcast operations centers in Sydney, Melbourne, Hong Kong, London, and Pittsburgh.

Telstra and BT customers will continue to access the same high-quality media delivery service with the additional opportunity to drive greater global reach and visibility of their content.

“Our priority at TBS is to offer a world-class global content delivery service for our customers, including the largest distribution network with the most flexibility and options for organisations to connect to the world,” said Karen Clark, Head of APAC at Telstra Broadcast Services.

“We’re continuing to see rapid growth in content demand and ongoing evolution in technology and distribution channels in response to changing consumer behaviour,”

“The focus of TBS and BT’s teams and operations on the right customer outcome will ensure our customers have the very best partner to respond to the fast-changing broadcast environment and help them optimise their operations and reach global audiences.”

TBS is continuing to build a strong team of media and broadcast specialists in the Asia Pacific region to provide customers localised knowledge and support.

To ensure a seamles experience for all customers, dedicated partner managers based locally in the APAC region will work closely with the team and BT customers.

“We’re excited about this collaboration and the opportunity to bring our customers greater content, reach and visibility by utilising the strength of both BT M&B’s and TBS’ world-class content delivery networks,” said Faisal Mahomed, Director of Media & Broadcast and UK
Portfolio Businesses, BT. 

“This approach builds on the reach of our intelligent media platform, Vena, which continues to add wider networks, in addition to cloud integrations, virtualised services such as baseband encoding, and the recent 5G and LEO developments into our portfolio.”

For Telstra, the collaboration supports its ambition to grow its team, reach and investments in technology and innovation across APAC, the UK and other regions globally, a key tenant of its T25 strategy for growth.

“This significant opportunity means we can continue to not only meet the needs of our customers today, but well into the future,” added Clark

The strategic alliance between Telstra Broadcast Services and BT marks a significant milestone in global network connectivity and signifies a proactive step towards enhancing media and broadcast network capabilities across Asia-Pacific and other crucial regions worldwide.

The alliance not only aims to strengthen existing infrastructures but also promises to provide an extended footprint, ensuring improved access to global markets.

The Telstra And BT Group Alliance

The alliance between the two telecommunications giants, Telstra and BT, reflects the growing importance of seamless and robust connectivity in the dynamic landscape of media and broadcast services.

By joining forces, the companies are poised to deliver a more comprehensive and resilient network, meeting the increasing demands of the industry and facilitating enhanced connectivity on a global scale.

In recent decades the UK has suffered from a comparative lack of corporate investment. The BT Board, in deciding to make enormous long-term commitments on full fibre worth some £15bn, had to do so knowing that the investment would need to be made with returns some way off. 

Last week, BT Group Chief Executive Philip Jansen said the introduction of a tax ‘super deduction’ for infrastructure investors from April 2021 allowed BT Group to increase and accelerate its fibre rollout targets – from 20m to 25m homes in the UK.

British Telecommunications plc is a wholly owned subsidiary of BT Group plc. It encompasses virtually all businesses and assets of the BT Group. BT Group plc is also listed on the London Stock Exchange.

BT Group consists of three customer-facing units: Consumer serves individuals and families in the UK; Business covers companies and public services in the UK and internationally.