Czech TV, a major broadcaster in the Czech Republic, has selected Sony’s Media Backbone Hive version 2.0 to upgrade its existing Sony Sonaps news production system. This move marks a significant step in the broadcaster’s efforts to modernize its news operations while maintaining continuity with its established workflows.

Since 2015, Czech TV has relied on the Sonaps system for the production and broadcast of its news and sports channels, including CT24, CT1, CT2, CT Sport, CT Art, and CT D. However, with the evolving demands of the media landscape, the broadcaster sought a more advanced, flexible solution to enhance its production capabilities.

Media Backbone Hive was chosen for its seamless integration with Czech TV’s existing infrastructure. The system offers a fully scalable, web-based architecture that streamlines workflows from content acquisition and production to delivery and archiving. According to Sony, this upgrade will enable Czech TV to produce and publish news more efficiently, reducing operational costs and increasing overall responsiveness.

“When we were looking for a new solution for our news production, to upgrade from the current Sony Sonaps system, we were keen to select one that didn’t disrupt our existing ways of working,” said Michal Kratochvil, Technical Director at Czech TV. “We wanted a system that could elevate our channels while providing robust support for the years to come. In today’s landscape of heightened security risks, Sony Media Backbone Hive ticked all the boxes.”

Sony’s Olivier Bovis, Head of Media Solutions at Sony Europe B.V., highlighted the long-standing relationship with Czech TV: “We’re very pleased to see our collaboration with Czech TV continue to grow. They remain a leader in the region, and we’re delighted they chose Sony again for their critical news operations.”

Media Backbone Hive, Sony’s news production platform, is known for its ability to streamline complex production workflows, as the company signals. According to the product specifications, its flexible, web-based tools provide journalists with the ability to produce and publish content quickly and efficiently, while its open architecture allows for easy integration with other systems. This best-of-breed approach gives broadcasters like Czech TV the flexibility to adopt cutting-edge technologies without overhauling their entire infrastructure.

The system integrator Elvia Pro has been selected to implement Hive, ensuring that the project aligns with Czech TV’s technical, professional, and business needs. The full implementation is scheduled for completion by Spring 2026.

With this upgrade, Czech TV is positioning itself to remain competitive in the ever-evolving news production landscape, ensuring that it can continue to deliver high-quality content to its audience while embracing new technological advancements.