SWISS TXT to become
SRG SSR’s competence centre for ICT
SWISS TXT to become
SRG SSR’s competence centre for ICT
As of 1 January 2020, Biel/Bienne-based SWISS TXT AG is to merge with SRG’s internal IT and infrastructure unit, INIT, forming the new competence centre for SRG’s infrastructure, digital and distribution services. The company will continue to operate under the SWISS TXT AG name as a wholly-owned subsidiary of SRG.
The new competence centre is intended to further expand SRG’s existing internal services while generating additional revenue on the market with selected services. By combining these two IT service providers, economies of scale can be achieved and implementation efficiency increased. The new competence centre is to be headed up by Martin Schneider, current CEO of SWISS TXT AG, and will have 270 employees at its sites in Biel/Bienne (headquarters), Bern, Zurich, Geneva, Lausanne and Comano.
In addition to IT infrastructure and cloud solutions, SWISS TXT provides multimedia services for sports as well as Smart TV platforms and applications (HbbTV). Automation, increased efficiency and centralised workflows are services rendered to broadcasters. SWISS TXT supports varied video applications and processes with professional services and integral management and distribution platforms. Interactive elements, multilingual subtitles and metadata enrichment create added value.
SWISS TXT will also focus on EU-financed innovation projects for «access services» and «Citizen Journalism / Social Media» by testing state of the art technologies and business models together with high-profile partners from all over Europe.
Furthermore, SWISS TXT is SRG's competence centre for access services (subtitling, audio description and sign language) and will still subtitle all of SRG's TV programmes. Simultaneously SWISS TXT offers its support for implementing the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in terms of access to information.
The merger of SWISS TXT and INIT SRG means that all SWISS TXT AG employees will be subject to SRG SSR’s collective employment agreement as of 1 January 2020.
SRG is reorganising its production processes and developing a digital competence centre.
SRG is currently implementing an efficiency-saving and reinvestment programme worth
CHF 100 million. This is due to changing framework conditions such as the reduced and capped fee-splitting, a declining advertising market, restrictions on the digital advertising market and investing in the future. To protect the range of programmes as far as possible, SRG is primarily implementing cost-saving measures in its real estate, infrastructure, technology, production processes and management.
SRG press release of 11 April 2019.
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SRG's competence centre for infrastructure, digital and distribution services
