Grass Valley powers Saudi Broadcasting Authority’s Makkah facility
The Saudi Broadcasting Authority has selected Grass Valley to upgrade its Makkah site with new production solutions
Grass Valley, a leading technology innovator, has recently partnered with the Saudi Broadcasting Authority (SBA) to provide a major technology upgrade for its broadcast facility in the holy city of Makkah. Delivered in association with First Gulf Company (FGC), the new installation has been designed to support round-the-clock online broadcasts from the Grand Mosque (Al-Masjid Al-Haram).
SBA provides news, cultural and entertainment programming to domestic and international audiences, with its facility at Makkah facility serving as a primary hub for live religious event coverage. The latest deployment marks a key milestone in SBA’s ongoing drive to transform its broadcasting capabilities.
Joe Chbat, executive vice president at FGC, chose Grass Valley products for the installation due to the technology’s reliability and seamless integration. “The solution ensures high-quality video switching, scalable infrastructure and efficient signal processing, which are critical for SBA’s current and future broadcasting needs,” said Chbat.
The setup features a Kayenne K-Frame XP system as the main switcher, with an additional compact unit for backup. It also includes a Sirius 850 router, Kaleido modular frames, Densité audio processing tools, the XIP-3911 SDI/IP platform and a Masterpiece 12G master control switcher.
This landmark deployment is the latest example of Grass Valley’s growing footprint in the Middle East region. Executives from the company will be on hand at Cabsat – Dubai World Trade Centre, 13–15 May 2025, booth S1-H10.
Grass Valley continues to deliver innovative solutions in the technology industry. Cloud-native broadcast services are one example of how Grass Valley is supporting broadcasters’ digital evolution.
Find out more about Grass Valley at grassvalley.com
