Trams takes Quantum leap with BBC Sport deal

VAR teams up with Quantum and MediaManor to bag four-year storage contract

VAR Trams has bagged a deal to supply BBC Sport with an integrated storage solution for its production library.

The contract was first advertised back in September with a value of between £500,000 and £1m excluding VAT but could be extended to encompass the provision of services to other areas of the BBC.

Trams won the four-year deal in collaboration with storage vendor Quantum and media workflow consultancy Media Manor. Quantum's StorNext file system provided the backbone of the solution design.

"BBC Sport has entrusted Quantum – along with our partners, Trams and MediaManor – to help manage this digital treasure, and we look forward to helping future generations relive great games, matches and moments in sports history," said Gilles Gabriel, vice president of EMEA sales at Quantum.

BBC Sport said that archive is "at the heart of everything it does". The solution must support its staff "in a future where BBC Sports works with other broadcasters, content production companies, outside broadcast providers and other BBC departments both onsite in Salford and globally", it said.

Jonathan Wilding, technical director at Trams, said the solution meets the brief of integrating closely with existing BBC asset management systems and workflows.

"It is robust and proven for today's requirements and offers scalability and flexibility for the future, well beyond the initial four-year contact term," he said.