Bretagne, long-time cradle of digital technology, enjoys a rich ecosystem and cutting-edge expertise in the fields of multimedia, networks and broadcasting in particular. The region is seeing the emergence of the nuggets of the sector. AVIWEST, created in 2008 in Saint Grégoire, is one such case and it has disrupted live and deferred video transmission. The company designs and manufactures hardware to capture and broadcast live and mobile video, whilst improving the content of the broadcast.
Cutting-edge technology
The AVIWEST core business is highly specialised. Only five companies in the world offer this international technology, whereas according to a study published by Cisco, video will account for 82% of global Internet traffic by 2020 (70% in 2015). The Breton company has developed a small case that plugs into a camera and allows television crews to transmit their videos live or deferred via 3G and 4G networks. This video compression solution gives television channels more flexibility and responsiveness to an event, at a lower cost, compared with a lorry equipped with a satellite and at the same time improves the content of the broadcast since the image does not fade.
With its 80 employees – engineers, software designers, technicians, sales staff – AVIWEST is in full control of its tools from A to Z. The components are made in Bretagne or in the West of France and everything is assembled at AVIWEST. To stand out as an SME from its competitors, AVIWEST exploits its great agility, especially with its R&D Office which is constantly developing new features and equipment to anticipate market needs. For example, in 2018, AVIWEST worked with the Insitute for Technological Research b<>com on new low-speed and low-latency video compression systems, thereby opening up new development opportunities linked to 5G.
Ambition: to become the world leader
AVIWEST carries out 85% of its business internationally. Its video transmission solutions have already been adopted by more than a thousand international and local broadcasters, online media, press agencies, social media, event organisers, security players, etc., spread across a hundred countries on five continents. Its customers include reality TV shows like Live PD watched by millions of Americans, live sporting events on TF1, Sky News in England, NHK in Japan, CNN, BFM TV, Al Jazeera, IndiaTV, RAI, etc. European leader in its market, AVIWEST relies on a network of more than 200 distribution partners and also has offices in Hong Kong, the United Arab Emirates and India and also Chile, which is spearheading rapid development in Latin America.
But the North American market is the most significant as this area represents 30 to 40% of the world market. AVIWEST’s competitors are in fact American and Canadian. The Bretagne company is nevertheless managing to make a name for itself in this market. In 2016, at NAB, the world’s largest multimedia trade show, Broadcast Beat magazine awarded it the Creativity Prize in the Content Broadcast category. In 2019, following its coverage of the Ryder Cup, the world’s largest golf competition, the Breton company received an Emmy® Award in the Engineering and Technology category. This is awarded by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences to recognise the best professionals in American television. AVIWEST has opened an office in the USA with the ambition to become the world leader in its field!
