Vignette, a leading provider of Next-Generation web solutions, announced last week the successful deployment of its Vignette Digital Services Hub to power the online presence of MBC television station, the Middle East s major broadcasting channel with a significant presence worldwide. MBC.net offers 20,000 daily visitors program information and clips. It is based on a flexible platform using Vignette's Next-Generation web solution that can be easily replicated to enable new sites to be launched in a short a timeframe of three days. This type of foundation was an essential requirement for MBC, whose strategy for growth involves developing new sites with services like online communities, mobile access and IPTV, on an ongoing basis. Ammar Bakkar, group director of new media at MBC, said in a statement issued to the press, "We are facing a range of new challenges with the convergence of web and TV, as customers come to demand new services like video-on-demand and social networks. We conducted an in-depth decision-making process in finding the right partner to offer us a scalable solution. This would support us for the long term and give us the foundation we need to succeed in this evolving market. By leveraging Vignette's experience of providing this type of solution for media companies worldwide, we will not only succeed, but set the standard for our industry peers in the region. Following the successful deployment of MBC.net based on the Vignette Digital Services Hub, the company plans to develop a number of additional websites for news and other services in the coming months. Bijan Bedroud, Vignette's regional vice president of sales for Middle East and Northern Europe, said, "The media and entertainment arena is changing and converging so fast, it is essential for service providers to stay ahead of the game. We're pleased to assist MBC to deliver an enhanced customer experience with web 2.0 features like communities and social networks. "With Vignette's further expansion into the Middle East we can now make our solutions available to even more customers in the region, he added.
