Smooth Operations cover Cambridge Folk Festival live for Sky Arts

Smooth Operations, the Manchester-based production division of UBC Media Group, this summer be provided 15 hours of live music programming to Sky Arts 1 HD and Sky Go around the Cambridge Folk Festival.

Smooth Operations, has provided radio coverage of the Cambridge Festival to BBC Radio 2 for 14 years. Two years ago, the company began to provide television coverage to Sky. This year’s coverage, hosted by Mark Radcliffe and Zoe Ball, was considerably enhanced with an increased production budget and, for the first time, was all transmitted live.

The event was also featured on BBC Radio 2, with coverage in Mike Harding’s Wednesday evening folk programme bringing listeners highlights of the festival.
Smooth Operations retained rights to the audio and video performances and will produce DVD’s, CD’s and digital downloads of the shows for sale after the event.

John Leonard, Managing Director of Smooth Operations commented:
"Developing our relationship with Sky has been crucial to creating a more rounded business model than just that of a BBC radio programme production company. Our coverage of Cambridge represents a model of how we will develop our business in the future with multiple broadcast customers and an ability to monetize content which we retain rights to".

Enquiries:
UBC: Simon Cole, Chief Executive 0207 453 1603
Smooth Operations: John Leonard, Managing Director 01457 873752

Notes to Editors

About UBC Media Group

UBC is quoted on the London Stock Exchange’s AIM market. UBC is a leading provider of digital content, software and mobile applications. The Group is the largest independent producer of radio programming for the BBC and a provider of entertainment programming to commercial radio stations throughout the UK. Its software division, Unique Interactive, is a global supplier of digital radio text and data services.
www.ubcmedia.com

Sky Arts

Sky is the only broadcaster in the UK and Ireland with channels dedicated solely to the arts, with 48 hours of the best arts content from around the world across Sky Arts 1 and Sky Arts 2 daily. Recent highlights include the latest season of the Met Opera, Chekhov Comedy Shorts, a season of brand new plays starring the cream of British comedic talent, Tim Marlow on Sculpture 3D and The South Bank Sky Arts Awards.

Sky Arts also seeks to connect with culture on the ground; creating and collaborating with the best of the arts in the UK and Ireland to bring new experiences to life. The flagship show, The Book Show, now goes to four literary festivals including Hay and Cheltenham. Sky Arts Creative Wish is part of Sky Arts Ignition Series which launched in in 2011 to invest in the arts landscape of the UK. The Series will seek to collaborate with six arts organisations over the next three years in the creation of brand new works; Sky Arts Ignition Series: Futures Fund will support five young artists with a bursary of £30,000 each, enabling Sky Arts to back the creation of new works of art as well as nurture emerging talent.
Sky Arts also encourages new formats and methods for accessing opera; beaming the world’s first live opera in 3D to cinemas across the UK and Ireland from ENO. Follow us on twitter @skyarts. See sky.com/arts

Sky’s coverage of some of this summer’s biggest music festivals is part of a commitment to increase investment in home-grown British programming to £600m by 2014, which marks an increase of more than 50% over three years.