GatesAir, a global leader in wireless, over-the-air content delivery solutions for radio and TV broadcasters, continues to bolster its EMEA sales team with appointment of broadcast industry veteran Alexander Kurz. Reporting to Andy McClelland, Managing Director, EMEA and India, Kurz will work closely with the broader EMEA sales and business development team to increase market share and raise brand awareness in the DACH (Germany, Austria, Switzerland) region. He will also cover most European countries and CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States) countries south and east to the Ukrainian and Russian borders.
Kurz brings more than 20 years of industry experience to his new role, with extensive expertise guiding customers through digital TV transitions. He joins GatesAir from NeuLion, where he helped over-the-air broadcasters and PayTV providers distribute and monetize OTT content to complement existing TV services. Kurz also has more than 15 years of experience in the test and measurement field with Ineoquest and Tektronix, where he regularly supplied customized quality assurance solutions for DTV headend and transmission systems.
Kurz sees tremendous opportunity for GatesAir to capture regional market share for TV and radio systems with its high-efficiency Maxiva and Flexiva transmitters, emphasizing the changing habits of video consumption and the staying power of radio as a medium.
“Many of these countries have moved from analog to DVB-T digital television, and we see enormous opportunity to transition these systems to the more bandwidth-efficient DVB-T2 standard,” said Kurz. “Such transitions are growing increasingly attractive to broadcasters in this region as more viewers cut the cord, and move to OTA and OTT for television. GatesAir has the ideal technology to transition our customers to DVB-T2 with incremental upgrades that prevent disruption to existing over-the-air operations, and deliver the improved bandwidth efficiency and performance capabilities that will enable richer, higher quality DTV services.”
Kurz adds that radio remains strong throughout the region, noting a healthy demand for renewed FM infrastructure and a desire to leverage IP networks for audio contribution and distribution.
“There is an FM radio in every household and new car, and we see burgeoning opportunities for DAB Radio driven by government mandates and a thirst for stronger audio services,” he said. “In addition, GatesAir’s Intraplex networking products will help broadcasters transition to IP-based transport methods, while retaining the resiliency and reliability of traditional transport and delivery methods.”
Kurz will also work closely with EMEA Business Development Manager Peter Timmons to support regional roadshows, customer visits and partner training sessions.
“Alexander’s depth of broadcast experience and regional knowledge, including strong customer relationships that he has solidified over more than two decades, makes him the ideal person to strengthen GatesAir’s visibility and market share in the DACH and eastern European regions,” said Rich Redmond, President and Managing Director, International for GatesAir. “We are excited to welcome him to the team as we continue to expand our presence throughout EMEA and other international regions.”
