Bow Tie Television has won the contract to broadcast live proceedings from the National Assembly for Wales, beating incumbent facilities group Barcud Derwen in the competitive bid.

The new three-year contract begins in August and includes a two-year follow-on option. Bow Tie plans to overhaul coverage with greater interactivity and revamped editorial.

Managing director John Knopp said: “Our intention is to make the coverage as relevant, interesting and accessible as possible.

“We’ll deliver more information about how the National Assembly works, with a better website to make it more engaging for people, rather than just streaming a live feed.”

An upgrade to a digital archive system, post-producing content into VoD packages, weekly roundups or previews and streaming to mobile TV are other options being discussed. Bow Tie will collaborate with Swansea-based Telesgop for web production services.

Bow Tie has televised the UK Parliament for the past nine years and the Greater London Authority since 2006. Combined with the National Assembly, these contracts represent 20% of its business.

Bow Tie also provides OB services for Sky Sports and Input Media. As reported in last week’s Broadcast, Caernarfon-headquartered Barcud Derwen is for sale.

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