Name

Shotoku Broadcast Systems

Legal name

Shotoku Ltd.

Website

https://shotoku.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1944

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Broadcast Camera Support Equipment

NAICS

Audio and Video Equipment Manufacturing (33431), Audio and Video Equipment Manufacturing (334310)

SIC

Photographic Equipment & Supplies (3861), Electronic Components & Accessories (3670)

akta.pro primary industry

Gimbals, Stabilizers & Camera Rigs (Handheld, Wearable, Drone Gimbals) (CRACAPAE)

Keywords

• Broadcast camera support
• Robotic camera systems
• Studio camera pedestals
• Pan tilt heads
• Legislative broadcast equipment

Headquarters

HQ city

Sunbury-on-thames

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Broadcast Camera Support Equipment Sales: Sale of robotic and manual camera support products including pedestals, pan/tilt heads, tripods, control systems, and rail camera systems. Products are sold directly through offices and through global dealer network. Includes both standard configurations and customized system integrations.
2. Installation and Commissioning Services: Skilled engineers provide installation, commissioning, and system integration services for Shotoku equipment worldwide. Projects include new studio builds and upgrades, with support managed remotely through regional offices like Shotoku China.
3. Product Support and Servicing: After-sale support including technical assistance, spare parts, and servicing. Product service policy provides servicing for up to 10 years after end of product sales.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Shotoku Broadcast Systems designs, manufactures, and supplies professional camera support equipment for the television broadcast industry. Its product range spans robotic camera systems (TR-XT control system, SmartPed robotic pedestals, SmartRail ceiling track systems, Swoop robotic jib, TG-series pan/tilt heads) and manual camera support products (pedestals, tripod systems, pan/tilt heads, cranes, VR-specific products). The company also provides installation, commissioning, and after-sale support services to broadcasters, legislative bodies, sports producers, and corporate clients worldwide.

Product overview

Shotoku Broadcast Systems is an international manufacturer of camera support equipment for the broadcast industry, founded in 1944 and headquartered in Japan with offices in the UK, USA, and China. The company offers both robotic and manual camera support products. Robotic products include the TR-XT Control System (flagship control platform), SmartPed (robotic XY pedestal with Absolute Navigation), SmartRail (ceiling track system), SoftRail (track emulation feature for SmartPed), and Swoop (robotic crane/jib). Pan/tilt heads include the TG-47, TG-27 (legislative TV standard), TG-18i, and TG-18. PTZ solutions include TR-XPTZ control system and P2 PTZ Panner. Add-on modules include AutoFrame (face-tracking), LiveView, Orchestra CMS, and Digiport (protocol adaptor for third-party integration). Manual products include SX300, SX200/SX260 pan/tilt heads, TP500/TP200/TP-80D pedestals, SG900 studio head, TK-53/53L and TK-38 cranes, and comprehensive VR product line (VR Heads, Pedestals, Cranes, Interface) for virtual and augmented reality productions. Robotic systems are designed, developed and manufactured in Sunbury, UK.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• TR-XT Control System Flagship broadcast control platform for managing robotic camera systems, supporting multiple camera types, sequence programming, orbit mode, studio zones, and integration with third-party equipment including automation, graphics, and switcher systems.
• SmartPed Robotic Pedestal Robotic X/Y pedestal with advanced movement controls, collision avoidance, studio zone management, and Absolute Navigation interfaces (AN-I, AN-S) for integration with external optical tracking systems.
• SoftRail Feature for SmartPed X/Y pedestal enabling floor track-like behavior when needed, while instantly reverting to free-roaming mode, providing maximum studio flexibility without permanent rail installation.
• SmartRail Ceiling Track System Ceiling-mounted rail camera system with descending column for vertical height control, enabling overhead camera angles and movements for broadcast studios.
• Swoop Robotic Jib/Crane Fully/semi robotic jib for broadcast studios, recognized with NAB Product of the Year award, enabling creative studio productions while managing costs.
• TG-47 Pan/Tilt Head Pan/tilt head with 22kg/48lbs payload, positioned between TG-27 and TG-18, with advanced digital servo systems for exceptional on-air performance at a wide range of speeds.
• TG-27 Pan/Tilt Head Pan/tilt head with high payload and smooth motion at tight zoom angles, positioned as the de-facto standard for legislative TV systems and conferences.
• TG-18i Pan/Tilt Head Latest integrated version of TG-18 studio pan/tilt head with high payload, simple connectivity, perfect motion, full manual override with fluid damping, and AR/VR studio support with encoding.
• TG-18 Pan/Tilt Head Studio pan/tilt head with 56kg/123lbs payload, providing reliable broadcast performance for studio applications.
• TR-XPTZ Control System PTZ control system based on the TR-XT broadcast control platform, providing tight integration for PTZ deployments of any scale, including third-party PTZ accessories.
• AutoFrame Face-tracking solution that automatically keeps talent in frame, reducing operator workload during broadcast productions using computer vision.
• Orchestra CMS Control management system designed for legislative broadcast operations, providing reliability, efficiency, and minimal operator input during long coverage sessions.
• TI-12 Height Drive Adaptable height drive that attaches to and elevates columns on a wide range of pedestals, including competitors' products, maintaining manual pedestal operation at the touch of a button.
• SX200/SX260 Tripod Systems ENG/EFP support systems with Truebalance counterbalance and Viscam continuously adjustable drag. SX200 supports 20kg/44lbs and SX260 supports 25kg/55lbs.
• SG900 Studio Head Studio head with patented Reulaux perfect balance system supporting up to 90kg (198.4lbs), maintaining constant optical center height throughout the tilt range via unique roller mechanism.
• SX300 Pan/Tilt Head EFP pan/tilt head with payload up to 40kg (88lbs), featuring Viscam fluid drag technology and continuously adjustable perfect counterbalance.
• VR Heads Virtual reality pan/tilt heads for AR/VR broadcast studio productions, available fully encoded for AR/VR studio support.
• VR Pedestals Virtual reality pedestals for AR/VR broadcast studio productions, including the world's first VR pedestal originally developed in 2000/2013.
• Installation and Commissioning Services Professional installation, commissioning, and system integration services for Shotoku equipment delivered by engineering teams worldwide for new studio builds and upgrades.
• Product Support and Servicing (Support 360) After-sale support service (Support 360) providing technical assistance, spare parts, and servicing for up to 10 years after product end-of-sales, with global engineering teams.

Quantifiable outcome

• Reduced operational costs through fully automated studio operations
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration10 records

AI capability5 records

Feature11 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• ProdigiominorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 May 2020Partnership to support the Exhibition Futures Challenge 2020 initiative, helping the events industry thrive during COVID-19. Shotoku joined Crowd, Department for International Trade, and Great Britain Campaign in this initiative offering businesses a platform to present creative ideas for virtual exhibitions.
• Grass Valley Technical Alliance (GVTA)coreTechnology or IntegrationShotoku joined the Grass Valley Technical Alliance, a group of independent companies committed to interoperability with leading manufacturers. The alliance enables confidence in interoperability while maintaining complete freedom of choice for customers regarding switchers, graphics systems, automation, and cameras.
• CrowdminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnered with Crowd to create the Exhibition Futures Challenge microsite and platform for the events industry initiative during COVID-19.
• Department for International TrademinorGTM or Marketing PartnerGovernment department supporting the Exhibition Futures Challenge 2020 initiative as part of the Great Britain Campaign.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Ross Video: Ross Video offers robotic camera systems (Furio) as part of a broader broadcast portfolio including switchers, graphics, and infrastructure. Competes with Shotoku on studio robotics while leveraging a much larger bundled sales motion.
• Vinten (Vitec Group): Vinten is the most direct competitor to Shotoku in broadcast camera support, offering pedestals, pan/tilt heads, and robotic systems for television studios and legislatures. Both companies serve overlapping customer sets in news, sports, and legislative broadcast worldwide.
• MRMC (Mark Roberts Motion Control): MRMC produces robotic camera systems and motion control rigs used in broadcast, film, and AR/VR production. Comparable to Shotoku's robotics portfolio, particularly in high-precision encoded heads and pedestals for virtual studios.
• Camera Corps: Camera Corps supplies specialist camera support and remote systems for live broadcast and event coverage. Competes with Shotoku in niche broadcast robotics, and is also a DigiPort integration partner.
• Telemetrics: Telemetrics designs and manufactures robotic camera pedestals, pan/tilt heads, and control systems for studio, legislative, and outside broadcast applications. Directly comparable to Shotoku in product category and target customer.
• Egripment (Vitec Group): Egripment, now part of Vitec alongside Vinten, specializes in broadcast camera support including remote heads, cranes, and pedestals. Overlaps with Shotoku's manual and robotic product lines for studio and OB applications.

Broad incumbents

• Grass Valley: Grass Valley supplies cameras, switchers, and broadcast infrastructure, and runs the Technical Alliance that Shotoku joined. While Grass Valley doesn't directly sell pedestals, its cameras and automation systems are central to the integrated studios where Shotoku robotics operate.
• Panasonic (Professional Broadcast): Panasonic manufactures broadcast cameras and PTZ systems that overlap with Shotoku's robotics-controlled cameras in news and studio workflows. Broad incumbent with global broadcast reach, though not a specialist in robotic pedestals.
• Sony (Professional Broadcast): Sony offers broadcast cameras and robotic PTZ systems, competing with Shotoku at the camera and integrated robotics layer. As a broad incumbent with full-stack offerings, Sony can bundle cameras and robotics in a way Shotoku cannot.
• Canon (PTZ and Broadcast Lenses): Canon offers PTZ cameras and broadcast lenses that integrate with Shotoku systems via DigiPort. As a broad incumbent in imaging, Canon's PTZ roadmap is a competitive reference point for Shotoku's TR-XPTZ and P2 Panner offerings.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/shotokutv
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/shotokutv
• Facebookfacebook.com/ShotokuOfficial
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/shotoku-broadcast-systems

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Shotoku Broadcast Systems