Regional Headquarters, Jamaica, Friday, 18 October 2019—Vice-Chancellor of The University of the West Indies (The UWI), Professor Sir Hilary Beckles and Country Manager (Barbados), Flow, Jenson Sylvester have signed an agreement, formally launching the partnership which has led to UWItv being accessible on Flow channels across the Caribbean. The signing took place during a brief ceremony on Thursday, October 17, 2019 in Barbados at The UWI Cave Hill Campus.

UWItv, the multimedia, public information and education service of The UWI, which went live in December 2016, is now available on the Flow EVO service, allowing subscribers to access 24/7 content from the regional university.

A “one of a kind” facility in the region, UWItv cable channel is complemented by a robust website and social media presence, allowing access to content in real time or on demand. In addition to showcasing original UWI content, UWItv through its existing partnerships with regional and international agencies like CARICOM and the UN, offers programming which includes interviews, documentaries and regional and international event coverage on research and ground-breaking work and issues that directly affect the Caribbean.

The UWI is pleased to expand its reach and share this unique content with Flow customers. This partnership with Flow demonstrates an alignment with industry and academia, which is a strategic element of The UWI’s mandate to help to strengthen the innovative capacity and capabilities of regional economies and lead to higher levels of growth.

Commenting on the initiative, Professor Sir Hilary Beckles said, “The development of innovative national and regional economies in the age of globalization is dependent on intimate and effective partnerships between industry and academia. This partnership between The UWI and Flow reflects the truth of this statement. Outcomes will resonate across the Caribbean and the world as the University provides the region with its only dedicated, education cable and internet 24/7 channel.”

Mr Sylvester expressed how proud Flow was to be the broadcast partner of choice for The UWI and said the company was equally pleased to be strengthening its ties with the institution.

“Flow is driven by a mission of ‘Connecting Communities…Transforming Lives’ and we see our partnership with The UWI as an extension of this philosophy. With our Flow Evo platform, we now have the facility to deliver content that will directly benefit the people of the Caribbean and I’m proud that UWItv now forms part of our market-leading channel line-up,” he said.

“Beyond the dollars and cents of business, our unique culture has a tremendous impact on our social cohesion and development and we understand that the greatest investment we can make is in our people, their education and their talents.”

UWItv is available on Flow EVO channel 15 in Grenada; 102 in Curacao, Dominica and Trinidad and Tobago; 105 in Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, BVI, St Kitts, St Lucia, St Vincent and Turks and Caicos; 106 in the Cayman Islands; 112 in Barbados and 130 in Jamaica.

Photo Caption:

L-R are Ms Marilyn Sealy, Senior Manager, Communications, Southern Caribbean, Flow, Jenson Sylvester, Country Manager, Flow Barbados, Professor Sir Hilary Beckles, Vice-Chancellor of The University of the West Indies and Ms Janet Caroo, Managing Director, UWItv posing for a photo following a signing ceremony to launch a partnership between The UWI and Flow.

About UWItv: A Game Changer in Caribbean Education and Public Outreach

UWItv is the multimedia public information and education service of The University of the West Indies (UWI). The primary objective of UWItv is to present critical analyses of the common issues, concerns and socio-economic priorities in our region and the wider Caribbean diaspora. UWItv is central to The UWI’s mission to advance learning, create knowledge and foster innovations for the positive transformation of the Caribbean and the wider world. Its global reach via cable television and the internet makes it a powerful tool for disseminating knowledge, stimulating critical thinking, promoting activism and nurturing leaders in every sphere of Caribbean life. The UWItv cable service is complemented by a robust web and social presence, allowing users to access content in real time or on demand. The UWItv website www.uwitv.org also offers a vast searchable video database; an invaluable resource for students, scholars, librarians, researchers, documentarians and journalists throughout the region and across the world on Caribbean matters.

About Cable & Wireless Communications Plc

C&W is a full service communications and entertainment provider and delivers market-leading video, broadband, telephony and mobile services to consumers in 18 countries. Through its business division, C&W provides data centre hosting, domestic and international managed network services, and customized IT service solutions, utilizing cloud technology to serve business and government customers.

C&W also operates a state-of-the-art submarine fibre network – the most extensive in the region.

Learn more at www.cwc.com, or follow C&W on LinkedIn, Facebook or Twitter.

About The UWI

For over 70 years The University of the West Indies (The UWI) has provided service and leadership to the Caribbean region and wider world. The UWI has evolved from a university college of London in Jamaica with 33 medical students in 1948 to an internationally respected, regional university with nearly 50,000 students and five campuses: Mona in Jamaica, St. Augustine in Trinidad and Tobago, Cave Hill in Barbados, Five Islands in Antigua and Barbuda and an Open Campus. As part of its robust globalization agenda, The UWI has established partnering centres with universities in North America, Latin America, Asia, and Africa including the State University of New York (SUNY)-UWI Centre for Leadership and Sustainable Development; the Canada-Caribbean Studies Institute with Brock University; the Strategic Alliance for Hemispheric Development with Universidad de los Andes (UNIANDES); the UWI-China Institute of Information Technology, the University of Lagos (UNILAG)-UWI Institute of African and Diaspora Studies and the Institute for Global African Affairs with the University of Johannesburg (UJ). The UWI offers over 800 certificate, diploma, and undergraduate and postgraduate degree options in Food & Agriculture, Engineering, Humanities & Education, Law, Medical Sciences, Science & Technology, Social Sciences and Sport. 

As the region’s premier research academy, The UWI’s foremost objective is driving the growth and development of the regional economy. The world’s most reputable ranking agency, Times Higher Education, has ranked The UWI among the top 600 universities in the world for 2019 and 2020, and the 40 best universities in Latin America and the Caribbean for 2018 and 2019.The UWI has been the only Caribbean-based University to make the prestigious lists. For more, visit www.uwi.edu.