WealthTV, which last week became the first cable television channel to stream its content to OTT set-top box Roku, will use Level 3 Communications to support its live, 24/7 streaming.
"When we looked at our options for live, broadcast-quality content delivery, Level 3's depth of experience and technical expertise in delivering high-quality, 24/7 content over the Internet were major differentiating factors," said Charles Herring, president of WealthTV. "Level 3 ramped up our streaming quickly and efficiently, allowing us to better reach viewers when, where and how they choose."
WealthTV last week announced it would become the first broadcast quality, high definition national cable network delivered over-the-top to Roku users on a 24/7 live streaming basis. The company said it also would make numerous video on demand titles available on the Roku streaming player, giving Roku viewers a "cable-like" watching experience.
WealthTV's test of Roku's ability to deliver it to more viewers may pave the way for other channels to test the waters as well, especially with increasing consumer desire for a la carte content offerings. WealthTV's linear programming feed to Roku will also include commercials.
Early reports from viewers have said the picture quality of the stream was, generally, less than expected quality. But a post on the Roku forum today said an update to WealthTV was forthcoming that "changes the strategy by which it picks streams."
Level 3 VP of content Media, Mark Taylor, points out that "Level 3 works with some of the largest media and entertainment customers in the world to deliver live and on-demand events using our CDN service offering. As traditional cable networks and content owners like WealthTV look to expand their reach and take a more active role in where and how their content is viewed and monetized, Level 3 is well-equipped to meet all their content delivery needs, from content capture to consumption."
For more:
- see this release
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