Interap providing CDN services to Sundance Film Festival

Internap is once again providing CDN service for the Sundance Film Festival, which runs though Jan. 31, continuing its nearly decade-long relationship with the iconic indie film event of the year.

"We provide the CDN infrastructure that sits behind the curtain," said SVP of marketing Peter Evans, "and we've had a great relationship with the Sundance Film Festival." That relationship includes streaming everything from movie trailers to promotional videos from the film festival to podcasts year round. Last year, there were more than 3 million downloads of video content from Sundance, with peak traffic rates of up to 150,000 unique visitors daily in the months surrounding the event. In 4Q09, Internap said it recorded more than 1.2 million UV to the Sundance site.

"We see Sundance as an opportunity to show small, independent film makers the other alternatives that are available to distribute their films," said Evans. "The film industry is changing, it's moving away from the large film house. What digital delivery can do, is help an independent film maker get broader distribution - almost viral distribution - for their film in a cost effective manner. "

Online video delivery has been gaining speed, literally and figuratively, and film makers have increasingly been looking as ways to get their work in front of the broadest audiences possible. It's the next step in the continuing evolution of the movie industry, which has seen a steady decline in the number of DVDs it sells each year, and a corresponding growth in the number of downloads it's recorded. Transmissions costs have dropped significantly, and the rapid adoption of broadband, wireless and satellite has made for a ubiquity of service.

 "Just as we saw in the music industry, video is going online at a rapid pace," said Evans. "The real time, online experience of watching videos is passing the static experience of shipping DVDs."

Internap says its relationship with Sundance has continued because it can meet the demands of end users who have little tolerance from slow loading or interruptions in their viewing experiences. It says its MIRO technology, which routes data depending on network performance instead of the fewest number of hops, help alleviate those issues.

"We like the connection with Sundance," said Evans. "It shows the value of our technology and points to where we think the industry is going."

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