solutions:
DOWNLOAD MTV NETWORKS CASE STUDY
- Successfully launched large-scale event with short notice
- Provided stellar viewing experience using player with intelligent bitrate switching
- Delivered more than 100,000 concurrent streams in two hours
- Scaled to support 140 Gbps of peak traffic
- Delivered more than 5.8 million high-quality streams
MTV Networks, a division of Viacom (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), is one of the world's leading creators of entertainment content, with brands that engage and connect diverse audiences across television, online, mobile, games, virtual worlds and consumer products. The company's portfolio spans more than 150 television channels and 400 digital media properties worldwide, and includes MTV, VH1, CMT, Logo, Harmonix, Nickelodeon, Nick at Nite, Nick Jr., TeenNick, AddictingGames, Neopets, Comedy Central, Spike, TV Land, Atom, GameTrailers, and Xfire.
As a long-time customer, MTV Networks turned to Akamai without hesitation. Not only has Akamai helped deliver some of the largest online events in history, it offers the largest video distribution capacity on the market via the Akamai HD Network. "We knew the Akamai HD Network was the best solution since it takes advantage of the full footprint of Akamai's HTTP streaming network for scale but also employs innovative adaptive bitrate switching to ensure a consistent and high-quality experience," says Rockwell.
With a goal of engaging and entertaining the online audience to prompt donations, MTV Networks wanted to deliver the online event in HD for the best possible viewing experience. In order to stream a buffer-free experience for 90 minutes, MTV Networks decided to take advantage of Akamai's new HD for Flash product, which offers adaptive bitrate streaming.
During the two-hour event, the Akamai HD Network delivered more than 100,000 concurrent streams and nearly 140 Gbps of peak traffic to nearly 1,000,000 unique site visitors. Over the entire weekend, the Akamai HD Network delivered more than 5.8 million high-quality streams, with a majority of end users viewing the online event at higher bitrates, including full HD at 3.5 Mbps. With average play duration exceeding seven minutes, MTV Networks was able to successfully engage the online audience with a high-quality experience.
"The importance of this online event required flawless execution in a short time. There's no way we could have delivered over 5.8 million high-quality streams without Akamai and the HD Network."
-Nick Rockwell, Executive Vice President and CTO of Digital Technology, MTV Networks
