Elemental is Going for Gold

Submitted by Eli on April 9, 2012 - 18:50

Olympic torch lightingThe 2012 Olympics in London are set to be the biggest media event in history, and Elemental is keen to be in the thick of it. As the first truly “digital Olympics,” we can’t wait to see this summer’s games take video streaming coverage to the next level. 

Let’s take a look back at some streaming statistics from the 2008 summer games in Beijing and 2010 winter games in Vancouver:

  • In 2008, NBCOlympics.com served 75.5 million streams during the games, totaling 9.9 million hours of online video coverage.
  • The BBC served over 40 million streams which totaled 6.5 million hours of coverage the same year, including 200,000 concurrent streaming viewers.
  • In 2010, NBC Olympics Mobile tallied 82 million page views and 1.9 million mobile video streams. This growth occurred even though the winter Olympics are often not as popular on a global basis as the summer games.
  • Akamai delivered more than 5,000 hours of live and on-demand video over the 17 days of the winter games, totaling more than 12 petabytes of data across its Olympics customers. At the peak, it served more than 30 concurrent live-streaming events.

While these are impressive numbers, it is 2012 that grabs the title of the first truly digital Olympics. Clearly, over the course of little more than a fortnight, we’re going to see statistics that blow these prior numbers away.

But why will more viewers take in the games via streaming? A big reason is because of the unprecedented scope of streaming access. NBC, for example, announced in September that it will offer live coverage of all events, making this the first time viewers in the United States will have the chance to view any Olympic event as it happens. In the past, the network delayed popular Olympic events for primetime viewing, a policy that received a less-than-favorable response.

As broadcasters all over the world depart from these “primetime plans,” it brings up another issue: live coverage of every event means that viewers, no longer limited to the primetime timeslot, may not be home with the telly to view their favorite event. Broadcasters have responded by planning to stream to a wide array of connected devices, including set-top boxes, PCs, tablets and mobile devices, giving consumers access to the Olympics in ways never before possible.

Without providing specifics as to how many major broadcasters will be leveraging Elemental for the 2012 Olympics, we would just like to remind Mr. Phelps that no record is safe. One thing is certain, however: live and on-demand video streaming powered by Elemental will be seen far and wide.

If you’re planning to attend NAB next week, be sure and make time to visit Elemental in booth SU10012 on the show floor and see our video processing solutions at work. If you’d like to schedule time with an Elemental representative, click here to make an appointment. We’d be well chuffed to see you at the show!

Live Streaming the Ig Nobel Prize Webcast

Submitted by Lisa on September 28, 2011 - 14:58

Ig Nobel Program BillElemental is excited to find itself among the friends of the Ig Nobel Prize ceremony this year. For those not familiar with the annual Ig Nobel event, this is not your run of the mill awards ceremony.

The Ig Nobel prizes recognize scientific achievements that make people both laugh and think. According to the highly entertaining program bill, "The Igs are intended to spur public curiosity and interest in science and other fields of endeavor." In addition to the awarding of ten prizes for improbable scientific achievement that give one a moment of pause, the evening features Nobel Laureates, flying paper airplanes and a mini-opera in five acts.

The ceremony is put on by the Annals of Improbable Research, an organization dedicated to humorous dissemination of scientific discovery led by AIRhead in Chief @MarcAbrahams, and will be held at the Sanders Theatre at Harvard University on Thursday, September 29, 2011. Live streaming coverage begins at 7:30pm ET. Discussion on Twitter is already well underway.

Live From South Africa: Kicking and Streaming

Submitted by Eli on June 17, 2010 - 01:47
World Cup 2006:  - "Did you see that goal by Brazil?"
                             - "No, I wish.  I'm at work.  I'm tracking the play-by-play online, though.  Was it a good shot?"
World Cup 2010:  - "Did you see that goal by Brazil?"
                             - "Yes, which one do you mean? I saw both! That first one by Maicon was so amazing that I had to rewind my stream to see it again.  I thought for sure the goalie deflected it, but in slow motion you could see that he just bent it right in. Well I need to go file this report!"

 

In the technology world, four years is an eternity.  So, those of us woking on streaming technology not only understand its evolution in the last four years, but can truly appreciate how the presence of video everywhere has revolutionized coverage of the 2010 World Cup.

World Cup ESPN3 Screenshot

Marketing, Business Ringer Joins Elemental

Submitted by admin on June 9, 2010 - 14:57

Keith Wymbs, VP of MarketingToday, we're excited to announce a recent addition to our executive team: video, IPTV and telecommunications veteran, Keith Wymbs. As Vice President of Marketing, Wymbs leads the development and implementation of Elemental’s worldwide marketing strategy, including expansion of our enterprise product line. With extensive marketing, product management and overall business experience in the video space, Keith has worked at every stage of a company's lifespan. How'd Elemental get so lucky? Keith can tell it best himself:

"I’m joining Elemental almost two years to the day after waving a temporary goodbye to the video industry. It was a thrill ride to see the transition to HD, the rapid adoption of DVRs, the fits and starts of internet video, and the telecom industry’s strategic move from bits and bytes to experience and entertainment with the adoption of IPTV. And now I’m back to participate in the real-time streaming revolution of online video. So, what’s the story?

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