F1 Superstreams Deployed Superfast
Network Ten’s free and live coverage of the 2015 Formula 1® Rolex Australian Grand Prix was a hit with viewers around the country, attracting 1.38 million viewers nationally and a peak audience of 1.75 million. On Network Ten’s digital platform TENplay the 2015 Formula 1® Rolex Australian Grand Prix recorded 240,000 video views and 417,000 page views from 13 – 16 March 2015.
In Switch Media’s fastest deployment ever, their cloud based technologies, robust infrastructure and professional services enabled Network Ten to provide an additional five live ‘F1 Superstreams’ to their online services. Free of charge and with no commercial breaks, the live streaming complemented Network Ten’s live TV coverage and allowed viewers to experience the thrill of the F1 like never before.
With live view from the driver’s seat and pit stop, aerial view of car positions on the track, as well as lap times and highlights streamed live to the tenplay apps on mobile, tablet, and desktop – this marks the most extensive access F1 fans have ever seen.
Pit Stop Cam – live view of the action and pressure of the pit lane.
Driver Cam – live view direct from the driver’s seat during the race.
Highlights – playback of race highlights video footage.
Stat Tracker – up to date view of lap times, sector splits and other real-time data.
Driver Tracker – Live view of real-time car positions around the race track.
To achieve this advanced live stream broadcast capability, Switch Media provided tailored live solutions, integrating with Network Ten’s F1 broadcast systems with on-site encoding and cloud video management tools, all backed by ongoing technical and operational support throughout the race.
Switch Media’s cloud based video content management system, the Switch Media Manager, enabled digital delivery of 5 IP streams direct from the race itself, as well as a system to quickly collect, collate and publish results online.
Switch Media will be streaming the remainder of Network Ten’s online broadcast of the 2015 Formula 1® Rolex Australian Grand Prix racing tournament.
Network Ten’s Chief Digital Officer, Rebekah Horne, said:
“In 2015 tenplay undertook a goal to complement our live and free TV coverage of the 2015 Formula 1® season, including the Australian Grand Prix, with an additional five live streams exclusive to tenplay apps on mobile, tablet and desktop. Streaming live footage from the driver’s cockpit and pit stops, exact car positions of drivers around the track, plus lap times and highlights; viewers can experience the thrill of the F1 like never before. By working with Switch Media, we were able to deploy a tailored solution within a very short timeframe which met our specific needs, allowing us to give viewers the most extensive Formula 1® coverage they have ever seen.”
Highlights of service provided
- 5 baseband SDI feeds from the live broadcast received and encoded into IP streams for the tenplay web app and the tenplay native apps for iOS and Android phones and tablets
- Pit Stop Cam live stream broadcast
- Driver Cam live stream broadcast
- Highlights live on-loop video broadcast
- Lap times, sector splits and other data capture and broadcast (Stat tracker)
- Real time view of car positions around the race track (Driver tracker)
- Adaptive bit rate employed for all four different renditions required
- Interactive capability enabling the viewer to use the app as a second screen experience whilst watching the race on TV, e.g. while viewing the live Driver tracker
- Live F1 streams made available free of charge to the public for the first time
- No commercial break during live stream broadcasts
- Speedy deployment – fastest Switch deployment ever
About Switch Media
Switch Media enables broadcasters, publishers and providers of media content to create, manage and deliver their content across all platforms – fixed or mobile. Switch Media’s service suite includes:
- Asset management systems for video content and beyond
- Design and build of online digital media asset portals
- Content rights protection / DRM
- Content hosting and distribution
- Workflow management and integration with existing system
The platform provided by Switch Media can be adapted to suit each client’s architecture preferences – cloud-based, hybrid or dedicated.
Switch Media is the online technology partner to a multitude of government, education, broadcast and media entities including Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), Australian Federal Parliament, Foxtel, Fox Sports, INSEAD, Screenrights Australia, and Network Ten.
Key Points:
- Australia’s leading professional services provider in OTT & IPTV solutions
- Privately owned and operated Australian business
- 9 years of operations
- 50%+ year on year revenue growth
