BROOMFIELD, Colo., Sept. 26 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Level 3 Communications' Content Markets Group today announced that the company has been selected by Fox Interactive Media, Inc. (FIM) to provide video acquisition, transport, encoding and streaming services to support live online viewing of for all four of the 2008 Presidential Debates, which begin tonight in Oxford, Mississippi. Online viewers will be able to access live video of the debates at http://www.mydebates.org/, powered by MySpace, a division of FIM.
"MySpace is pleased to partner with Level 3 to deliver the back-end of MyDebates.org," said Lee Brenner, Director of MySpace IMPACT. "Live video streaming and other interactive features further enhance the MySpace widgets functionality to potentially increase political awareness in this crucial campaign period."
Level 3's video broadcast services will be used for video signal acquisition, backhaul and distribution of debate content to redundant broadcast encoding centers, as well as Fox Television affiliates. Level 3's Broadcast Encoding Centers will encode the video signal in real-time for online delivery and then manage distribution over the company's CDN for live streaming using Adobe(R) Flash.
This first-time deployment of Level 3's video encoding services further enhances the company's video network infrastructure to support content delivery from creation to consumption. Video encoding services provide the final link between the company's video broadcast and CDN services to enable Level 3 to simulcast live events for broadcast and online viewing.
"We are excited to offer Fox Interactive Media an end-to-end solution that takes advantage of our broad portfolio of video broadcast and content delivery services," said Grant van Rooyen, president of Level 3's Content Markets Group. "Our delivery of the 2008 Presidential Debates provides a mainstream showcase for our online video encoding technology -- a new and integral component of Level 3's CDN services platform."
Use of Level 3's video broadcast and content delivery network services for the upcoming debates builds on the company's recent involvement as the official Live Video and Content Delivery Services provider for the 2008 Democratic National Convention. During the Convention, online viewers accessed over 350,000 hours of live and on-demand video, including video streaming in high-definition -- a Convention first. Online video viewing averaged more than 80 minutes per user over the four-day event.
About Level 3 Communications
Level 3 Communications, Inc. is a leading international provider of fiber-based communications services. Enterprise, content, wholesale and government customers rely on Level 3 to deliver services with an industry-leading combination of scalability and value over an end-to-end fiber network. Level 3 offers a portfolio of metro and long-haul services, including transport, data, Internet, content delivery and voice. For more information, visit http://www.level3.com/.
Level 3 Communications, Level 3, the red 3D brackets and the Level 3 Communications logo are registered service marks of Level 3 Communications, LLC and/or its affiliates in the United States and/or other countries. Level 3 services are provided by wholly owned subsidiaries of Level 3 Communications, Inc. Any other service, product or company names recited herein are trademarks or service marks of their respective owners.
Forward-Looking Statement
Some of the statements made in this press release are forward looking in nature. These statements are based on management's current expectations or beliefs. These forward looking statements are not a guarantee of performance and are subject to a number of uncertainties and other factors, many of which are outside Level 3's control, which could cause actual events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the statements. The most important factors that could prevent Level 3 from achieving its stated goals include, but are not limited to the company's ability to: successfully integrate acquisitions; increase the volume of traffic on the network; defend intellectual property and proprietary rights; develop new products and services that meet customer demands and generate acceptable margins; successfully complete commercial testing of new technology and information systems to support new products and services; attract and retain qualified management and other personnel; and meet all of the terms and conditions of debt obligations. Additional information concerning these and other important factors can be found within Level 3's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Statements in this press release should be evaluated in light of these important factors. Level 3 is under no obligation to, and expressly disclaims any such obligation to, update or alter its forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.
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