Level 3 Communications has announced that TVRL, which operates the music TV service Putpat, has chosen Level 3 for colocation, dedicated Internet access, content delivery and storage services.
TVRL launched its IP-based, music TV service Putpat in 2009 and has seen significant growth since then, passing the million registered user milestone in January 2012. Putpat differs from other music TV providers in that its users can customise their personalised TV programme with their preferred choice of music and videos.
The service is accessible on mobile devices, smart TVs, and the Internet, requiring a provider that can support for a variety of formats, codecs and delivery channels.
“During the development of the service for multiple devices, we were often confronted with the lack of standardization and incompatible modes of distribution, but at the same time product development cycles get shorter and shorter,” said Tobias Trosse, managing director of TVRL.
“It’s our goal to provide a simple, intuitive user-experience for the viewer while optimising operating costs and internal resources, and we found that, with Level 3, we could accomplish those goals with their reliable services as well as technical specialists who really know their business and deliver quickly across a robust global video delivery portfolio.”
For the Putpat service, TVRL optimizes its content delivery workflow by using Level 3 content storage and delivery services including FTTP servers; providing and caching data and videos as well as content delivery via HTTP download and video streaming; security with the Token Secure process; and hosting for the Putpat production environment.
TVRL’s supplier partners upload their video content via FTP onto Level 3 storage systems, and TVRL then downloads them into its own content management system for transcoding and other preparation work. Next, the videos are uploaded back onto Level 3 storage and made available for viewing via Level 3’s content delivery network.
“The solution we’re delivering facilitates TVRL’s whole production workflow, from video ingest, content preparation to storage and delivery, all connected to Level 3’s global video delivery platform systems and technologies. This enables them to provide personalised entertainment to a wide and rapidly growing public around the world,” said Gerald Rubant, Level 3’s head of sales for Germany.
“With Level 3, TVRL can focus on what it does best – delivering innovative services and developing new ones – rather than committing internal resources to administration, hosting and streaming.”