Cannes Leverages Akamai HD Network

A specialist in powering video, dynamic transactions and enterprise applications online, has announced that online video coverage of the 63rd Cannes International Film Festival will be delivered on the official Cannes International Film Festival website using the Akamai HD Network.
With the help of HD Network partner Inlet Technologies, Akamai will stream content from the proceedings and awards presentations, as well as trailers of films being screened at the event, so fans and film enthusiasts everywhere can experience the atmosphere and excitement of the globally recognised film festival alongside those attending the event.
Both on-demand video and video trailers on the site will utilise the Akamai HD Network for Adobe Flash Platform. Content will be encoded in 8bitrates and delivered in up to full HD resolution for the highest possible viewing experience. 

"The Cannes Film Festival is a highlight of the movie industry calendar," said Suzanne Johnson, Director of Marketing for Digital Media at Akamai. "Nowhere is the quality of the experience more important than in the delivery of feature length films. The Akamai HD Network lets viewers all over the world enjoy the smoothest possible video experience – adapting to their specific Internet conditions. We are very proud to have been selected to power the video experience for this year's festival."
Akamai is seeing tremendous growth in the digital distribution of film on the network. As the entertainment industry shift towards a digital distribution model, they need a solution that enables a high-quality experience that meets the high creative standards of movie studios. Akamai customers are enjoying HD quality movies on the uniquely distributed edge delivery network that is specifically tuned for optimal delivery of HD files online. Traffic across Akamai's network associated with the delivery of full-length feature films has seen triple digit growth since November 2009, which Akamai believes represents not only an increase in consumer consumption, but more content being migrated onto its platform.
Inlet's Fathom advanced encoding platform will be used to prepare all content being streamed from the event. Fathom's speed and flexibility make it ideal for applications such as the Cannes website, which requires quick turnaround and the ability to encode in multiple bitrates.
Don Bossi, Inlet Chief Executive Officer concluded: "We are pleased to be working with Akamai again to stream content from this prestigious event. The Festival's encoding requirements this year were sizable, with an unprecedented amount of content being made available for fans. Fathom's fast throughput and automation make it the perfect solution for bringing content of exceptional quality to the Festival's many fans around the globe."
(BMcN/CD)