Complete Telecom delivers a record for RTÉ Online Olympics coverage

Online viewing figures are reaching new heights as Ireland’s medal chances increase this week
* Complete Telecom’s next generation network delivering high bandwidth data connectivity to make streaming possible

Dublin, 21st August 2008 – Complete Telecom, the managed networks and telecoms services provider, has announced that it catered for a massive 148,974 live streams of Olympics-related programmes from the RTÉ website on Tuesday August 19th. That day saw two Irish boxers fight for medals, while Paul Hession ran in the 200m semi final. Complete is supporting the live streaming by providing the significant amount of high bandwidth data connectivity required for RTÉ’s streaming service using Complete Telecom’s metro fibre network.

As excited viewers logged on to watch the Kenny Egan boxing match and Paul Hession’s bid for a place in the sprint final on Tuesday, a total of 12,736 concurrent live video streams were served from the RTÉ.ie website. The momentum continued to grow on Wednesday as Darren Sutherland’s fight against Alfonso Blanco was watched by more than 20,000 people online.

These numbers exceed RTÉ’s record of concurrent online viewers, which was set during the Munster Football Final replay in July 2006 and therefore represents the peak online viewership for any event streamed by RTÉ.

During the period of peak viewership, a total of 2,687 concurrent live radio streams were also being served, and a total of 20,601 live radio streams were served throughout Tuesday.

Marcus O’Doherty, technology manager, RTÉ, said “We are delighted with these numbers. This demonstrates the success of RTÉ’s cross-platform Olympics coverage, which has allowed greater audiences to share in Ireland’s Olympic success. Complete Telecom’s next generation network has contributed to the success of our streaming service. Streaming video is bandwidth intensive at the server end, but Complete was able to resource us with the metro fibre data connectivity we needed.”

Kevin Murphy, managing director, Complete Telecom, said “RTÉ’s online coverage of the Olympics has been very impressive and extremely popular with office workers across the country. Many might not otherwise have been able to reach a television or radio to enjoy the success of our athletes. The great benefit of our wholly-owned next generation network is that we have the flexibility to deliver additional bandwidth when it’s needed.”

--ENDS--

Press Contact:
Keith Martin
Comit
t: +353 1 215 7675
e: kmartin@comitmarketing.com
w: www.comitmarketing.com

About Complete Telecom:
Complete Telecom is one of Ireland’s leading enterprise providers of managed network and telecoms services. Its all-fibre next generation network and extensive experience of converged network infrastructure means it can deliver fully integrated connectivity. Complete offers managed services to corporate clients, Government and telecommunications carriers. Since its formation in 2001, Complete Telecom has grown to become a leading force in the market, with operating profit in every year since inception. For more, see www.complete.ie.

This release was published on openPR.