A large part of television programming today revolves around live sporting events. All year long, on any given evening, you can tune in to watch any number of professional or collegiate events — not to mention nearly all day and night on weekends. A large part of that programming is even available in high definition, making for a remarkably more exciting viewing experience.

 

However, the need to broadcast these events, especially in HD, requires a commitment from both sports organizations as well as carriers that enable the programming to be disseminated to viewers.

 

To ensure delivery of its broadcasts from 30 venues across North America, the National Hockey League (NHL) has signed a multi-year deal with Level 3 Communications (News - Alert) to support its content delivery and HSIP (high speed Internet Protocol) needs. In addition to handling content delivery, Level 3 also will serve as the NHL’s primary provider of video services to NHL headquarters, as well as Internet access to headquarters from each of the league’s arenas.

 

Level 3, through its Vyvx subsidiary, has considerable expertise in providing global video transmission solutions for live events as well as recorded content, making it a logical choice for the NHL. 

 

Through its VenueNet service, Vyvx can provide instant connectivity at each of the venues, enabling both digital and analog transmission capabilities. In addition, its enhanced HD VenueNet provides backhaul for live HDTV broadcasts, delivering feeds from the ice to production facilities at 270 Mbps. The NHL will be using Level 3’s Vyvx service for acquisition and backhaul of each of its broadcasts.

 

The on-net access provided to the NHL’s headquarters in New York City enables not high speed Internet access but also managed live video solutions that enable the organization to more effectively send and receive video content.

 

For live events, in particular, flexibility and scalability are a must, and the Level 3 solution provides ample opportunity to transmit to and from arenas in both SD and HD. In fact, with the solution in place, NHL headquarters will be able to receive and archive 10 live games simultaneously, with future scalability to as many as 20 games at once. 

 

Equally importantly for its relationships with news outlets and for updates in other arenas, the solution allows for the transmission of highlights from games for display during intermissions or in-game updates.

 

Hockey is certainly not one of the three major professional sports in the United States, but with the ability to provide high quality transmission of its games across the country, region, and globe, the NHL has taken a step in the right direction to increase its popularity. The truth is, other than NASCAR, there isn’t a faster moving professional sport, which makes it exciting in its own right. And the ability to watch a reliable HD feed can only help grow its presence.

 

“We are pleased to be working with Level 3, to assist us in managing our event content and network infrastructure consistently across all NHL venues,” said Peter DelGiacco, NHL executive vice president and CTO. “With a comprehensive solutions portfolio and proven content delivery expertise, Level 3 will help us to meet growing consumer demand and provide viewers with a high-quality broadcast experience.”