Livestation news: Georgia crisis sees surge in demand
Livestation, the company which delivers high-quality live TV over broadband, says viewing figures for its Russia Today live streaming service increased ten fold during the two weeks of fighting in South Ossetia.
Viewers spent an average of 25 minutes a visit watching Russia Today's live coverage unfold on the Livestation service.
Viewing for all the Livestation live channels, which include BBC World, Al Jazeera English, Euronews and France 24 increased significantly during the two weeks, but Russia Today's figures significantly outstripped the rest.
According to Livestation CEO, Matteo Berlucchi, the figures suggest a change in viewer behaviour.
"It is becoming clearer by the day that Internet users are increasingly turning to online live broadcasts as their first port of call when looking at important news stories developing around the world."
He says the simplicity of consuming live TV online has removed some of the main barriers to following live news events.
"With no need for satellite dishes pointing in the right direction,
set-top-boxes, smart cards and expensive subscriptions, people can now watch what matters most to them on their computers anywhere in the world."
"Add to that, the choice of channels, available at the click of a mouse, means that viewers watching live TV over the Internet can benefit from the different perspectives offered by the leading broadcasters."
"Being able to access different versions of important stories quickly and easily is an invaluable asset for all who really care about the credibility of what are being told", he said.
About Livestation
Livestation delivers free, high-quality live TV and radio over broadband, in partnership with some of the world's leading broadcasters, including Al Jazeera, BBC World News, Bloomberg Television, EuroNews (English, French, Italian and now Spanish), France 24, i>Tele, Russia Today and BBC World Service.
Based on a revolutionary software technology co-developed with Microsoft Research, Livestation offers one of the most scalable and reliable watching experiences online combined with engaging interactive social networking features. The platform also allows viewers to add web streams to their players and search the 550+ channels already added by other viewers.
http://www.livestation.com/
Media contact:
Kate Lothian, kate.lothian@livestation.com, +44 (0)20 7579 8352
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