Livestream Launches New Platform, Redefines the Live Video Experience

NEW YORK, Oct. 27, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Livestream, the market leader for real-time event coverage, is launching an innovative new platform, http://new.livestream.com. It was announced today by Max Haot, CEO of Livestream. This new service furthers the company's mission to help event owners extend the coverage of their physical events to viewers online and on mobile devices.

The New Livestream (http://new.livestream.com) will allow users to combine streaming coverage with real-time photos, text, and video clip updates, letting fans feel completely immersed in live events, like never before. All of this will be seamlessly integrated with the industry's best HD live streaming technology (powered by Akamai HDNet).

The New Livestream player features adaptive quality selection based on the viewer's connection speed and computer power -- all the way to 720p HD. The player also includes DVR functionality that will guarantee a moment is never missed.

"With this new platform, the New Livestream is really redefining live event coverage," Mr. Haot said. "We are confident that the new innovations -- streaming coverage combined with real-time photos, text, and video clip updates, will benefit viewers and make it easier for event owners to identify the New Livestream as the only choice for their live programs."

Livestream has built a full social network of live video and chat, allowing viewers to follow channels and receive notifications when new content is available. Every user also gets a personalized dashboard mixing all the content from the channels they follow. Users can discover New Livestream channels through following friends and influencers.

New Livestream's first content partner is the Volvo Ocean Race, the world's premier off-shore sailing race and one of the most demanding sporting events in the world. This race challenges crews to sail over 39,000 nautical miles of the world's most treacherous seas ending in July 2012 in Galway, Ireland.

Beginning on Saturday, October 29th, 2011 in Alicante, Spain (8h00 local-time, 2:00am EST), with high definition live coverage of all starts and in-port races, the New Livestream service will allow sailing fans worldwide to experience coverage of this race, in real-time, for the first time ever.

"The New Livestream is the only platform that allows us to share the full story of the Volvo Ocean Race with sailing fans, in real-time. That's why we are so excited to be partnering with them," Knut Frostad, CEO of Volvo Ocean Race said. "Telling the Volvo Ocean Race story requires not only live streaming but also the way to connect the audience with other points of view in real-time including photos, videos, audio and text updates received by satellite, while they are at sea."

Live text and photo updates from the Iberdrola In-Port Race in Alicante, Spain will start early morning of October 29 -- engaging the audience with the event in real-time, before the live video feed is available. In addition, viewers will receive by-the-minute text updates from the Volvo Ocean Race editorial team.

When the fleet sets sail for the Leg Start to Cape Town on November 5, New Livestream will take the viewer out to sea with raw access to photos, text, video, and audio clips sent by the six racing yachts through satellite directly to fans on http://new.livestream.com/volvooceanrace. All of this is seamlessly integrated with the industry's best HD live streaming technology.

The service launching today is available as an open beta for any viewer wishing to follow the events of our launch content partners at http://new.livestream.com. The creation of new channels is restricted to approved partners (the first one being the Volvo Ocean Race). In December 2011, Livestream will unveil the web and mobile producer tools and invite selected event owners and existing Livestream customers to create their own channel on the platform. Livestream is planning to open the platform to any event owner wishing to create Free channels (ad-supported) or Premium channels (paid service) by April 2012.

View our video at http://new.livestream.com.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20111027/NY94573LOGO )

About Livestream:

Livestream is the market leader for real-time event coverage. With simple technology, our service allows anyone to broadcast live to the web, as well as being the top destination for live content from around the world. Our content partners include Facebook, The New York Times, ABC News, CBS News, Associated Press, HBO, AT&T, PepsiCo, Electronic Arts, Adidas, The Academy Awards, Warner Bros. Records, Paramount Pictures. Livestream operates with over 120 full-time staff members in 5 offices -- in New York, Los Angeles, Bangalore, Sao Paolo, and the Ukraine. The service is available for free (advertising-supported) or as a feature-rich, monetizable, premium subscription for business. The new.livestream.com is an innovative new platform, available in beta, that combines live event coverage with real-time photos, text, and video clip updates posted using web browsers or mobile devices. The technology supports live blogging, live and on-demand HD video powered by Akamai HDNet, and real-time posting tools.

For more information about The New Livestream, please contact:

Jessica Kantor at [email protected] or +1.917.405.7060 or [email protected].

SOURCE Livestream