Ustream Partners with Washington D.C. Media Powerhouse PBS NewsHour To Power Live Coverage of this Year's Democratic and Republican Conventions

SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 22, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Ustream Inc., the leader in live, interactive, streaming video, today announced an exclusive agreement to power PBS NewsHour's round-the-clock, 24-hour live coverage of this year's Democratic and  Republican National Conventions. This Washington, D.C., / Silicon Valley partnership will take online breaking news to the next level by combining three important elements: Ustream's innovative live broadcast streaming technology, the platform's mobility to stream news anytime, anywhere, and PBS's award-winning journalism.

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Viewers can kick off PBS's coverage of the conventions with a dynamic and interactive conversation about politics, technology and media during a live Q & A session with Vice President of Ustream Craig Mullaney, PBS NewsHour Political Editor Christina Bellantoni and Senior Correspondent and Anchor of PBS NewsHour Gwen Ifill –– live today at 11 a.m. (EST) via Ustream.

The partnership between PBS and Ustream will extend the reach of PBS's coverage of the convention to today's generation of social media and mobile-savvy consumers by having live-broadcast streaming of breaking political news action at the convention. Voters and viewers can provide their perspective and engage in the discussion while watching the coverage online by sharing their views on Ustream's social streaming chat room.

"PBS NewsHour has been increasingly dedicated to providing our readers with our unique brand of MacNeil/Lehrer journalism where ever and whenever they want it.  Live online streaming content has been key to making that possible. Our partnership with Ustream for the 2012 Democratic and Republican conventions is reinforcing our commitment to telling the stories that need to be told by tapping into a wide range of voices," said Linda Winslow, executive producer of PBS NewsHour. "We want our viewers to share their perspectives and thoughts on this year's presidential campaign via Ustream's social stream alongside NewsHour's live coverage."

During the convention coverage, PBS will be streaming at least five streaming channels via Ustream including one channel for Spanish speaking viewers.  Other features during the convention only found on Ustream include:

• Arena Cam: Showcasing the hustle and bustle on the convention floors
• Workspace Cam: Viewers can get up close and personal and see daily actions of the speakers rehearsing, writers preparing speeches, the ins and outs of the booths on the convention floor and politicians working together
• Helmet Cam: During the daytime hours, viewers can be down on the convention with a special helmet-mounted Android phone
• Share Your Views Via Ustream's Social Stream: This feature allows users to chat instantly with broadcasters and viewers alike while taking the concept of watching live-broadcast streaming and being an on-the-spot commentator to a whole new level.

"Today's social media generation wants to have the ability to interact and share their voice while watching live broadcast streams of breaking news, political scandals and on-the-spot protests via their mobile devices, tablets or computers," remarks Craig Mullaney vice president of operations and strategy at Ustream.  "It's a perfect combination: mixing the power of Ustream with 24-hours of politics with an established media outlet like PBS NewsHour. We cannot wait to see the debates on Ustream's social stream heating up during the conventions."

Ustream's development team has designed and created the Broadcasters mobile app for the iPhone,iPad and Android devices making the process of streaming live broadcasts and viewing this content as easy as a touch of a button along with viewers providing instant commentary.  Over the last two years, Ustream has become the online headquarters for thousands of citizen journalists due to the mobility of this app allowing them to break news anytime and anywhere by having a live-satellite truck in their back pockets.

About PBS NewsHour
PBS NewsHour is seen by over 5 million weekly viewers and is also available online, via public radio in select markets and via podcast. The program is produced in association with WETA Washington, D.C., and WNET.org in New York. Major corporate funding for the PBS NewsHour is provided by BNSF Railway, with additional support from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and public television viewers.www.pbs.org/newshour

About Ustream
Ustream Inc. is the leader in live, and social video streaming. The interactive platform connects broadcasters and viewers of unlimited size through innovative technology including co-hosting video features, IRC chat, Facebook, and Twitter. Ustream's free and premium solutions allow any broadcaster to create their own customizable channel with robust social and notification features to enhance visibility and virility across multiple platforms. In addition to activating the embeddable features on external websites, users are able to broadcast and view content while interacting in real-time directly from mobile phone devices, tablets, streaming players, smart TVs, and more. The company attracts millions of users ranging from music artists, celebrities, politicians, athletes, corporate executives, animal enthusiasts and gamers, all which have contributed to Ustream's Guinness World Record for the "Most Content Ingested by An Online Video Service." For more information, visit www.ustream.com and follow Ustream's socials:Twitter (@Ustream); Facebook (facebook.com/Ustream).

SOURCE Ustream Inc.