The Recording Academy Taps Akamai and AEG Digital Media to Stream Grammy Live Events
Companies to Deliver Live and On-Demand Video Before, During and After the 56th Annual Grammy Awards
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. and LOS ANGELES(23 Jan 2014)
Akamai Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: AKAM), the leading provider of cloud services for delivering, optimizing and securing online content and business applications, today announced it is working with AEG Digital Media (AEGDM), the leading provider of complete webcast management, technical media services and video optimization solutions in the digital media industry to deliver live and on-demand video streaming for The Recording Academy’s Grammy Live online programming in conjunction with the 56th Annual Grammy Awards, January 24 to 27.
Entering its fifth year, Grammy Live provides multi-device viewers worldwide with access to exclusive, behind-the-scenes events related to the 56th Annual Grammy Awards. Grammy Live will feature live and on-demand video coverage of Grammy Week events such as the annual MusiCares Person of the Year ceremony and the Pre Grammy Gala. The Sunday, January 26, webcast will feature live coverage of the awards presented before the network telecast, the highly anticipated red carpet arrivals and an array of behind-the-scenes celebrity interviews. Grammy Awards highlights will also be available on-demand beginning Monday morning following the ceremony.
“Grammy Live is allowing viewers to experience the GRAMMY Awards and their favorite artists like never before, while also helping to expand our audience and brand throughout the world,” said Evan Greene, Chief Marketing Officer for The Recording Academy. “Our relationship with Akamai and AEG Digital Media gives us the ability to continue to innovate and create deeper, more engaging experiences.”
To ensure that Grammy Live viewers have the best viewing experiences across all devices, The Recording Academy has tapped Akamai’s digital media solutions to stream content over the Akamai Intelligent Platform, which is designed to enable optimal video delivery across a variety of fixed and mobile network types at varying connection speeds via 147,000 globally distributed servers.
“Collaborating with The Recording Academy and AEG Digital Media, Akamai is again working to help audiences enjoy the exciting events of Grammy Week,” said Bill Wheaton, senior vice president and general manager of Media at Akamai. “Consumers are hungry for more video – and more Grammy content – and we’re pleased to help deliver these multimedia experiences to viewers around the world on any device.”
AEG Digital Media’s Online Broadcast Center in Marina Del Rey, Calif., will serve as the master control room for Grammy Live. Using the company’s direct fiber to L.A. LIVE, broadcast feeds will be routed directly to the facility to allow for direct encoding and seamless integration of red carpet coverage, backstage interviews and Grammy Week events. The Recording Academy will also use AEG Digital Media's multi-angle Tremolo Player to create a personalized experience for fans, providing top-quality online streaming while delivering a skip- and buffer-free end-user experience.
“The Grammy Awards are so much more than what we’re all accustomed to seeing on television. It’s one of the biggest music events of the year, but it’s actually a week-long event chockfull of range of interesting happenings. AEG Digital Media is looking forward to working with Akamai and The Recording Academy for our tenth year to help fans around the world interact with the festivities from afar,” said Joe Einstein, vice president of technical services and operations for AEG Digital Media.
About The Recording Academy
Established in 1957, The Recording Academy is an organization of musicians, songwriters, producers, engineers and recording professionals that is dedicated to improving the cultural condition and quality of life for music and its makers. Internationally known for the GRAMMY Awards — the preeminent peer-recognized award for musical excellence and the most credible brand in music — The Recording Academy is responsible for groundbreaking professional development, cultural enrichment, advocacy, education and human services programs. The Academy continues to focus on its mission of recognizing musical excellence, advocating for the well-being of music makers and ensuring music remains an indelible part of our culture. For more information about The Academy, please visit www.grammy.com. For breaking news and exclusive content, follow @TheGRAMMYs on Twitter, like “The Grammys” on Facebook, and join The Grammys’ social communities on Foursquare, GetGlue, Google +, Instagram, Pinterest, Tumblr, and YouTube.
About Akamai
Akamai is the leading provider of cloud services for delivering, optimizing and securing online content and business applications. At the core of the Company’s solutions is the Akamai Intelligent Platform providing extensive reach, coupled with unmatched reliability, security, visibility and expertise. Akamai removes the complexities of connecting the increasingly mobile world, supporting 24/7 consumer demand, and enabling enterprises to securely leverage the cloud. To learn more about how Akamai is accelerating the pace of innovation in a hyperconnected world, please visit www.akamai.com or blogs.akamai.com, and follow @Akamai on Twitter.
About AEG Digital Media
AEG Digital Media is the leading provider of complete webcast management, technical media services and video optimization solutions in the digital media industry. AEG Digital Media is regarded as the definitive turnkey service provider in the market today with a 12-year track record of empowering and enabling the defining moments in Internet broadcasting and live streaming media. Based in Los Angeles, AEG Digital Media maintains the industry's leading technologies and broadcast operation centers to enable seamless, broadcast-quality live events and TV Everywhere services. www.AEGDigitalMedia.com