Sky News starts IP broadcasts

Sky News is using a managed network to deliver broadcast-quality news coverage over the internet and eliminate the need to transmit information by satellite.

The news channel started using Streambox technology late last year to compress and transmit high-quality data and images when reporting on location.

The company is now sending information over a managed network instead of using expensive satellite dishes or hiring often-scarce local broadcast facilities.

Sky News first tested video over IP while covering the Ashes cricket tour in Australia at the end of last year. In March it started using the technology to deliver breaking news from Iraq.

To mark the fourth anniversary of the Iraq war, reporters broadcast from a variety of locations. Throughout the week, they used laptops to edit content and send it to the London head office.

‘Instead of sending expensive satellite equipment to the locations, staff could edit and send images using broadband,’ said Sky News head of future technology Bevan Gibson.

‘Using a managed network to transmit information to our London offices, rather than leasing our own line, is cheaper and high-quality data is guaranteed,’ he said.

The extra bandwidth provided by the Easynet managed network also ensures that Sky can receive breaking news from multiple sources.

‘The race to get the best news first is constant and this technology allows us to do so using images rather than a phone call,’ said Gibson. ‘By eliminating the need for satellite connections and shipping heavy broadcast equipment, we are saving as much as £1,500 an hour.’

Video over IP is an emerging technology and until recently available bandwidth was

unsuitable to deliver broadcast-quality images, says Butler Group analyst Mark Blowers.

‘For Sky, high-quality images are key, so it has been waiting for added bandwidth capacity to allow this, which a managed network provides,’ he said.

‘The increasing speed and availability of broadband through WiFi hotspots has also made it possible for reporters to send images from almost anywhere in the world.’

Video over IP will become increasingly popular among broadcasters as it is the best technology available for delivering images instantly, says Blowers.