Akamai behind GRAMMY Live
March 2, 2017
The Recording Academy’s GRAMMY Live online programming, the official companion to the recent 59th GRAMMY Awards television broadcast, leveraged Akamai Technologies, a global player in content delivery network (CDN) services, to offer viewers a unique, immersive digital experience on Music’s Biggest Night. Akamai helped The Recording Academy successfully deliver the evening’s coverage while meeting its goal of live streaming the video at higher quality than ever before using Akamai’s Media Services Live solutions.
Entering its eighth year, GRAMMY Live programming started five hours before the 59th GRAMMY Awards television broadcast and offered a worldwide audience watching on desktops and mobile devices exclusive access to live coverage including red carpet interviews, celebrity arrivals and behind-the-scenes happenings. By strategically positioning multiple cameras throughout the event venue, GRAMMY Live gave viewers control of their own experience, allowing them to switch cameras to view different content. The flexibility allowed viewers to watch what mattered to them most, including the red carpet, limo arrivals, fashion cam and exclusive backstage interviews that complemented the television broadcast.
“We added a new challenge this year with GRAMMY Live to stream the video at even higher quality than we have in years past, creating a greater, more engaging experience for viewers around the world,” said Evan Greene, Chief Marketing Officer of The Recording Academy. “We ultimately doubled the average bit rate that we streamed across the Akamai platform, delivering stunning video across devices that helped elevate the audience experience along with the GRAMMY brand itself.”
GRAMMY Live, through Akamai’s partner MobileRider, a provider of SaaS-based online streaming platforms, utilised Akamai’s Media Services Live to stream content before, during and after the event. With a long history of delivering live events, MobileRider and Akamai met The Recording Academy’s unique demands to successfully present one of the highest-profile entertainment industry events of the year.
“GRAMMY Live is a unique application that shows the versatility of live online video, creating a highly engaging experience that satisfies consumer demand for more access to their favorite entertainers,” said John Bishop, Chief Technology Officer for Media, Akamai. “Our Media Services Live platform is designed to ensure that content is seamlessly delivered at the highest possible quality no matter the consumer viewing preference.”