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Dublin Ireland and London, UK
Friday 7th April, 2006
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For the first time British Ice Hockey will be
broadcast live over the internet following a partnership
between Servecast and Ice Media Productions. Servecast
is the leading specialist supplier of new media
Sportscasting delivering advanced streaming media
of sport to broadband and mobile connected audiences.
Servecast has partnered with Ice Media Productions
to webcast the Elite League Play Off Finals live
from the internet enabling ice hockey fans, for
the first time ever, to watch the whole weekend
live from the comfort of their own homes. The
weekend viewing costs £9.95.
As part of the deal Servecast will webcast three
live games. The games will be streamed live on
www.icehockeyleague.co.uk
from Saturday April 8th with two live semi finals
on Saturday and the final on Sunday. Servecast
have also designed and built the pay-per-view
service including the set up of the payment interface
and security systems. Servecast will also set
up a tailored revenue tracking system and subscriber
database as well as an e-mail customer support
service. Full post-event reporting will also be
provided by Servecast to enable Ice Media Production
to analyse the viewing patterns and revenues.
Ice Media Productions recognised that broadband
penetration exceeds cable TV penetration in all
UK households and by webcasting the matches live
over the Internet, the potential to reach more
Ice Hockey fans is far greater. Also as Ice hockey
has a niche following, it therefore needs to be
available through many mediums in order to reach
the full potential fan base. New media Sportscasting
is increasingly seen as a vital part of the communications
mix for all sports and it has particular benefits
for minority sports.
" It's our experience that a fan's relationship
with their favourite sport is enriched by new-media
content. In particular for minority sports such
as ice hockey, sports organisations can have a
much wider reach and provide their fans with the
availability to watch games in a more comprehensive
and flexible way. Often minority sports will only
be given a short broadcasting window on cable
television. Over the Internet, full coverage of
games as wells as interviews, player reviews and
other additional content can be added. New media
sportscasting, delivering advanced streaming services
is vital to ensure minority sports are kept to
the fore and reach their fans" said Darach
Deehan, CEO of Servecast.
Heath Rhodes of Ice Media Productions said today
'Our partnership with Servecast will enable us
to offer ice hockey fans a new and exciting way
to view the Elite League Ice Hockey. Ice Hockey
needs an extra boost in the UK from a media perspective.
Pay per view on the internet and subscription
based websites offering high quality media to
watch and download is the future for most sport
and therefore it is important that Ice Hockey
gets in early to ensure the fans, teams, and their
sponsors benefit from this fast emerging technology.
Servecast's best of breed solution enables us
to deliver highly advanced, quality online viewing
to the fans.'
This is the first time that Ice Media Productions
has offered a streaming service over the Internet.
After the live broadcast over the Internet this
weekend, Servecast will enable the matches to
be archived and available to download and view.
The archive will also be populated with interviews
and games from throughout the 2005/06 Elite League
season.
Heath Rhodes of Ice Media Productions is strongly
behind the new media strategy for ice hockey 'The
site will take time to develop and get right but
we are hoping that hockey fans globally will subscribe,
contribute, and enjoy. We hope to make this the
definitive media site for Ice Hockey not just
in the UK but across the world. We have a three
year plan to ensure we deliver the best media
whether it be moving or still image regardless
of whether it's delivered to a PC or mobile phone'.
About Servecast
Servecast is the leading provider of audio and
video webcasting solutions for the Sports and
Media sectors. Through it's proprietary Media
Studio platform, Servecast provides access to
a fast growing global broadband audience for high
value content such as News and Sport thereby generating
additional revenue streams for content owners.
Servecast is the partner of choice of sports broadcasters
such as BSkyB, At The Races and Setanta Sports
and facilitates the most commercially successful
sports webcasting services in Europe. Servecast
customers include Sky Sports, Liverpool FC, Manchester
United FC, Chelsea FC, Arsenal FC, Rangers FC,
the GAA, At The Races and the England and Wales
Cricket Board.
For more details contact:
Kathrina Gallogly
Marketing and Communications Manager
Servecast Ltd.,
http://www.servecast.com
Phone: +353 (0)1 4748013
Fax: +353 (0)1 4748003
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