Intelsat | Closer, by far. Intelsat and Live Earth Global Concert case study Intelsat Globalizes Largest Concert Event in history
The Challenge The Solution When event organizers and broadcasters have To solve this Rubik’s cube, Intelsat completely simultaneous projects underway and those managed the contribution and distribution of events are happening around the globe, having the day-long international event, providing an advanced network in place to transmit con- satellite and fiber capacity and network infra- tent in various formats to various outlets with- structure support. Intelsat delivered standard out interruption or loss is paramount. However, and high definition program feeds from eight it is challenging to choose the right network international venues (New York, London, At a Glance that can deliver always-on, secure connectivity. Johannesburg, Rio de Janeiro, Shanghai, Tokyo, • Intelsat - Global This was the challenge Live Earth organizers Sydney and Hamburg) to the Live Earth produc- Satellite Communica- faced in July 2007 during the logistical plan- tion center in London, England. The content tions Provider ning of the largest live contribution process concert event in history. incorporated satellites, • Live Earth – Monu- I’ve worked on the mental music event Executives at Live Earth “ fiber and teleport facili- that brought together Olympics... and this had to find a transmis- ties throughout Intelsat’s more than two billion project was much larger global network. people to combat the sion service provider that climate crisis. could handle 24 hours of and more complex than From London, the post- live, simultaneous content the Olympic Games.” production world feed Live Earth/Intelsat from eight international for the Live Earth concert Mission Mr. Andre Mika venues on six continents Live Earth Executive Producer was transmitted across Provide transmission and be able to dissemi- Intelsat’s GlobalConnex of live, simultaneous nate that content to an network to Intelsat’s content from eight estimated two billion viewers worldwide, teleports in Ellenwood, Riverside, Napa and international venues on seamlessly and simultaneously. They turned to Fuchsstadt. Intelsat’s teleports then distributed six continents. Dissemi- Intelsat for a solution. the Live Earth global feed to the world’s leading nate that content to an From its inception, Live Earth was a huge tech- video neighborhoods residing on Intelsat’s satel- estimated two billion nology hurdle. Organizers described it as the lite fleet and to points-of-presence for Internet viewers worldwide, equivalent of transmitting seven simultaneous distribution. seamlessly and simulta- Super Bowls live to a global audience. Andre As a result, worldwide music fans and technol- neously. Mika, the Executive in Charge of Production for ogy aficionados witnessed one of the largest Live Earth, said, “I’ve worked on the Olym- entertainment events in history. Furthermore, pics... and this project was much larger and viewers in Europe and North America enjoyed more complex than the Olympic Games.” Mika 24 hours of live high definition programming of knew from the beginning that collaboration unprecedented scope and scale. with a leader in high definition broadcasting “Intelsat was with our team every step of the would be a key component in the success of way, ensuring our schema was true to form. the Live Earth broadcast. He needed a truly Without Intelsat, there would have been no global service provider with deep experience Live Earth,” said Mika, also adding that when it in video distribution and one with proven came down to choosing the provider for the HD resources to handle an event of this scale. Mika transmissions, there simply was no other player called the Live Earth production “the biggest besides Intelsat. Rubik’s cube I’ve ever seen.” Live Earth
Live Earth control room in New York
LONDON Johannesburg Tokyo NEW YORK Rio de Janeiro Sydney Hamburg Live Earth concert, New York venue Shanghai
Inferior Waves, C-Band and Rain Fade Another challenge was ensuring signals service be used in areas where weather notwithstanding, it was reassuring to were not obscured or diluted during could be expected to be a factor. This know that Live Earth could count on a transmission. Rain fade, a weakening of turned out to be a prudent decision, as satellite firm that had a little something the satellite signal as it passes through it was raining cats and dogs in Shang- extra under the hood when needed. raindrops, occurs most commonly when hai during the concert. Meanwhile, it “With an extensive satellite network, transmissions use Ku-band frequencies. was also raining in Hamburg, and Adler seven teleports and lots of fiber, you For this reason, Robert Adler of Coastal said that “We were experiencing some can do a lot of things these days,” said Satellite, whose company was used to degradation of signal… by the time Mike DeMarco, Intelsat vice president of provide transmission management, asked we asked for a little increase in power, video services. that the more robust C-band satellite the rain went away.” Monsoon season
2 Billion Viewers; 8 Venues; 7 Continents; 24 Hours of International Broadcasting; 1 Network – Intelsat case study
Live Earth concert, London venue
HD, the cornerstone of the event After the Show A key driver in the success of Live Earth Has Ended was partnering with a satellite firm The historical predecessor to experienced in transmitting HD. Intelsat, Live Earth occurred in 2005 which delivers at least 26 HD television with Live 8, which came channels globally and handles almost together in fits and 1,000 HD occasional use services each INTELSAT ROCKS THE PLANET EARTH starts but ul- year, transmitted 86 hours of HD pro- Live Earth control room in London gramming for Live Earth with no techni- timately suc- cal glitches. “This was kind of unprece- ceeded from dented,” said Mika, “in that we actually a technology A Proven Satellite THE WORLD’S LARGEST LIVE HD EVENT produced in HD in countries that don’t viewpoint Telecommunications Leader LIVE GLOBAL COVERAGE VIA even broadcast high definition yet.” (Intelsat Intelsat’s portfolio of Global- was also Connex services provides cus- Finding a firm that was able to close the official tomers with a single-sourced this link was another slice of the pie. capacity pro- global distribution network Getting HD content transmitted quickly vider for this event). Although a much optimized for seamless delivery of such and accurately from multiple locations more complex task, Live Earth suc- large-scale events. Intelsat is the only was clearly a part of the puzzle. Intelsat ceeded because they partnered with the global satellite operator to provide cov- can transport video between any two telecommunications giants of the world erage of the Olympic Games since 1968. locations in the world with no more than from the beginning. “Intelsat is truly From the World Cup soccer champion- two satellite hops. the only company that could provide ships to the NBA Finals, Intelsat supports us with complete, worldwide satellite broadcasters of major events by provid- coverage... and the expertise to make ing the most powerful ground and space the show happen without a glitch,” said infrastructure, specifically optimized to Mika after the show. meet their needs.
2 Billion Viewers; 8 Venues; 7 Continents; 24 Hours of International Broadcasting; 1 Network – Intelsat Intelsat | Closer, by far. Intelsat and Live Earth Global Concert
Intelsat Live Earth Satellite Coverage
+180 -90 0 +90
London Hamburg Fuchsstadt
Napa to/from New York Tokyo Riverside Tokyo Atlanta to/from Shanghai California IS-3R – 317°E G-11 – 91°W IS-8 – 166°E IS-12 – 45°E IS-2 – 169°E IS-9 – 302°
to G-25 E
from Tokyo G-25 – 97°W IS-10-02 – 359°E IS-904 – 60°E IS-701 – 180°
from Sydney E
Rio de Janeiro
Johannesburg Sydney to G-25 Live Earth Satellite Network Intelsat Fiber Network Live Earth Venues Satellite for Live Earth Coverage Commercial Teleport
Intelsat | Closer, About Intelsat About Live Earth by far. Intelsat has empowered customers to Live Earth was a monumental music event navigate the world of telecom for over 40 that brought together more than 2 billion Let Intelsat extend your reach, years, and is the leading provider of fixed people on July 7, 2007, to combat the add new customers and improve satellite services (FSS) worldwide, serving climate crisis. Live Earth staged concerts your bottom line. To find out the media, network services and govern- in New York, London, Sydney, Tokyo, how, please contact your local ment customer sectors, enabling people Shanghai, Rio de Janeiro, Johannesburg, regional representative. and businesses everywhere constant and Hamburg. The event featured a mix Africa [email protected] access to information and entertainment. of both legendary music acts like The Asia/Pacific Intelsat offers customers a greater business Police, Genesis, Bon Jovi and Madonna [email protected] potential by providing access to unrivaled with the latest headliners like Kanye West, Europe & Middle East [email protected] resources with ease of business and peace Kelly Clarkson, Black Eyed Peas and Jack Latin America & Caribbean of mind. Johnson. Live Earth was founded by Kevin [email protected] Our services are utilized by an extensive Wall, a worldwide executive producer of North America the Live 8 concert series in 2005, and is [email protected] customer base, including some of the world’s leading media and communications enthusiastically supported by former U.S. Vice President Al Gore. www.intelsat.com companies, multinational corporations, Internet service providers and government/ military organizations. Real-time, advanced communication with people anywhere in the world is closer, by far.
7/08/5398-Live Earth Editors note: Quotes from Mr. DeMarco and Mr. Adler originally appeared in the August 8, 2007 edition of TVTechnology.com.