Interoute chosen as official streaming partner of 50th London Film Festival
Europe's premier streaming company provides digital red carpet for historic media event
London, 18th October 2006 - European streaming company Interoute has been announced as official digital content partner for The Times BFI 50th London Film Festival in a deal that sees its long-standing relationship with the BFI strengthened further. Interoute has delivered an advanced portfolio of media services to the BFI, including video podcasting and streaming. As part of this year's Festival the BFI has planned a number of cutting edge online content initiatives based on Interoute’s technology.
This year’s festival celebrates 50 years of the event which first took place in 1956. It started when a group of film critics sought to give the public the opportunity to see films from around the world that were not being shown in UK cinemas. The first festival featured 20 films all shown at the National Film Theatre on the South Bank in London.
Jim Kinsella, Interoute Executive Chairman and former MSNBC CEO, adds: "Interoute are delighted to support The Times BFI 50th London Film Festival. As a company we underpin all aspects of digital content delivery and security for many of the leading content brands globally. We value the innovative approach of the BFI to the past, present and future of movie entertainment and look forward to a continued relationship."
The content initiatives include an online archive housing many hours of never-before-seen clips from the BFI archives, along with selected advance clips of the festival programme, all made available for free to the viewing public. In addition, special footage from festival workshops will be made available to stream just hours after the events.
As part of the digital content schedule, a series of exclusive video podcasts will be made available. Noted film and entertainment critics will interview the biggest names attending the event to gather an insight into how they work, what cinema means to them, and where they see the next 50 years of movie entertainment leading.
ENDS
About Interoute (www.interoute.com)
Interoute is Europe's fastest growing communications technology provider and owner operator of Europe's most advanced and densely connected voice and data network, encompassing over 35,000kms of fibre. Its full-service next generation network serves more than 14,000 customers from retail to aerospace, every major European incumbent as well as the major operators of North America, East and South Asia, governments, universities and research agencies. These organisations find Interoute the ideal partner for hosting content, providing wholesale transit services, corporate access or creating new services. With established operations throughout mainland Europe and in North America, Interoute also owns and operates dense city networks throughout Europe's major business centres. More than €1 billion in e-commerce transactions flows through its data centres each day, making Interoute a key part of Europe’s Digital Supply Chain.
For more information, please contact:
Nick Miles
Text 100 on behalf of Interoute Communications Limited
+44 (0)20 8846 0723