Trump’s inauguration sets live streaming record
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Video streaming coverage of the 2017 presidential inauguration in the United States is the largest single live news event that Akamai Technologies has delivered, the company said.
Live video streaming of the inauguration peaked at 8.7Tbps on the Akamai Platform at 12:04pm Eastern Time on Friday, January 20, during the opening of the President Donald Trump’s speech.
This exceeded the previous record of 7.5Tbps set during Election Day coverage on the evening of November 8, 2016.
Akamai supported 4.6 million concurrent viewers of the inauguration at peak on behalf of its broadcaster customers.
“The presidential inauguration is the latest in a series of record-breaking live, online video streaming events that we have supported over the last year,” said Bill Wheaton, EVP and GM of Media at Akamai.
“More people than ever are watching video online, and it’s being done across more devices at increasingly higher levels of quality.”
On a historical note, the 2009 US presidential inauguration reached 1.1Tbps on Akamai and the British Royal Wedding in 2011 hit 1.3Tbps.
More recently, the 2016 Euro soccer tournament final peaked at 7.3Tbps and the Rio women’s team gymnastics final hit 4.5Tbps.
Questions & Answers
Q.What was the highest peak in data traffic for the inauguration's live stream?
What was the highest peak in data traffic for the inauguration's live stream?
The live video streaming for the inauguration reached its highest point at 8.7 terabits per second (Tbps) on the Akamai Platform. This peak occurred at 12:04 pm Eastern Time on Friday, January 20th, during the start of President Trump's speech.
Q.How many viewers were watching the inauguration concurrently at its peak?
How many viewers were watching the inauguration concurrently at its peak?
At its highest point, Akamai supported 4.6 million people watching the inauguration simultaneously. These viewers were accessing the live stream through the company's broadcaster customers who were distributing the event online.
Q.How does this event compare to other major streaming events Akamai has handled?
How does this event compare to other major streaming events Akamai has handled?
The 8.7Tbps for the inauguration exceeded the previous record of 7.5Tbps set during Election Day 2016. It was significantly higher than the 2016 Euro soccer final at 7.3Tbps and the 2011 British Royal Wedding at 1.3Tbps.
Q.What reason did Akamai give for this record-breaking stream?
What reason did Akamai give for this record-breaking stream?
Bill Wheaton of Akamai noted that more people than ever are watching video online across a wider range of devices. He also mentioned that these streams are increasingly being delivered at higher levels of quality, contributing to the record.
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