Mumbai :Tata Communications, the Official Connectivity Provider of Formula 1, announces that it has been selected by Sky to deliver the live broadcast feeds of all 21 Grands Prix starting with the 2016 FIA Formula One World Championship season over its global superfast fibre network – the world’s only wholly-owned fibre network encircling the globe.
The deal, which is part of Sky’s strategy to create Europe’s leading entertainment company following its acquisition of Sky Italia and Sky Deutschland, will ensure a seamless race experience for viewers in the UK, Ireland, Germany, Austria and Italy, regardless of Grand Prix location.
All video feeds of the 2016 FIA Formula One World Championship season will be distributed live in high-definition to Sky viewers using Tata Communications’ Video Connect service. Sky teams based in the UK, Germany and Italy will work in close collaboration with Tata Communications’ experts at race tracks and its remote operations teams, ensuring a seamless delivery of each race to people at home.
Video Connect enables broadcasters to deliver live video feeds from anywhere in the world over Tata Communications’ IP network, with connectivity to over 240 countries and territories.
“The integration of our operations in Europe is focused on accelerating innovation and serving our viewers better – and Tata Communications’ global fibre network will help us do just that,” says Keith Lane, Director of Operations at Sky
“With half a billion viewers globally, F1 is the world’s most popular annual sporting series – but with races in locations as diverse as the streets of Singapore, the hills of São Paulo and the deserts of Abu Dhabi, it is also a hugely challenging environment for broadcasters,” says Mehul Kapadia, Managing Director of F1 Business at Tata Communications.
The deal with Sky builds on Tata Communications’ expertise in F1 content delivery and highlights the company’s central role in the F1 ecosystem, working in close partnership with Formula One Management, The MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS Formula OneTeam, and many leading F1 broadcasters
“This deal cements Tata Communications’ position as a world-class media services provider,” says Rangu Salgame, Chief Executive Officer of Tata Communications’ Growth Ventures and Service Provider Group. “Our success lies in our razor-sharp focus on innovation, delivering cutting-edge services for live sports and entertainment, and harnessing our global superfast fibre network to usher in a new era in the media industry.”
