Channel 4 taps Simplestream for Paralympics online TV service
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Editor
| 03 September 2019

Aiming to build on the success that it gained with the events held on previous years, UK broadcaster Channel 4 has built an accessible video platform and responsive website for its online coverage of Para Sport and Tokyo 2020 Paralympics.


The video platform — using technology from live, live-2-VOD and on-demand OTT services provider Simplestream — has been provisioned to handle multiple live concurrent streams, on-demand video and includes adaptive bitrate encoding (ABR) for up to ten profiles.

The website complies with WCAG 2.0 accessibility to ensure that the online experience can be enjoyed by as wide an audience as possible. Through supporting responsive web design principles, the content is automatically optimised for each device type. The platform handles up to 16 concurrent live streams and 10 ABR profiles, with live event scheduling and the management of news articles and video metadata.

The presence is integrated with Channel 4’s Freewheel and Adobe Analytics platforms and DRM support includes FairPlay, Marlin, PlayReady and Widevine. Simplestream is also providing a fully managed support team 24/7 throughout the live events including the Paralympics.

“The time difference between some of the Parasport and Paralympic events in Tokyo 2020 and the UK means that our digital offering is more important than ever for our coverage,” said Pete Andrews, Channel 4 head of sport explaining the requirements of the project.

“Basing our Parasport online video offering on [the] Simplestream Sport Video Platform solution meant that we could...spend more time and energy on editorial features that make our offering better. The website is now live with VOD assets and we’re looking forward to Simplestream ensuring that our online video service thrills millions of viewers during the heat of the Paralympics action, starting with the World Para Swimming Championships on the 9 September.”