International Rugby Board records impressive online viewing figures in the lead up to Rugby World Cup 2011 knock out stages

Torino, Italy – October 10, 2011 – With the Rugby World Cup 2011 knock out stages fast approaching, the International Rugby Board (IRB) records extensive online viewing figures for the official RWC website, using deltatre’s latest digital media innovation, DIVA, for their online video coverage. Microsoft is a key player, supporting DIVA through Microsoft’s Silverlight and Smooth Streaming technologies.

DIVA (Data Integrated Video Application) enables rugby fans to watch every single Rugby World Cup game in HD while interacting with relevant synchronised data. In the first two weeks of the Tournament there were nearly ten million unique visitors from more than 200 countries and territories to the official RWC website. The video section has been a terrific success with millions of complete game and near real-time highlight video clips viewed, even before the quarter-finals kick off.

The IRB understands the global nature of the sport and enormous growth of the audience worldwide which is increasing with each Rugby World Cup event. DIVA’s ability to provide users with high quality content at any time of day, anywhere in the world, means the IRB can exceed the growing demands of global sports fans for an engaging user experience.

"We are committed to extending the reach of Rugby World Cup to as many viewers as possible, across all digital platforms. We believe this service substantially increases the value of our digital media rights for broadcasters, as well as enhancing the viewing experience for end users," says Mike Miller, International Rugby Board’s CEO. "deltatre has built a truly compelling solution to provide online and mobile

consumers with the highest quality video, together with easy navigation synchronized with real-time official data."

deltatre’s DIVA web and mobile applications are cost-effective and highly scalable solutions that allows rights-holders to provide fans with a truly immersive user experience. The DIVA video player is Microsoft Silverlight based and provides great video quality with no buffering thanks to its "Smooth Streaming" adaptive streaming (with multiple bit rates). Viewers have new control over how they view the match. With a simple click they can navigate their way through the key moments of the Game, viewing player or match statistics, watch match-related videos and even interact with other online rugby fans for a truly social video experience.

"DIVA’s advanced functionality evolved from our experience providing high profile, complex sports websites with extremely high traffic and the subsequent demand of online audiences for high quality and interactive video content." says Paul Bristow, deltatre Media’s Managing Director. "Having worked with the IRB since before Rugby World Cup 2007, we are excited about our continued collaboration with the IRB to provide the most engaging web-based sports services in the digital media space."

Paul Muckleston, Managing Director for Microsoft New Zealand says "adjusting the video quality based on the speed of a user’s Internet connection helps provide a great viewing experience whether it is via the website using Silverlight or on a mobile device. Microsoft is very excited to be an official sponsor of Rugby World Cup 2011 and provide a leading media platform that enables Rugby World Cup fever to spread across the globe. Synchronising HD video with data, deltatre’s solution built on Microsoft’s technology will change the way digital media and video are broadcast, and it is fantastic to see this kind of technology showcased at the biggest sporting event in New Zealand’s history."

For more information about deltatre's DIVA solution please visit www.deltatre.com/diva.

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