mABR optimizes network usage for events where many users connect simultaneously
Madrid — Sept. 21, 2023 — Orange, DAZN and Broadpeak have jointly deployed a multicast ABR (mABR) technical solution that enables the delivery of live content for mass consumption in a multi-device environment with the highest quality.
Orange is the first Spanish operator to offer streaming content via mABR, and was the first Tier 1 operator in Europe to do so from the home gateway. Until then, the experience provided by other European operators considers the use of mABR from the Set-Top-Box targeting the end device while the solution deployed by Orange, DAZN and Broadpeak allows its use in a multi-device environment.
mABR allows optimizing the use of networks in the consumption of TV content from any type of device, always offering the best quality and saving up to 90% of traffic compared to traditional consumption of unicast TV content. It is a scalable solution for any streaming platform, which will allow it to be applied to all mass consumption content in the future.
mABR to optimize the network
The broadcasting of high-audience events, with a large number of users connected at the same time, has always been a challenge for the management of traffic in telecommunications operators’ networks.
Until now, this challenge has been overcome with the use of multicast, a technology that allows sending a data stream to multiple receivers simultaneously that connect to that stream to view the content. The use of multicast was limited to streaming sessions consumed by customers using the set-top box provided when they signed up for Orange TV, while the rest of the sessions on other devices (smart TVs, computers, smartphones, tablets, etc.) were executed in unicast where each user has its own connection to the content server, producing traffic peaks in the network that made it difficult to manage.
“The mABR technology enabled us to reduce our investments in CDN growth as well as guaranteeing an excellent quality of service during crucial events. We are convinced that deploying this technology in our home gateways will enable us to extend its benefits to a greater number of customers and services in the future” said Carlos Ruf, Technology and Development Director at Orange TV.
Orange has started to leverage mABR technology this year on its network to support DAZN´s premium contents in Spain like LaLiga, Formula1 and MotoGP in the main devices where DAZN application is available. The companies are currently working to incorporate the technology in more devices, as well as to use mABR for other live events.
Robin Oakley, VP Distribution Engineering at DAZN, said: ” We are very proud to have integrated the mABR technology in most of the devices in which our app is available, including some of the most popular smartTVs and Android devices. While we are celebrating this success, we are working on ensuring that more DAZN users can benefit from this technology through Orange’s network and can enjoy our content in an optimal way. Our goal is that our product keeps evolving to offer the best viewing experience to sports fan across the world.”
