Sportradar goes Internap for speed

One of the most demanding businesses, when it comes to performance and reliability of service, is the world of online betting. Not only is the betting activity global, but it is also the provision of real time TV and information services to keep customers fully informed.

One of the main companies providing these TV and information services is Sportradar, with its Live Channel service. The company already feeds data and images to some 1,000 retail betting shops worldwide. And in that constant search for more performance it has now signed up with Internap Network Services in order to access its Content Delivery Network (CDN).

Sportradar’s Live Channel provides large betting retailers with sport statistics, odds and other data that enables them to make more informed betting decisions. The company’s Live Channel is designed as a complement to a retail bookmaker’s traditional TV feed so they can show additional sports content from ATP Tennis, Major League Soccer, French Ligue 1 and other professional leagues throughout the day to offer more betting options and increase turnover.

Based on customer requirements, delivering a quality picture and accurate data were critical to Live Channel’s success; Sportradar had to ensure that the service could be delivered on a global basis without jitter, latency or other performance issues.

“Our business extends from our experts recording statistics and analysing matches at stadiums all the way to our Live Channel displays in retail bookmakers worldwide. Delivering high quality video streams and up-to-the-minute data are critical,” said Joern Anhalt, managing director media rights at Sportradar.

Internap’s route-optimised CDN puts rich media and streaming content closer to end users and is built upon the company’s patented Managed Internet Route Optimizer (MIRO) technology. This assigns traffic dynamically to the best performing route at any given time across major Internet backbones for maximum speed and reliability.

Working with an outside consultant to define its requirements and selection process, Sportradar reviewed five different CDN providers before selecting Internap. After an extensive six-month testing period, Sportradar began delivering all of its Live Channel content over Internap’s CDN.

“As end users increasingly expect instant access to accurate sports and other information, the ability to guarantee seamless content delivery to any device, at any time, is critical for organisations like Sportradar that offer real-time data services,” said Paul Vian, director of business development at Internap. “Internap’s CDN combines superior performance with global reach, allowing Sportradar to rapidly and reliably stream customer content into retail bookmakers worldwide and ensure an optimal experience for end users.”