Sky News is using a managed network to deliver broadcast-quality news coverage over the internet and eliminate the need to transmit information by satellite. The news channel started using Streambox technology late last year to compress and transmit high-quality data and images when reporting on location. The company is now sending information over a managed network instead of using expensive satellite dishes or hiring often-scarce local broadcast facilities.
Sky News first tested video over IP while covering the Ashes cricket tour in Australia at the end of last year. In March it started using the technology to deliver breaking news from Iraq. To mark the fourth anniversary of the Iraq war, reporters broadcast from a variety of locations. Throughout the week, they used laptops to edit content and send it to the London head office. "Instead of sending expensive satellite equipment to the locations, staff could edit and send images using broadband," said Sky News head of future technology Bevan Gibson. "Using a managed network to transmit information to our London offices, rather than leasing our own line, is cheaper and high-quality data is guaranteed," he said.