Sky has extended its use of F5 Networks’ technology for online and on-demand services.
F5’s solutions have helped Sky to service demand for over-the-top TV, and have supported the company’s 6.5 million customers connected to Sky On Demand, and 5.8 million registered users for mobile TV service Sky Go in the UK and Ireland.
The VIPRION platform and Local Traffic Manager (LTM) from F5 Networks help Sky to deal with surges in demand for its services, balancing data centre workloads caused by up to half a million users logging in within five minutes of each other across Sky Go and NOW TV.
These surges of activity are a regular occurrence during peak times, such as during Sky’s Super Sunday football broadcasts or Game of Thrones. F5’s technology ensures uninterrupted viewing via Sky’s online channels, whatever the device customers choose to use.
Going forward, Sky will use F5 to develop its payment infrastructure, streamlining billing, ensuring security and making it easier for customers to manage the multiple Sky services to which they’ve subscribed.
“The way people consume TV has changed significantly. Whether live, on-demand or mobile, our customers enjoy being able to watch whenever and wherever they like,” said Michael Hockey, head of Enterprise Networks and Security Operations, at Sky. “This provides a number of challenges in terms of guaranteeing user access and quality of service, which F5’s technology has been crucial in solving for us. F5’s expertise has allowed Sky to bring new services to market quickly while maintaining the quality Sky experience our customers expect. F5 are a critically important partner for Sky.”
“We take great pride in helping Sky expand its mobile and online offerings as it continues to create the future of TV viewing. Our customers trust F5 to support their most critical applications to anyone, anywhere, at any time. The extension of the partnership validates the impact we’ve had in ensuring Sky viewers can continue to enjoy next-generation services and a great customer experience,” added Richard Butcher (pictured), sales director, UK at F5.
