Adam FlomenbaumOn Saturday, the world turned its attention to the Royal Wedding, and event that hasn’t happened since… seven years ago. But, plenty has changed, since then, especially in terms of how people watched the event. Companies like Limelight Networks have made it possible for stations like BBC, Sky, and Channel 4 to seamlessly deliver video anytime, anywhere, across all devices.
Unlike 2011, viewers didn’t need to run to a TV or have to combat video latency on desktops; they streamed this year’s Royal event across mobile devices, connected TVs, and over-the-top platforms.
“When Kate and William said “I do” in 2011, many consumers were still tied to their cable subscriptions and couldn’t easily watch video on the go,” said Mike Milligan, Senior Director, Product & Solution Marketing, Limelight Networks. “Now people are increasingly cutting the cord and relying on streaming services for “TV.” In fact, according to our recent State of Online Video report, nearly one in three (29%) global consumers noted they do not subscribe to cable or satellite TV, and viewers under the age of 35 rely on the smartphones as their primary online viewing device. On Saturday, millions of people around the world watched the Royal Wedding, and we saw massive increases in streaming viewership.”
Limelight customers saw an average increase of 225% in viewership during the wedding, with the three biggest traffic peaks taking place during the first appearance of the bride, the bride and groom’s first kiss, and the beginning of the formal procession.
If the event was inescapable in the U.K., folks in the U.S. were eager to watch the spectacle, driving a 343% increase in streaming viewers.
Grace LeDuc
