MARCH 31, 2010 -- Spanish television broadcaster Telecinco has selected Level 3 Communications Inc. to provide content delivery network (CDN) services to support high-definition (HD) live and on-demand online streaming of the broadcaster’s content.

Under the terms of the contract, Level 3 will deliver Web caching and content delivery for live and on-demand streaming of Telecinco programming online, including “Big Brother” (“Gran Hermano”), “Pop Idol” (“Operación Triunfo”), and “Dancing with the Stars” (“¡MQB!”). As a Level 3 Alliance partner, Microsoft Corp. and Level 3 will work together to deliver Telecinco’s content in HD by leveraging Level 3’s suite of CDN services alongside Microsoft Silverlight and Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS) Smooth Streaming.

“As demand for online content grows, the performance of the network is critical to the viewer experience, and the scalability of the Level 3 network helps us ensure top-quality online broadcasts for Telecinco viewers, even during peak traffic times,” says Jorge Martín Ibarra, IT director at Telecinco. “Combined with the adaptability of IIS Smooth Streaming, we’re able to provide more of our traditional broadcast content in HD to online viewers all over the world.”

For both live and on-demand streaming, the Level 3 platform is designed to support high-quality online delivery across a number of HD-media formats. The company’s caching service gives viewers reliable and quick-loading access to Telecinco’s library of digital content, regardless of file size or media type.