Aspera, An IBM Company, Helps Viki Speed the Delivery of Premium Video Content to 33 Million Worldwide Viewers a Month

-- Aspera On Demand helps transform the way Viki delivers subtitled videos through the cloud

ARMONK, New York, Sept. 3, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- IBM (NYSE: IBM) today announced that Viki, a global video streaming website, has selected Aspera, an IBM company, as its exclusive provider of high-speed file transfer solutions for all video uploads from Viki's content providers from over 100 countries. By speeding the movement of video – the most prevalent form of Big Data – Aspera enables Viki to quickly receive, subtitle and distribute premium video content to its diverse global user base.

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Viki partners with top broadcasters and other content providers to receive hit TV shows, movies and other premium content, which is then subtitled by its volunteer community and streamed to 33 million subscribers in more than 200 languages. Limited by slow file transfer times, Viki needed a way to speed the ingest of content from broadcasters around the world in order to continue to fuel its rapid growth and bring fans fresh subtitled programming.

With Aspera On Demand, Viki has expanded its worldwide reach by quickly receiving and distributing content through the cloud on a global scale. From an anime cartoon that originates in Japan to a crime show from Hollywood or a Korean drama, Aspera gives Viki the fastest possible transfer speeds regardless of distance or file size, helping the company continue to grow its international user base. By enabling Viki to quickly ingest content with Aspera On Demand, international consumers can view programs that they might not otherwise have been able to watch in their native language and enjoy a whole new library of premium content.

"Time is critical for us as our enthusiastic fans are anxiously waiting on their favorite shows to arrive on our website so they can be translated and watched in their language of choice," said Deepika Murthy, Product Manager, Internal Tools and Partnerships, Viki. "All media is transferred through Aspera On Demand, saving us valuable time in receiving and posting premium content faster than ever before."

Viki uses the cloud-ready Aspera On Demand solution to receive video from global content providers, often just before it airs, and then processes and transcodes the content in a variety of television and device formats and sizes. Equipped with its patented FASP technology, Aspera enables Viki to quickly, reliably and securely ingest these large video files – typically 40 to 50 GB per file – directly to the cloud. By reducing file upload times by as much as 50 percent, Viki is able to expedite turnaround times to deliver new content within an hour after the original network broadcast.

"Innovative content services like Viki look to Aspera to help them create new markets and break barriers on a global scale," said Jay Migliaccio, Director of Cloud Services, Aspera. "As Aspera On Demand enables Viki to speed its growth path, we will continue to scale alongside them as they reach new audiences with premium content in outposts around the world."

Aspera On Demand's intuitive web interface and browser plug-in makes it easy for Viki's broadcast partners to upload content with limited training and technical experience required. This also makes it fast and easy for users, including Viki administrators, to locate the files they need and initiate high-speed transfers.

About Aspera
Aspera, an IBM company, is the creator of next-generation transport technologies that move the world's data at maximum speed regardless of file size, transfer distance and network conditions. Based on its patented, Emmy® award-winning FASP™ protocol, Aspera software fully utilizes existing infrastructures to deliver the fastest, most predictable file-transfer experience. Aspera's core technology delivers unprecedented control over bandwidth, complete security and uncompromising reliability. Organizations across a variety of industries on six continents rely on Aspera software for the business-critical transport of their digital assets. Please visit http://www.asperasoft.com and follow us on Twitter @asperasoft for more information.

About Viki
Viki is a global TV site with TV shows, movies and other premium content, translated into more than 200 languages by a community of avid fans. With 33 million viewers each month and over 600 million words translated, Viki uniquely brings global prime-time entertainment to new audiences and unlocks new markets and revenue opportunities for content owners. Viki was named a World Economic Forum Technology Pioneer 2014 and acquired by Japanese Internet services giant Rakuten in September 2013. The company has offices in San Francisco, Singapore, Seoul and Tokyo.

Contact information:
Sean Audet
IBM Media Relations
spaudet@us.ibm.com 
+1-781-665-5213