Level 3 Selected by Music and TV Operator TVRL to Support Significant Business Growth

FRANKFURT, Germany, June 27, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Level 3 Communications, Inc. (NYSE:  LVLT) today announced that TVRL GmbH & Co. KG, which operates the popular music TV service Putpat, has selected Level 3 to support the company's growing need for very high storage and availability requirements for various delivery formats, while ensuring rigorous content security and workflow optimization. Under the terms of the agreement, Level 3 will deliver colocation, dedicated Internet access, content delivery and storage services.

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TVRL launched its IP-based, music TV service Putpat in 2009 and has seen significant growth since then, passing the million registered user milestone in January 2012. Putpat differs from other music TV providers in that its users can customize their personalised TV programme with their preferred choice of music and videos. The service is accessible on mobile devices, smart TVs, and the Internet, requiring a provider that can support for a variety of formats, codecs and delivery channels.

"During the development of the service for multiple devices, we were often confronted with the lack of standardization and incompatible modes of distribution, but at the same time product development cycles get shorter and shorter," said Tobias Trosse, managing director of TVRL. "It's our goal to provide a simple, intuitive user-experience for the viewer while optimising operating costs and internal resources, and we found that, with Level 3, we could accomplish those goals with their reliable services as well as technical specialists who really know their business and deliver quickly across a robust global video delivery portfolio." 

For the Putpat service, TVRL optimizes its content delivery workflow by using Level 3 content storage and delivery services including FTTP servers; providing and caching data and videos as well as content delivery via HTTP download and video streaming; security with the Token Secure process; and hosting for the Putpat production environment. TVRL's supplier partners upload their video content via FTP onto Level 3 storage systems, and TVRL then downloads them into its own content management system for transcoding and other preparation work. Next, the videos are uploaded back onto Level 3 storage and made available for viewing via Level 3's content delivery network.

"The solution we're delivering facilitates TVRL's whole production workflow, from video ingest, content preparation to storage and delivery, all connected to Level 3's global video delivery platform systems and technologies. This enables them to provide personalised entertainment to a wide and rapidly growing public around the world," said Gerald Rubant, Level 3's head of sales for Germany. "With Level 3, TVRL can focus on what it does best – delivering innovative services and developing new ones – rather than committing internal resources to administration, hosting and streaming."

For more information on Level 3's advanced network and service offerings, visit www.level3.com.

About Level 3 Communications
Level 3 Communications, Inc. (NYSE: LVLT) provides local, national and global communications services to enterprise, government and carrier customers. Level 3's comprehensive portfolio of secure, managed solutions includes fiber and infrastructure solutions; IP-based voice and data communications; wide-area Ethernet services; video and content distribution; data center and cloud-based solutions. Level 3 serves customers in more than 450 markets in 45 countries over a global services platform anchored by owned fiber networks on three continents and connected by extensive undersea facilities. Level 3 services are provided by subsidiaries of Level 3 Communications, Inc.  For more information, visit www.level3.com.

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Forward-Looking Statement

Some statements made in this press release are forward-looking in nature and are based on management's current expectations or beliefs. These forward-looking statements are not a guarantee of performance and are subject to a number of uncertainties and other factors, many of which are outside Level 3's control, which could cause actual events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the statements. Important factors that could prevent Level 3 from achieving its stated goals include, but are not limited to, the company's ability to: successfully integrate the Global Crossing acquisition or otherwise realize the anticipated benefits thereof; manage risks associated with continued uncertainty in the global economy; obtain additional financing, particularly in the event of disruptions in the financial markets; manage continued or accelerated decreases in market pricing for communications services; maintain and increase traffic on its network; develop and maintain effective business support systems; manage system and network failures or disruptions; develop new services that meet customer demands and generate acceptable margins; adapt to rapid technological changes that could adversely affect the company's competitiveness; defend intellectual property and proprietary rights; obtain capacity for its network from other providers and interconnect its network with other networks on favorable terms; attract and retain qualified management and other personnel; successfully integrate future acquisitions; effectively manage political, legal, regulatory, foreign currency and other risks it is exposed to due to its substantial international operations; mitigate its exposure to contingent liabilities; and meet all of the terms and conditions of its debt obligations. Additional information concerning these and other important factors can be found within Level 3's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Statements in this press release should be evaluated in light of these important factors. Level 3 is under no obligation to, and expressly disclaims any such obligation to, update or alter its forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.