UK's buto.tv Boosts Video Performance for Customers with Level 3 Content Delivery Network

-- Uses Level 3 CDN to Address the Growth and Streaming Quality Demands of its Enterprise Customers, Including the Rugby Football Union 

LONDON, July 14, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Level 3 Communications, Inc. (NYSE: LVLT) today announced its content delivery network (CDN) has been selected by buto.tv, a leading online enterprise video management platform based in the UK, to support the company's live and on-demand streamed video offering. This will enable buto.tv to provide its customers with efficient, reliable and secure streaming across a range of mobile and desktop devices.   

To support the increasing growth of its enterprise content partners, buto.tv requires a content delivery solution that is capable of efficiently and securely streaming high-quality video. Buto.tv's solutions are used by a diverse range of organisations in broadcast, retail and sports to aggregate, manage and measure video content across various digital platforms.

Using Level 3's global CDN, buto.tv can deliver all of its content from a geographical location close to its viewers, reducing the possibility of lag and disrupted video streaming. To ensure viewers have an experience tailored to their particular devices, content can also be encoded to support mobile, PC and tablets. For example, Level 3's CDN is powering video content on the Rugby Football Union's website, and delivered more than 4.5 million views in 2013, 1.6 million of which were delivered during the Six Nations' Championships. Buto,tv has also helped deliver both live and on-demand content for the RFUTV online TV channel, achieving a 62 percent growth in video views in 2013 compared with the previous year.

Andy McNamara, managing director of buto.tv said: "Our customers are global organisations for whom high-quality video streaming is of significant importance. We believe that the Level 3 CDN is the best way to address their requirements. The massive popularity of video for marketing and customer engagement means we are forecasting rapid growth on the buto.tv platform over the course of this year, and we believe Level 3's solutions can help support our expansion goals."

Tim Passingham, senior vice president of Enterprise Business for EMEA at Level 3 said: "Our global CDN is used by some of the largest broadcasting companies in the world, giving us extensive experience in efficiently and securely delivering video to dispersed audiences across a variety of devices. We're pleased to be working with buto.tv, and believe the Level 3 CDN will enable their end-users to receive the best possible video experience, every time." 

Level 3's CDN streamed approximately 10 exabytes (EB) of data in 2013 — equivalent to more than 12 billion movie downloads per year or approximately 33 million per day (assuming four gigabytes [GB] per movie). More information on Level 3's global CDN can be found here.

About Level 3 Communications

Level 3 Communications, Inc. (NYSE: LVLT) is a Fortune 500 company that 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 500 markets in over 60 countries over a global services platform anchored by owned fiber networks on three continents and connected by extensive undersea facilities. For more information, please visit www.level3.com or get to know us on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

© Level 3 Communications, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Level 3, Level 3 Communications, Level (3) and the Level 3 Logo are either registered service marks or service marks of Level 3 Communications, LLC and/or one of its Affiliates in the United States and/or other countries. Any other service names, product names, company names or logos included herein are the trademarks or service marks of their respective owners. Level 3 services are provided by subsidiaries of Level 3 Communications, Inc. 

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; maintain and increase traffic on its network; develop and maintain effective business support systems; manage system and network failures or disruptions; avert the breach of its network and computer system security measures; develop new services that meet customer demands and generate acceptable margins; defend intellectual property and proprietary rights; manage the future expansion or adaptation of its network to remain competitive; manage continued or accelerated decreases in market pricing for communications services; 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.

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