Trump inauguration sets record numbers for streaming
Trying to count millions of people in public may be difficult, as the latest feud between the Trump administration and the media over how many attended the Trump inauguration clearly displays. But tracking numbers online is a more exact science, and streaming numbers for the inauguration set a record, according to Akamai Technologies, a US-based content delivery network, in a story by Advanced Television.
The 2017 presidential inauguration, according to Akamai, is the largest single live news event that the company has delivered. Live video streaming of the event peaked at 8.7 Tbps (terabytes per second) at 12:04 ET at the start of President Trump’s speech. That exceeded a record set on election day on November 8, 2016 of 7.5 Tbps. Akamai said it supported 4.6m concurrent viewers of the inauguration at the peak by seven leading broadcaster customers Akamai has been tracking throughout the election.
This may not be a huge surprise to many on the digital side of things, considering the rise of streaming video and the lessening importance of traditional live broadcasts, but it does show that streaming is becoming a more major player.
Said Bill Wheaton, EVP and general manager of media at Akamai in the story: “The Presidential Inauguration is the latest in a series of record-breaking live, online video streaming events that we have supported over the last year. More people than ever are watching video online, and it’s being done across more devices at increasingly higher levels of quality.”
Looking back to the previous inauguration in 2009, online streaming numbers reached 1.1 Tbps on Akamai and the Royal Wedding in 2011 reached 1.3 Tbps. The Euro 2016 football tournament final peaked at 7.3 Tbps and the Rio Olympics women’s team gymnastics final hit 4.5 Tbps.