RT LAUNCHES ‘RUPTLY’ – FULL-SERVICE GLOBAL VIDEO NEWS AGENCY

MOSCOW, APRIL 4, 2013 – The Berlin-based agency provides real-time and archived visual news materials from all the global hotspots via state-of-the-art delivery platform, RUPTLY.TV.

RUPTLY aims to become the go-to alternative resource in a highly concentrated market of professional news video footage, and to deliver coverage of stories that other agencies miss. RUPTLY works heavily with the international stringer network and leverages RT’s extensive global presence that counts outposts in Washington DC, London, Madrid, Damascus, Cairo, Gaza and Baghdad among its 22 bureaus. From its Berlin headquarters RUPTLY manages nearly 100 industry professionals who have worked for the largest news agencies and media organizations around the world. “Right now there are basically a handful of agencies that provide majority of news footage to international outlets, and particularly to TV channels and online platforms that cannot afford to have bureaus or send correspondents to every hotspot. As a result, viewers often see events around the globe through the eyes of these providers. In such a market there are inevitable gaps in coverage, plus the risk of bias in the eventual reportage,” says Margarita Simonyan, RT’s editor-in-chief. “RT has already established itself as the alternative voice on the international news landscape and now, with RUPTLY, we can bring our vision and expertise to a whole new market.” One of RUPTLY’s breakout features is its unique and game-changing delivery mechanism, which allows TV stations, online media outlets and mobile multimedia platforms to receive and broadcast RUPTLY video feeds of live events in real time, as the events are happening, via RUPTLY’s website, http://ruptly.tv/. The platform enables simultaneous streaming of five live video feeds, of the highest quality, including HD, and built-in redundancy ensures continuity of streaming even if one of the servers goes out. RUPTLY is the first video agency in the world to utilize such a high-tech delivery system. RUPTLY builds on success of FreeVideo, RT’s unique project for media professionals, launched in 2009. FreeVideo became Russia’s first English-language video agency, and over 16 000 TV channels and agencies from 185 countries avail of the service, including CNN, Fox News, ABC News, AP, and Reuters. RUPTLY offers flexible subscription packages, a range of payment options, and a wide range of benefits to users from all media platforms. RT is launching RUPTLY on the eve of MIPTV, where it will present the agency to media professionals from around the world. MIPTV is the world’s largest television content market, forum and festival, which takes place every spring in Cannes, France. This year’s event kicks off on April 8th and will mark MIPTV’s 50th anniversary.