PLAINVIEW, NY–(Marketwired – July 07, 2016) – NeuLion, Inc. (TSX: NLN), a leading technology product and service provider specializing in the broadcasting, distribution and monetization of live and on-demand digital video content to Internet-enabled devices, today announced that for the first time ever, in collaboration with UFC® and through the production support of DirecTV, it will provide fight fans with the option of watching a live stream of UFC 200®: CORMIER vs. JONES 2 in 4K. Fans with a 2015 or 2016 Sony HDR Ultra HD television set in either the Unites States or Canada who download the UFC app from Google Play™ will be able to access this opportunity using the NeuLion Digital Platform, 4K encoder and 4K streaming CE SDK. DirecTV customers will be able to access through its propriety delivery via its set-top box.
NeuLion’s partnership with UFC has seen significant milestones throughout the years. This weekend’s landmark event will be the 74th UFC event delivered by NeuLion on UFC.TV, the live pay-per-view digital destination available in over 180 countries.
The true 4K quality, delivered by NeuLion at 60 frames per second to internet connected Sony 4K HDR Ultra HD TVs, is enabled with NeuLion’s 4K streaming consumer electronics SDK. Sony is the first to roll out the NeuLion 4K streaming CE SDK.
“Live sports, delivered in 4K, is the killer App. NeuLion is the leader in delivering live 4K streaming and we are excited to partner with them to integrate NeuLion’s 4K streaming technology on our Sony 4K HDR Ultra HD televisions to ensure the very best 4K experience for consumers,” said Nick Colsey, Vice President of Business Development, Sony Electronics. “The world’s first 4K OTT UFC PPV event will be available on Sony 4K HDR Ultra HD TVs in the U.S. and Canada.”
4K enhances the experience of watching sports and brings fans even closer to the action. UFC® 200 in 4K will give fans access to every punch, kick and takedown with intense detail and stunning picture quality, four times the detail of full HD, making them feel like they next to the Octagon® for the entire event.
“With a focus on the fan experience, we are excited to provide our fans with the option to watch this historic event,” UFC Senior Vice President of Technology Edward Muncey said. “NeuLion has constantly helped us push the envelope with new technology, new features and new services. This is just another way to ensure that together, with DirecTV, we are delivering a best-in-class digital experience.”
The 4K market continues to grow as more and more people buy 4K TV sets. IHS predicts penetration of US households who will own at least one 4K TV set will rise quickly, hitting 34% by 2019, representing about 34 million homes. With this, the availability of 4K content will also continue to rise and live sports proves to be the most compelling and engaging in the higher quality.
The NeuLion Digital Platform is an end-to-end platform facilitating the streaming of high-quality content up to 4K, for premium sports and entertainment brand worldwide including the NFL, NBA, WSL, Univision, Tribeca and others. NeuLion sees accelerating momentum with its partners to deliver the best fan experience with 4K being very important.
“To be the first company, with UFC, to deliver a UFC event, and particularly UFC 200, in 4K, live, to consumers is a huge milestone for us,” said Roy Reichbach, President and CEO of NeuLion. “The digital experience we create with our partners like UFC is second-to-none. We are excited to build off this milestone and continue to make a huge impact in the digital industry with additional live OTT events in 4K.”
About NeuLion
NeuLion, Inc. (TSX: NLN) offers solutions that power the highest quality digital experiences for live and on-demand content up to 4K on any device. Through its end-to-end technology platform, NeuLion enables digital content management, distribution and monetization for content owners worldwide including the NFL, NBA, World Surf League, Univision Deportes, Euroleague Basketball and others. NeuLion also operates a robust consumer electronics licensing business that has enabled over 1 billion devices worldwide with secure, high-quality video streaming, and delivers a DivX consumer software offering that has been downloaded over 1 billion times. NeuLion’s customers include major sports, entertainment and global content companies as well as major consumer electronics manufacturers and software companies. NeuLion is headquartered in Plainview, NY. For more information about NeuLion, visit www.NeuLion.com.
About UFC
UFC® is a premium global sports brand and the largest pay-per-view event provider in the world. Headquartered in Las Vegas with offices in London, Toronto, Sao Paulo and Singapore, UFC produces more than 40 live events annually that consistently sell out some of the most prestigious arenas around the globe. UFC programming is broadcast in over 156 countries and territories to more than 1.1 billion TV households worldwide in 29 different languages. UFC FIGHT PASS®, a digital subscription service, delivers exclusive live events, thousands of fights on-demand and original content to fans around the world. For more information, visit UFC.com and follow UFC at Facebook.com/UFC, Twitter, Snapchat and Instagram: @UFC.
Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements herein are forward-looking statements and represent NeuLion’s current intentions in respect of future activities. Forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of the words “will,” “expect,” “seek,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “plan,” “estimate,” “expect,” and “intend,” statements that an event or result “may,” “will,” “can,” “should,” “could,” or “might” occur or be achieved, and other similar expressions. These statements, in addressing future events and conditions, involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Although the forward-looking statements contained in this release are based upon what management believes to be reasonable assumptions, NeuLion cannot assure readers that actual results will be consistent with these forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this release and NeuLion assumes no obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances, except as required by law. Many factors could cause NeuLion’s actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements that may be expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, including: our ability to derive anticipated benefits from the acquisition of DivX; our ability to realize some or all of the anticipated benefits of our partnerships; general economic and market segment conditions; our customers’ subscriber levels and financial health; our ability to pursue and consummate acquisitions in a timely manner; our continued relationships with our customers; our ability to negotiate favorable terms for contract renewals; competitor activity; product capability and acceptance rates; technology changes; regulatory changes; foreign exchange risk; interest rate risk; and credit risk. These factors should be considered carefully and readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements. A more detailed assessment of the risks that could cause actual results to materially differ from current expectations is contained in the “Risk Factors” section of NeuLion’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2015, which is available on www.sec.gov and filed on www.sedar.com.
CONTACT INFORMATION
Press Contact:
Chris Wagner
Email contact
+1 516 622 8357
Investor Relations Contact:
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+1 647 426 1254
