Adobe announces that leading Australian public broadcaster Special Broadcasting Service will stream the 96th annual Tour de France live online using Adobe Flash technology, the No. 1 platform for delivering video on the Web. Cycling fans throughout Australia will be able to watch the most prestigious and well-known bicycling event in the world. The race begins on July 4 and continues through July 27, 2009 with 21 stages, covering a total distance of 3,500 kilometers (2,200 miles).

SBS chose the Adobe Flash Platform to stream the race live in high-definition video, and will offer instant messaging capabilities for viewer interaction, text and audio race commentary, and real-time rider tracking complete with elevations, routes, and rider positions.

Enabling a seamless, instant-on Web experience

Adobe Flash Media Server software is powering the live video streaming for the event, delivered by Adobe Flash Video Streaming Service partner Akamai. Utilizing Adobe’s server software, SBS can deploy consistent, high-quality video as a truly seamless, instant-on Web video experience across all major platforms and browsers.

The Adobe Flash Platform is a complete system of integrated tools, frameworks, clients and servers for the development of Web applications, content and video that runs consistently across operating systems and devices. Adobe Flash Player is on over 98 percent of connected computers and delivers approximately 80 percent of Web video worldwide. Major broadcasters and media companies including MLB.com, CCTV International Networks and DirecTV, are already using the Adobe Flash Platform for streaming live events and the platform powers social networks sites YouTube and MySpace.