Celebro Media Networks join BBC World Service in celebrating a month of successful operation of its first IPTV international news service. The BBC Russian news bulletins offer a round-up of the day’s main stories - streamed live Monday to Friday at 16:00 and 20:00 Moscow time on Russia’s popular 24-hour live IPTV channel Dozhd TV - tvrain.ru. They are also available on bbcrussian.com.

Celebro Media Networks have completed work on the major IPTV launch for BBC World Service and managed it through all stages of this project to deliver the BBC Russian IPTV service. As well as developing the programme format and training staff, Celebro Media Networks’ consultants implemented the technical infrastructure for live production and transmission. This is the first time BBC World Service produced content as an IPTV operation streaming it direct from London to Moscow via a high-speed Internet connection in broadcast quality without the costs of traditional TV transmission. Russia's IPTV station Dozhd TV (which translates as TV Rain), dubbed the 'Optimistic Channel' celebrates 2 years of its operation on 27 April.

Celebro Media Networks’ team worked for several months in the BBC’s Bush House in London, leading the BBC Russian team in piloting and bringing this new product to air. The new phase is to be introduced in May with the move of IPTV operations to the BBC’s Broadcasting House. The BBC’s IPTV bulletin will be the first live TV programme to be broadcast from the BBC’s new home in Central London.

Senior Consultant Wesley Dodd, the project’s launch director, was a guest speaker in the panel discussion on the Future of TV and New Services at the latest IPTV World Forum in London. Commenting on this pioneering BBC IPTV service, he envisaged that in the next few years many major international broadcasters will be moving towards launching more IPTV operations and live channels, especially in other languages. He said: “The cost of traditional broadcasting is so great and it might not give you the benefits that you want today. You might actually get a much broader audience with IPTV - if there is a screen, you can get on it”. Wesley recognised that “a lot of people think of IPTV channels as a catch-up or on-demand service”, pointing to the IPTV model that is “closer to traditional TV channels which are live and reactive”. He stressed that a major cost advantage with a full IPTV channel is that “it allows you to spend more on content rather than infrastructure”.

Celebro Media Networks are now looking forward to further projects with BBC World Service which may include new IPTV offerings in other languages. Though a recent arrival to the international IPTV scene, Celebro Media Networks’ team is rapidly establishing itself as the go-to experts for IPTV consulting, training and implementation.