August 14, 2007 – (HOSTSEARCH.COM) – Australian web hosting provider Hostworks (http://www.hostworks.com.au/) has secured a three-year contract with Australian 24/7 news provider Sky News, it was reported today. Hostworks will provide the infrastructure and expertise that allow the news service to meet unpredictable levels of demand when external events drive unprecedented traffic to its online service. Hostworks will also allow Sky News to modify online offerings “at short notice”.
Hostworks has a proven history of meeting record online demand for its customers, as in September last year when online traffic went through the roof after the deaths of Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin and motor racing legend Peter Brock. Hostworks records that Bindi Irwin’s speech at the memorial service for her father attracted three times the data traffic of the previous record - the Schapelle Corby verdict in 2005.
Australian News Channel Pty Ltd. CEO Angelos Frangopoulos said the decision to work with Hostworks was an important step in terms of further diversifying distribution of the company’s content online. “For us, this is a further strategic step into the online space,” he said. “We are the leading provider of news services in 3G mobile and the leading provider of 24-hour news services via subscription television. Our contract with Hostworks places us in a position where we can change course and modify our offerings at short notice. The ability to respond immediately is what being a news leader is all about. Online news is a fast-growing market segment that is undergoing massive change. At Sky News, we pride ourselves on responding rapidly to market conditions. Our partnership with Hostworks puts us in a great position to continue to improve and deliver on that goal.”
Sky News is Australia’s leader in 24-hour television news service, available in more than 2.5 million homes and locations across Australia and New Zealand. The company delivers content across other digital media platforms, including 3G mobile, podcasts, SMS and online.
Hostworks is the Asia-Pacific leader in critical enterprise application outsourcing, delivering business systems with guaranteed availability. Customers include Codan, Compass Group, Network Ten, SBS, News Digital Media, ninemsn, realestate.com.au, SEEK, Southern Cross View, Ticketek and Wotif.com.
