Amgen Tour of California Leverages Adobe Flash Platform to Deliver America’s Largest Cycling Event Live on the Web

SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Adobe Systems Incorporated (Nasdaq:ADBE) and AEG announced today that the 2009 Amgen Tour of California, the largest cycling event in America, will stream the race live on the Web using the Adobe® Flash® Platform. A Tour de France-style cycling event presented by AEG from Feb. 14-22, 2009, the race challenges the world’s top professional cycling teams and the most talented riders—including seven-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong—to compete along a demanding 750-mile course from Sacramento to Escondido, Calif. This marks the third consecutive year that AEG selected the Adobe Flash Platform to bring the race to cycling fans worldwide in streaming video, with real-time rider tracking and live commentary.

“The success of the event in years past is a true testament to the growing popularity of enjoying and interacting with sporting events in a live, online forum. Akamai's global distribution platform is perfectly matched to handle a live event of this scale, attracting online viewers from around the globe.”

Follow the Race with the Live Tour Tracker

• The Tour Tracker was developed using Adobe Flex® Builder™ and Adobe® LiveCycle®, and is meant to be an immersive Web application that incorporates live video, audio, and real-time data streams of the event.
• Cycling fans can track the race minute-by-minute through the innovative and highly interactive online Tour Tracker built on the Adobe Flash Platform. Delivered in the browser with Adobe Flash Player or via a downloadable application powered by Adobe® AIR®, the Tour Tracker ensures not a moment of the race will be missed.
• Tour viewers can select from multiple live, high-quality video streams delivered in Flash technology; view multiple picture-in-picture video streams; chat live with other fans; access live updates of photos and video clips during the race, and enjoy live commentary from cycling experts.
• The Tour Tracker also provides detailed race statistics such as rider speed, distance, elevation, total climbing, and other GPS-derived data and delivers obtain up-to-date course descriptions, race results, and race standings.

Reaching Fans via the Number One Platform for Video on the Web

• Instant-On, Seamless, High-Quality Experiences

Adobe Flash Media Server, a key element of the Adobe Flash Platform, is the streaming media engine behind the race, enabling fans to view high-quality live video on the Web. Major broadcasters and media companies use the Platform to stream live events, including DIRECTV, MLB.com, and the NFL and NBC Sports for broadcasting Sunday Night Football Extra on the Web.

• Reliable Content Delivery to Many Audiences

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 delivers unparalleled creative options, highly engaging user experiences, stunning audio/video playback, and virtually universal reach across operating systems, enabling virtually anyone to view and interact with a vast selection of rich content. Flash Player content reaches over 98 percent of Internet-enabled desktops, and over 80 percent of online videos worldwide are viewed using Adobe Flash technology, making it the number one platform for video on the Web, according to a November 2008 study by comScore.

Breakthrough Video Application Powered by Adobe Technologies

The Tour Tracker is built using the Adobe Flash Platform that includes everything required to provide a rich, engaging experience to fans:

• Adobe Flash Player software is used to display the interactive Tour Tracker experience in the browser.
• Adobe Flex software (the open source RIA framework) was used to develop the Web application for deployment in the browser with Flash Player and as a standalone application powered by Adobe AIR. Both integrate multiple data and content feeds to create a rich-media presentation and interaction tools for fans.
• Adobe AIR gives fans the convenience of interacting with Tour Tracker outside the browser, whether race fans are using Windows, Mac or Linux machines.
• Adobe LiveCycle Data Services ES software delivers real-time data streams from backend systems and automated data management, enabling functionality such as real-time commentary from cycling press, live chat room interaction, live updates of photos and video clips during the race, and the ability to track riders and groups.
• Adobe Flash Media Streaming Server software is powering live video streaming of the event, delivered by Adobe Flash Video Streaming Service partner Akamai.

Quotes:

Jim Guerard, vice president and general manager, Dynamic Media for Adobe

“Streaming video using the Adobe Flash Platform is a game changer that lets sports enthusiasts experience what wouldn’t have been possible before - watching events happen live online from wherever you are,” said Jim Guerard, vice president and general manager of Dynamic Media for Adobe. “We are proud the Adobe Flash Platform has been the technology of choice to power this event, enabling cycling fans to experience the excitement of the event as it happens, interact with other fans and obtain real-time results. With Adobe technologies, AEG is bringing the highly anticipated ride of Lance Armstrong and other talented riders of the Amgen Tour of California to thousands of fans on the Web and on the desktop.”

Andrew Messick, president, AEG Sports

“With talented champions such as Lance Armstrong, Levi Leipheimer, Ivan Basso, Christian Vande Velde, and many others competing in the Amgen Tour of California, we expect a record turnout of fans—both on television and online,” said Andrew Messick, president of AEG Sports. “It is exciting to enable cycling enthusiasts to follow the 750-mile, nine-day race at their own convenience over the Internet, and to give them options enabled by Adobe technologies such as chatting with other fans and following their favorite riders online.”

Tim Napoleon, chief strategist, Media and Entertainment, Akamai

“We're excited to team with Adobe technologies again this year to stream the Amgen Tour of California live over the Internet,” said Tim Napoleon, chief strategist, Media and Entertainment for Akamai. “The success of the event in years past is a true testament to the growing popularity of enjoying and interacting with sporting events in a live, online forum. Akamai's global distribution platform is perfectly matched to handle a live event of this scale, attracting online viewers from around the globe.”

Helpful Links

• Ground-breaking numbers of companies, developers, and consumers and using Adobe AIR and Adobe Flash Player 10: http://www.adobe.com/aboutadobe/pressroom/pressreleases/200901/012809AdobeFlashInstall.html
• The Adobe Flash Platform is the first choice of broadcasters for streaming sports and entertainment live on the Web. Examples include:

  http://www.adobe.com/aboutadobe/pressroom/pressreleases/200811/111708AdobeandMLB.com.html

  http://www.adobe.com/aboutadobe/pressroom/pressreleases/200811/111708AdobeandDisneycom.html

  http://www.adobe.com/aboutadobe/pressroom/pressreleases/200809/090408AdobeNFL.html

  http://www.adobe.com/aboutadobe/pressroom/pressreleases/200808/080408AdobeCCTV.html

  http://www.adobe.com/aboutadobe/pressroom/pressreleases/200809/090808AdobeDIRECTV.html

• More information on RIAs: http://www.adobe.com/resources/business/rich_internet_apps/#open
• Glossary of bicycle racing terms:

  http://www.amgentourofcalifornia.com/Peloto n/glossary.html

• Amgen Tour of California news: http://www.amgentourofcalifornia.com/news/press.html
• Join the Official 2008 Amgen Tour of California Facebook Group: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=6491673738
• Follow the tour on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AmgenTourofCali

About Adobe Systems Incorporated

Adobe revolutionizes how the world engages with ideas and information – anytime, anywhere and through any medium. For more information, visit www.adobe.com.

About the Amgen Tour of California

The largest cycling event in America, the Amgen Tour of California is a Tour de France-style cycling road race, presented by AEG, that challenges the world’s top professional cycling teams to compete along a demanding course. Building on last year's third-annual stage race, which attracted 1.6 million spectators, the 2009 Amgen Tour of California will be expanded to cover more than 750 miles over nine days from February 14-22, 2009.

About Amgen

Amgen discovers, develops, manufactures and delivers innovative human therapeutics. A biotechnology pioneer since 1980, Amgen was one of the first companies to realize the new science's promise by bringing safe and effective medicines from lab, to manufacturing plant, to patient. Amgen therapeutics have changed the practice of medicine, helping millions of people around the world in the fight against cancer, kidney disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and other serious illnesses. With a broad and deep pipeline of potential new medicines, Amgen remains committed to advancing science to dramatically improve people's lives. To learn more about Amgen's pioneering science and vital medicines, visit www.amgen.com. To learn more about Amgen’s Breakaway from Cancer initiative, visit www.breakawayfromcancer.com.