WWT deploys Telestream Wirecast to Live Stream Spoon-billed Sandpiper Breeding Initiative via YouTube

WWT deploys Telestream Wirecast to Live Stream Spoon-billed Sandpiper Breeding Initiative via YouTube 11 June 2015

WWT deploys Telestream Wirecast to Live Stream Spoon-billed Sandpiper Breeding Initiative via YouTube

Live streaming software provides nature lovers with unique access to rare species' captive breeding project

Nevada City, Calif., June 9, 2015 Telestream , the leading provider of digital video tools and workflow solutions today announced that its Wirecast live video streaming software is being used to connect nature lovers and charity supporters to the first ever captive breeding program of one of the world's most endangered bird species, the Spoon-billed Sandpiper. With estimates of the global population numbering less than 150 breeding pairs, UK-based wildlife charity, Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust (WWT) has instigated the world's only insurance policy against the species' total extinction.

The tiny birds breed in Russian wetlands and then migrate over 8,000km to wintering sites across South East Asia. But they are subject to illegal trapping in Myanmar and Bangladesh with a catastrophic impact on the population. In the past, WWT has intervened by collecting eggs from the Russian breeding grounds (enabling the birds to lay and rear a second clutch of eggs) and incubating them before releasing them back to the wild. Now, WWT has a protected population of 24 Spoonies' at its Slimbridge headquarters in the UK. And if they breed successfully, the ark population' will be a vital lifeline for the survival and future reintroduction of the species should they become extinct in the wild.

Within the next month or so, there's every chance of a world first for Spoonies: the first generation of captive-bred Spoon-billed Sandpipers will hatch. In a first for WWT, the charity has instigated a project which provides supporters with unique live views of the breeding program using Wirecast live streaming production software out to their YouTube channel. Access to the breeding facility has to be very restricted to avoid bringing in pathogens and disturbing the birds. But, producing its own internet-based live stream gives WWT the opportunity to tell the story safely in its own words.

With the support of many celebrities including UK-based TV presenter Kate Humble, who will host the web channel, the Spoonie breeding project is generating significant media interest. WWT will manage the news event, so that the first reveal of success (or failure) is via the live stream. Also, WWT will be blogging and sharing activity on social media in the build up, including teasers for content to be run within the live broadcast. WWT will also be promoting this to specialist audiences around the world. If access to the breeding facility is granted for any news crew at all, then it will be managed so that it s after the live stream, but can direct people to watch the recordings.

We do a lot of work that is funded by members and the public but due to the sensitivity of, for example, conservation breeding of rare species, we cannot allow direct public access, explains WWT's Mark Simpson. The ability to live stream a major event for us adds a level of personalisation to our story that many of our supporters really want. It also gives us a chance to show who we are, and provide something far closer to personal interaction with our expert staff and the species that our supporters have been helping us save, than would otherwise be possible.

Live streaming is another method of creating a media asset, which has a value, for a story we have been running for several years. Achieving great conservation successes usually takes years, so adding live streaming to the suite of things we can offer supporters in return for their continued support is invaluable. We're delighted with Wirecast it has exceeded our expectations and enables us to produce great looking professional content, which we stream live over YouTube and many other platforms. It takes our communications to a whole new level, Simpson added.

To register to receive the live stream, go to http://www.wwt.org.uk/support/our-appeals/spoon-billed-sandpiper/

About Wirecast

Wirecast is the industry s only cross-platform, all-in-one live streaming production software that enables capture, live production and encoding of live streams for broadcast to multiple servers and platforms simultaneously. With new powerful production capabilities, streamlined workflows, and expanded content source options, Wirecast 6.0 offers the capabilities of more expensive hardware solutions with the flexibility and affordability of a software application.

Wirecast is ideal for broadcasting professional-looking live web shows, news, online gaming, sporting events, concerts, church services, corporate meetings, lectures and much more. With Wirecast, users can stream multiple live cameras while dynamically mixing in other media such as movies, images and sounds, and adding production features such as transitions, built-in titles, chroma key, virtual sets and live scoreboards.

More information is available at www.telestream.net.

Trademarked company and product names are the property of their respective companies.

About Telestream

Telestream provides world-class live and on-demand digital video tools and workflow solutions that allow consumers and businesses to transform video on the desktop and across the enterprise. Many of the world's most demanding media and entertainment companies as well as a growing number of users in a broad range of business environments, rely on Telestream products to streamline operations, reach broader audiences and generate more revenue from their media. Telestream products span the entire digital media lifecycle, including video capture and ingest; live and on-demand encoding and transcoding; captioning;

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