So Fabian,
I know your work for ITVN and your aim is to assist us and promote your product, which is perfectly fine.
However, you comment that you have thousands of subscribers - congratulations by the way.
Here is my point.
Each subscriber is (for the sake of argument) going to watch at the highest setting, of 1 mbps stream, correct?
So let's say that there is a big game on Setanta on a day where people traditionally are not working, ie a saturday. So now we have, again a number for the sake of making my point, 6000 subscribers all attempting to make 1mbps connections to your streaming server?
Through trials of my own, and reading other peoples comments on this, and other forums on the web, it is painfully obvious that ITVN's network infrastructure is too weak. 6000KB/sec upstream consistently is perfectly acheivable, but then lets add all those STARZ users, and the porn people... And this is all based on just 6000 people attempting to connect... I have no idea how ITVN has their network setup, whether you have more than one server farm or not, and what kind of connectivity you have, and whether you lease space in a data centre or have your own line in your Irvine, California offices.
Then again, your ITVN.com website is hosted out of an AboveNet POP in San Jose, California... now surely if your company were spending the dollars to have your own leased line to your premises, you wouldnt host your website with another provider? I mean, because your services are what I'd call 'mission critical' - no connectivity, no content can be streamed to your customers, and they walk.
I think what I'm trying to say here is... is it possible that perhaps ITVN need to increase their network connectivity? Maybe have seperate broadcasting servers all over the states, to help with load balancing?
Just an observation, not a criticism, I'm all for the technolgy, and what ITVN are trying to do here - its going to be the normal thing in 10 years time, I am positive.