Level 3 to Provide TV Video Services for NFL and NBC Sports' Presentation of Super Bowl XLIX

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Level 3 Uses Vyvx VenueNet+ to Transmit Super Bowl XLIX

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Jan 27, 2015, 08:00 ET

BROOMFIELD, Colo., Jan. 27, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Level 3 Communications, Inc. (NYSE: LVLT) today announced that it will provide television broadcast video services to the NFL and NBC Sports for the presentation of Super Bowl XLIX on Feb. 1, as well as additional Super Bowl-related programming, using Level 3's Vyvx VenueNet+ technology. This is the 26^th consecutive year that Level 3 Communications has provided such services for the Super Bowl.

A lot goes on behind the scenes to enable viewers across the globe to enjoy the Super Bowl from their TVs or mobile devices

The Super Bowl is one of the most-watched television events in the U.S. each year – last year, it drew in 111.5 million viewers, which is the largest audience in television history. This year, the Super Bowl will be hosted at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., which is connected directly to Level 3's advanced fiber-optic network, enabling the TV broadcast of the event. Level 3 will also support NBC broadcasts from downtown Phoenix, which will occur in the days leading up to, and the day of, the event. In total, more than 3,000 hours of video content will be acquired, encoded and transported across Level 3's Vyvx VenueNet+ platform as part of the Super Bowl coverage.

"We understand that an event this massive comes with incredibly high expectations for a seamless viewing experience," said Mike Meehan, senior vice president of Sports Operations for NBC Sports Group. "Level 3 has nearly three decades of experience delivering high-profile, global events, and we trust them to provide the reliable performance we need."

Level 3's equipment and connectivity into the venue give NBC fully diverse, end-to-end on-net service to ensure better reliability and control over the delivery process. Level 3 will also provide NBC with the video transport it requires to broadcast MSNBC's "Morning Joe" show from Phoenix in the days leading up to the Super Bowl. Finally, Level 3 will provide Vyvx services to other NBCUniversal properties that will be onsite in Phoenix throughout the week.

"Each year, the Super Bowl grows and is better than the year before, and that requires an increasingly complex operation to ensure a smooth, uninterrupted broadcast," said Glenn Adamo, vice president of Media Operations for the NFL. "We have a strong working relationship with Level 3, and each year, they've been able to ensure the NFL's millions of football fans receive the best quality broadcast available."

In addition to delivering the game, Level 3 will also carry the pre-game and post-game feeds to all NFL operations centers; NFL Films in Mt. Laurel, NJ and NFL Network studios in Culver City, CA, NFL Network Master Control in Atlanta, GA as well as other broadcast networks and satellite teleport sites for global distribution.

"There's no larger fan base in the U.S. than that of the NFL, and Level 3 is honored to enable those fans to enjoy the pinnacle game of the season," said Anthony Christie, chief marketing officer at Level 3. "After 26 years of working with the NFL and broadcasters like NBC, we are well aware of the complexities involved with delivering an event of this magnitude on a global scale. That's why we work in lockstep to plan and execute delivery of the Super Bowl, ensuring a seamless viewing experience for viewers around the world."

Level 3's Vyvx VenueNet+ technology is engineered to provide exceptional HD and standard-definition (SD) digital video services, with added HD and SD encoding, high-speed Internet and telephony services. The Vyvx technology is used in all 31 NFL football venues across the country.

Vyvx VenueNet+ is part of the Level 3 Video Cloud, which is a full suite of IP-based video services designed to support content delivery throughout its life cycle, from signal acquisition to delivery to viewers. Level 3 Video Cloud services include live broadcast video acquisition, encoding and transcoding, global delivery via the Level 3 CDN, as well as comprehensive, self-service analytics and reporting.

The Super Bowl XLIX broadcast will air on NBC on Feb. 1 at 6:30 p.m. EST. For more information on Level 3's video and streaming solutions, visit www.level3videocloud.com.

About Level 3 Communications
Level 3 Communications, Inc. (NYSE: LVLT) is a Fortune 500 company that provides local, national and global communications services to enterprise, government and carrier customers. Level 3's comprehensive portfolio of secure, managed solutions includes fiber and infrastructure solutions; IP-based voice and data communications; wide-area Ethernet services; video and content distribution; data center and cloud-based solutions. Level 3 serves customers in more than 500 markets in over 60 countries across a global services platform anchored by owned fiber networks on three continents and connected by extensive undersea facilities. For more information, please visit www.level3.com or get to know us on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

© Level 3 Communications, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Level 3, Vyvx, Venuenet+, Level 3 Communications, Level (3) and the Level 3 Logo are either registered service marks or service marks of Level 3 Communications, LLC and/or one of its Affiliates in the United States and elsewhere. Any other service names, product names, company names or logos included herein are the trademarks or service marks of their respective owners. Level 3 services are provided by subsidiaries of Level 3 Communications, Inc.

Forward-Looking Statement
Some statements made in this press release are forward-looking in nature and are based on management's current expectations or beliefs. These forward-looking statements are not a guarantee of performance and are subject to a number of uncertainties and other factors, many of which are outside Level 3's control, which could cause actual events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the statements. Important factors that could prevent Level 3 from achieving its stated goals include, but are not limited to, the company's ability to: successfully integrate the tw telecom acquisition; manage risks associated with continued uncertainty in the global economy; increase revenue from its services to realize its targets for financial and operating performance; maintain and increase traffic on its network; develop and maintain effective business support systems; manage system and network failures or disruptions; avert the breach of its network and computer system security measures; develop new services that meet customer demands and generate acceptable margins; manage the future expansion or adaptation of its network to remain competitive; defend intellectual property and proprietary rights; manage continued or accelerated decreases in market pricing for communications services; obtain capacity for its network from other providers and interconnect its network with other networks on favorable terms; attract and retain qualified management and other personnel; successfully integrate future acquisitions; effectively manage political, legal, regulatory, foreign currency and other risks it is exposed to due to its substantial international operations; mitigate its exposure to contingent liabilities; and meet all of the terms and conditions of its debt obligations. Additional information concerning these and other important factors can be found within Level 3's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Statements in this press release should be evaluated in light of these important factors. Level 3 is under no obligation to, and expressly disclaims any such obligation to, update or alter its forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.