Level 3 Communications has been selected to serve as a primary content delivery network (CDN) provider for Netflix, to support its functionality and storage for the entire Netflix library of content.
Level 3 said that it has accelerated plans to further invest in its CDN capacity and will double its storage capacity and add 2.9 terabits per second (Tbps) of globally available CDN capacity, which is in addition to the 1.65Tbps that was deployed in the third quarter of 2010.
The CDN augment will provide the headroom needed to meet demand requirements from Netflix now and to accommodate future growth.
Netflix said that its subscriber base will exceed 19 million in North America by the end of this year and that they expect more growth and international expansion in future years.
Netflix chief service and DVD operations officer Andrew Rendich said Level 3’s track record for delivery and network scalability were critical factors in their decision to work with Level 3 on a long-term basis.
In addition to supporting Netflix for streaming movies and TV shows, Level 3 will store the entire Netflix streaming library of more than 20,000 titles.
Over the course of November and December, the two companies will move the library to storage with Level 3 in preparation for serving traffic beginning 1 January 2011.
