|
AKIMBO SELECTS LIMELIGHT NETWORKS AND EQUINIX TO SUPPORT DELIVERY
OF VIDEO-ON-DEMAND SERVICE
TEMPE, Ariz. and FOSTER CITY, Calif., – August 23, 2004 –
Limelight Networks, a leading digital delivery network and
Equinix, Inc. (NASDAQ: EQIX), the leading provider of network-neutral
data centers and Internet exchange services, announced today
that they have been selected by Akimbo to support distribution
of rich media for the Akimbo Service. Launching this fall,
the Akimbo Service gives consumers access to thousands of
programs not currently available on broadcast or cable television
by delivering video on demand to consumers' televisions via
the Internet. Limelight Networks will provide its high-capacity
content delivery platform and Equinix will provide the secure,
reliable and network-rich data center environment for Akimbo.
"Akimbo offers broadband-connected homes
an exceptional entertainment experience by utilizing a high-capacity
digital delivery network to quickly and reliably distribute
programs from around the world," said David Rice, vice president
of sales and marketing for Limelight Networks. "Limelight
Networks understands rich-media delivery needs of companies
like Akimbo and we are pleased to partner with Equinix in
support of this exciting service."
Using Limelight Networks' delivery platform
will enable Akimbo to focus on the content and features of
the Akimbo Service, without having to worry about the transport
of video. By operating within Equinix's Internet Business
Exchange™ (IBX ®) centers, where more than 190 carriers, ISPs,
and other networks offer their services, Limelight Networks
has extensive direct connections into the leading Internet
backbones across the globe to provide high-speed delivery
and the scalability digital content demands. Combined with
the high-performance physical attributes of Equinix's centers,
such as redundant power, environmental and security features,
the Akimbo Service will offer consumers the best rich media
experience available via broadband-Internet.
"Our intention is to be the world's largest
video-on-demand service," said Steve Shannon, founder and
executive vice president of sales and marketing at Akimbo.
"Limelight's digital-delivery network combined with the high-performance
Equinix data center environment offers the most efficient
and cost-effective way to get thousands of hours of video
to consumers."
"With virtually every major network service
partner operating within its Internet hubs, Equinix offers
an ideal opportunity for content companies to deliver their
services to end-users globally in a direct, secure and cost-effective
manner," said Jay Adelson, founder and chief technology officer
of Equinix. "With this agreement, Akimbo has access to all
of the strategic networking partners that it relies upon to
deliver its service within the same IBX facility, rather than
in multiple locations and across great distances."
The Akimbo Service is delivered via broadband-Internet
to the Akimbo Player, a set-top box that stores 200 hours
of video, and provides consumers with viewing controls such
as pause, rewind and archive. The Akimbo Service automatically
delivers an onscreen program guide filled with channels, video
previews, editorial information and viewer options. From the
guide, Akimbo subscribers choose which programs they would
like to download to the Akimbo Player for later viewing.
About Akimbo
Akimbo is the first company to deliver high-quality
video-on-demand to any television via a broadband-Internet
connection. The Akimbo Service with the Akimbo Player lets
consumers choose from thousands of hours of programs specifically
suited to their tastes, so they can watch them whenever they
choose. By partnering with Akimbo, video providers gain a
new opportunity to cost-effectively reach targeted audiences
with content ranging from special interest to broad appeal,
without building new infrastructure. Akimbo partners with
leading providers of specialty video to deliver more than
50 categories of unique entertainment, including film, comedy,
music, health and fitness, sports, education, youth, foreign
language, and cooking. With offices in Los Angeles and San
Mateo, Calif., Akimbo is a privately held company funded by
Kleiner Perkins, Caufield & Byers, Draper Fisher Jurvetson,
Sprout Group and Zone Ventures. The company is founded and
managed by executives from ReplayTV, Macromedia, CNET Networks,
mySimon, Microsoft and Apple. For more information, visit:
www.akimbo.com
About Equinix
Equinix is the leading global provider of
network-neutral data centers and Internet exchange services
for enterprises, content companies, systems integrators and
network services providers. Through the company's 14 Internet
Business Exchange™ (IBX ®) centers in five countries, customers
can directly interconnect with every major global network
and ISP for their critical peering, transit and traffic exchange
requirements. These interconnection points facilitate the
highest performance and growth of the Internet by serving
as neutral and open marketplaces for Internet infrastructure
services, allowing customers to expand their businesses while
reducing costs.
Equinix and IBX are registered trademarks
of Equinix, Inc. Internet Business Exchange is a trademark
of Equinix, Inc.
About Limelight Networks
Privately held Limelight Networks
is the first comprehensive digital-delivery network, providing
end-to-end IP delivery solutions that include live and on-demand
streaming media, content delivery, storage and hosting as
well as "Tier-1+" bandwidth services. Leveraging an efficient
network architecture with strategic distribution locations
around the globe combined with powerful download management
and reporting tools, Limelight Networks enables some of the
industry's top content providers, webcasters and enterprise
customers to reduce the cost and complexity of delivery, while
ensuring unmatched performance. Limelight Networks' innovative
delivery platform has been proven to dramatically cut the
costs associated with e-commerce, distance learning, online
entertainment and corporate connectivity. For more information,
visit: http://www.limelightnetworks.com
|
