Akamai Acquires Octoshape

Octoshape to provide Akamai unique video optimization technology designed to enable superior IP broadcast experiences

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Apr 06, 2015, 09:22 ET

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. and COPENHAGEN, Denmark, April 6, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Akamai Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: AKAM) announced today that it has acquired Octoshape in a cash transaction. Octoshape's services are designed to help optimize the quality of video streams for over-the-top (OTT) content and to enable Internet Protocol television (IPTV) solutions.

"As more video gets consumed over the Internet, and on devices that can display higher-quality resolution, it is important for us to develop new ways to acquire, transform and distribute the highest-quality media for broadcast-size audiences," said Tom Leighton, CEO of Akamai. "We are working to continue to extend our platform to accommodate video throughput increases that come from the adoption of 4K, and to support a potential 100-1000X increase in network traffic in the future."

The acquisition of Octoshape is expected to provide Akamai with valuable technology and experience in the area of streaming video optimization. Through a combination of patented video and network optimization technologies, Octoshape has created highly-efficient transport methods for the delivery of video streams across the Internet using standard media formats and players.

"With the addition of Octoshape, Akamai intends to provide customers with the most comprehensive suite of video delivery and optimization technologies," continued Leighton. "We believe this acquisition will bolster our strategy to further the deployment of Akamai software into devices, carrier networks, enterprises, and homes, and to fulfill the promise of an Internet that is fast, reliable and secure on any device, anywhere."

"By joining forces with Akamai, we believe our joint customers will benefit from unsurpassed quality and reach," said Michael Koehn, CEO of Octoshape. "Combining Akamai's industry-leading content distribution network with Octoshape's video optimization technologies is intended to help businesses supercharge their online services to meet consumer demand. The Octoshape team is proud of the technology it has built over the years, and looks forward to evolving that technology to the next level with Akamai."

Octoshape, a private company with over 40 employees, was established in 2003. Under terms of the acquisition agreement, Akamai will acquire all of the outstanding equity of Octoshape in a cash transaction. The acquisition is not material to Akamai's financials.

About Octoshape
Octoshape is a revolutionary cloud OTT IPTV service provider that focuses on delivering broadcast, enterprise, and carrier solutions. Octoshape's cloud technologies are adopted worldwide to enable the evolution of broadcast TV to broadband TV. The company's patented stream acceleration platform combined with its suite of multicast technologies offer unparalleled stream quality, global reach, and network efficiency to deliver a consistent and cost-effective TV viewing experience for broadband multiscreen, point-to-(multi)-point contribution and enterprise delivery. For more information, visit www.octoshape.com

About Akamai^®As the global leader in Content Delivery Network (CDN) services, Akamai makes the Internet fast, reliable and secure for its customers. The company's advanced web performance, mobile performance, cloud security and media delivery solutions are revolutionizing how businesses optimize consumer, enterprise and entertainment experiences for any device, anywhere. To learn how Akamai solutions and its team of Internet experts are helping businesses move faster forward, please visit www.akamai.com or blogs.akamai.com, and follow @Akamai on Twitter.

The release contains information about future expectations, plans and prospects of Akamai's management that constitute forward-looking statements for purposes of the safe harbor provisions under The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements about expected benefits to Akamai from the acquisition. Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by these forward-looking statements as a result of various important factors including, but not limited to, inability to successfully integrate the technology of Octoshape or to develop products based on the technology, incorrect expectations about network traffic increases and our ability to accommodate them, and other factors that are discussed in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, and other documents periodically filed with the SEC.