Akamai Integrates Adobe Primetime to Increase Reach and Scale of Online Video Advertising

LAS VEGAS, April 14, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- 2015 NAB SHOW – Akamai Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: AKAM), the global leader in content delivery network (CDN) services today announced the integration of Adobe Primetime ad insertion capabilities into its network in an effort to simplify and improve the way online video ads are delivered. The server-side advertising offering is designed to combine the scale of Akamai's global CDN with the reach of Adobe Primetime and its ad insertion technology.

Red Bull Media House and Turner Broadcasting are already in the early stages of trialing the new solution as part of a technology preview.

"The quality of the content Red Bull Media House produces and delivers is intrinsically connected to its value," said Andi Gall CTO, Red Bull Media House. "The collaboration with Akamai and Adobe simplifies online video ad delivery, and helps Red Bull Media House effectively monetize its content across platforms and devices."

Akamai and Adobe have a history of successful collaboration on some of the world's largest online events to date, including Super Bowls, the Olympics, World Cup and March Madness among many others. Having played critical roles in bringing online video to ubiquity, the companies are now leveraging their collective experience and expertise to help simplify advertising across devices and platforms.

Server-side ad insertion, in which advertisements are stitched into content at the network level, is intended to offer numerous benefits to advertisers, content providers and consumers, including:

• Monetization opportunities of TV content on any screen, in any format, with any ad decision technology – Publishers who rely on advertising revenue must be confident that their content and ads will play across an increasingly fragmented landscape of connected devices. This helps ensure access to larger audiences and creates more revenue opportunities through a scalable dynamic advertising solution that is built upon proven technologies.
• Reliability and limitless scale for linear broadcast-size television audiences – Akamai's support for Adobe Primetime ad insertion is designed to ensure a quality viewing experience. The solution can match bitrates between programming and advertisements within a single stream to create smooth transitions among pieces of content across larger audience and device footprints.
• Increased device reach with faster time to market – Server-side ad insertion abstracts from the player to the network many resource-intensive processes such as code stitching and session initiation. This process helps to reduce the complexities involved in reaching a fragmented array of connected devices and is designed to facilitate faster time to market for new devices.
• Improved viewing experiences and resiliency to ad blocking – Lessening the burden of processing power placed upon the video player and device can reduce the risk of buffering, helping to lead to better viewer experiences, higher engagement and lowering the potential for abandonment and negative brand association. Delivering content and advertisements as an individual stream from the server can also help mitigate vulnerabilities to ad blocking software.
• Enhanced operational visibility through analytics – Integrating the ad insertion and content delivery functions allows for a clearer, deeper view of advertisement performance metrics such as plays, engagement and video quality to support improved reporting and troubleshooting capabilities.

"This solution is designed to help address the longstanding challenges of scale and reach with online video advertising," said Troy Snyder, vice president of Ecosystem/executive producer, Akamai. "We believe integrating Adobe's digital ad insertion capabilities onto the Akamai network introduces nearly infinite scale to deliver ads to broadcast-size viewing audiences on a vast range of devices, which can open up new opportunities to monetize content across screens."

"Consumers expect flawless TV experiences regardless of the device they are using to watch their favorite content – live or on-demand," said Jeremy Helfand, vice president, Video Solutions, Adobe. "The integration of our ad insertion capabilities into the leading CDN network ensures that broadcasters and pay-TV service providers deliver seamless ad experiences as millions of consumers start accessing their pay-TV content online."

Beta availability is scheduled for the second quarter of 2015 with general availability expected to follow in the third quarter.

Akamai and Adobe will be exhibiting at the 2015 NAB Show in Las Vegas, April 13 – 16. Representatives from both companies will be available to discuss the solution at Akamai Booth SL3325 and Adobe Booth SL5110. Akamai also plans to demonstrate the solution as part of its exhibit.

About Adobe Primetime
Adobe Primetime is a multiscreen TV platform. The solution helps broadcasters, cable networks, and content providers create and monetize engaging television and film experiences on every screen. With modular, highly scalable capabilities that fit into existing broadcast and distribution workflows for live, linear and VOD programming, Adobe Primetime provides a personalized viewing experience across devices and platforms.

Adobe Primetime's components include TVSDK for multiscreen playback; digital rights management (DRM); authentication for TV Everywhere; ad insertion, available in both client- and server-side configurations; and audience-centric ad decisioning. Adobe Primetime customers can adopt capabilities individually or in different, flexible configurations, and deploy additional Adobe Primetime components as their business needs evolve.

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.

Akamai Statement Under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act
This 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 future business plans and opportunities. 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, a failure of Akamai's and Adobe's offerings or functionalities to operate as expected, a lack of market acceptance of such service offerings and functionalities, 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.

In addition, the statements in this press release represent Akamai's expectations and beliefs as of the date of this press release. Akamai anticipates that subsequent events and developments may cause these expectations and beliefs to change. However, while Akamai may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future, it specifically disclaims any obligation to do so. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing Akamai's expectations or beliefs as of any date subsequent to the date of this press release.

Contacts:
Chris Nicholson
Akamai Media Relations
617-444-2987
[email protected]

Tom Barth
Akamai Investor Relations
617-274-7130
[email protected]

Stefan Offermann
Adobe Systems Incorporated
408-536-4023
[email protected]

Akamai NAB Show Booth SL3325
Adobe NAB Show Booth SL5110

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SOURCE Akamai Technologies, Inc.