Akamai Unveils Its MediaPlus Family of Applications to Enable New Business Models for Streaming Media.

Business/Technology Editors

Streaming Media West

SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 12, 2000

-- Akamai's MediaPlus(SM) family of applications responds to customer needs for expanded revenue opportunities to help drive their streaming media business

-- The first application in this family, MediaPlus Advertising, offers industry's first open platform for delivering streaming advertising via Akamai's world-class delivery network

-- Strategic alliances with Engage and Hitplay Media integrate best-of-class targeted advertising applications with Akamai's network infrastructure

Akamai Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: AKAM), the leading Content Delivery Service Provider (CDSP), today unveiled its MediaPlus family of applications, designed to address customer needs for both direct revenue-generating capabilities and content management tools to sustain and grow their streaming media activities.

Created in alliance with best-in-class application providers, the applications within the MediaPlus family facilitate the monetization of streaming media and the distribution of digital assets over the Internet. The family of applications will provide support for traditional media business models, including advertising, subscription/pay-per-view and syndication, as well as tools to better manage interactive content. The first offering in Akamai's MediaPlus family, MediaPlus Advertising, extends the value of Akamai's FreeFlow(SM) Streaming service by integrating rich media advertising solutions with content streams delivered by Akamai's network.

"As more sophisticated business models emerge from content providers, revenue-enabling services become critical to the success of these initiatives," said Paul Sagan, president of Akamai. "With the introduction of the MediaPlus family of services, Akamai is responding to the need for customers to capitalize on their streaming investments. By combining technology from leading application providers with Akamai's world-class delivery network, Akamai is helping customers to effectively grow their online business."

The increase in broadband usage has helped enhance streaming's acceptance as a growing part of mainstream media. A recent Jupiter Research report cites that 68 percent of all consumer-oriented sites are deploying streaming video this year. Looking ahead, industry analysts expect the streaming media services market to continue to grow significantly - to $2.5 billion by 2004 according to Internet Research Group. Because adding streaming to a web site is complex, content providers require a variety of applications, such as those included in Akamai's MediaPlus family, to assist them in increasing their return on investment with streaming media.

By building technology innovations into its EdgeAdvantage(SM) platform, as well as deploying applications from best-in-class technology providers within Akamai's network infrastructure, Akamai will continue to expand its offerings within the MediaPlus family over the next two quarters. Following MediaPlus Advertising, the company expects to introduce enabling technology for syndication, authentication, subscription and pay-per-view capabilities, as well as content management tools.

MediaPlus Advertising - The Industry's First Open Streaming Ad Delivery Platform

Akamai's MediaPlus Advertising is a full-service solution that empowers content providers to deliver targeted streaming media advertising to end users. By integrating industry-leading advertising insertion technologies from multiple providers, beginning with Engage, Inc., the industry source for both interactive media and enterprise marketing software, and Hitplay Media, a next-generation ASP offering targeted streaming video solutions to web sites and corporations, with Akamai's fault-tolerant delivery network, customers can provide highly reliable ad delivery, better end-user experiences, and increased ROI by developing additional rich media revenue streams. Akamai will continue to integrate additional ad insertion technologies into its network.

"Since earlier this year, Engage and Akamai have been working together to develop innovative solutions that will make targeted, streaming advertising a possibility for marketers and publishers," said Mike Baker, executive vice president of corporate development, Engage. "We're extremely happy to be a part of Akamai's MediaPlus program, which will continue to further our relationship and our efforts to enhance the delivery of interactive ads and marketing campaigns across the Web."

"Hitplay Media is excited to participate in the streaming industry's first open ad insertion platform," said Todd Harris, president and CEO of Hitplay Media. "Hitplay's Cupid Targeted Technology and scalable video application services were designed from the ground up to help leading web sites monetize their streaming assets. Akamai's customers will benefit from the revenue-generating services that Hitplay can provide with Akamai's global network."

With the introduction of MediaPlus Advertising, Akamai is addressing the market's growing need for ad insertion services. Jupiter Research projects that by 2003, 20 percent of online advertising will consist of non-conventional approaches, implementing either rich media and streaming audio and video.

Akamai's unique approach to integrating its network with the applications of ad insertion technology providers leverages the core expertise of Akamai and these technology providers and enables the customer to choose from today's leading ad insertion technologies. Moreover, customers of Akamai's ad insertion technology providers can take full advantage of Akamai's FreeFlow Streaming service and benefit from the world's largest network for high-performance, reliable streaming media delivery. Some of the first customers to embrace MediaPlus Advertising include iClips and Studionext.

"Our co-branded partners include some of the most highly trafficked sites on the Internet, and they're trusting us to enhance their users' experience and the value of their brand. That trust obligates us to undertake a thoughtful process when selecting our service providers," said Nick Fiore, vice president, marketing, business development and advertising of iClips (www.iclips.com), a leading provider of free Internet-based streaming video services. "Akamai provides iClips with a global solution, combining best-of-class ad insertion technology with a high-performance streaming delivery network that ensures we'll meet the reliability and quality measures that our partners' ad serving requirements demand."

Availability and Pricing

Expected to be generally available in the first quarter 2001, MediaPlus Advertising will support streaming video and audio on-demand ad insertion in addition to pre-stream advertising before live events. Pricing will vary based on the ad insertion technology provider selected by the Akamai customer. For more information about MediaPlus Advertising, please send inquires to [e-mail].

About Akamai

Akamai is the leading Content Delivery Service Provider serving over 2,800 customers worldwide. Akamai has the broadest deployment of servers for content, streaming media, and applications delivery with more than 6,000 servers in 54 countries directly connected within 335 different telecommunications networks.

Akamai Statement Under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act 

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. 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, the reliability of Akamai's FreeFlow Streaming service, any failure of its network infrastructure, changes in the market for or regulations or laws relating to Internet advertising, the complexity of the MediaPlus Advertising service and the networks on which the service is deployed, the failure to obtain access to transmission capacity and other factors that are discussed in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K and other documents periodically filed with the SEC.