BBC Worldwide Americas Selects Akimbo Service to Broaden Distribution; Akimbo Service Subscribers Will Have Access to Popular High-Quality BBC Films and Programs.

LAS VEGAS -- Akimbo(TM) Systems and BBC Worldwide Americas today announced that they are working together to provide BBC programming to subscribers of the Akimbo Service. The BBC programs available through the Akimbo Service will include a broad range of titles across several genres, from classic comedy to critically acclaimed documentaries and star-studded dramas. As the first Internet-to-TV VOD service, the Akimbo Service gives consumers access to a world of programming. Subscribers select programs for download to the Akimbo Player and then watch them on demand, at anytime.

The BBC programming will launch on Akimbo later this year with a wide variety of series and films including, available for the first time to American audiences, the youthful comedy series "Two Pints Of Lager And A Packet Of Crisps" and one of the United Kingdom's all time favorite classic comedy, "Porridge." Akimbo will also feature made-for-TV dramas and series such as the award-winning adaptation of "Jane Eyre," staring Timothy Dalton, "Sense and Sensibility" and 26 episodes of "Secrets of World War II."

Films available from the BBC will include family favorites such as the timeless classic "The Secret Garden," Emmy Award-winner "Little Lord Fauntleroy" and a heart-warming adaptation of the best-selling children's book, "The Animals of Farthing Wood."

Akimbo Service's subscribers will also have access to star-studded dramas including "Blue Boy" starring Emma Thompson (Angels in America, Harry Potter), "Man and Boy" starring Ioan Gruffudd (Horotio Hornblower, The Forsyte Saga, Black Hawk Down, 102 Dalmatians), Ian McShane (Deadwood, Agent Cody Banks, Sexy Beast) and Pauline Collins (Shirley Valentine) and "The Great Kandinsky" starring Hollywood legend Richard Harris.

BBC Worldwide Americas Vice President of Programming Beth Clearfield commented, "BBC Worldwide Americas is always exploring different distribution avenues for its content. We are delighted to be joining forces with Akimbo as it offers us the opportunity to reach new audiences and will allow consumers to enjoy some of the BBC's high-quality programming at their convenience."

"BBC Worldwide offers some of the best television programming in the world," said Steve Shannon, founder and executive vice president of sales at Akimbo. "Our subscribers will be able to enjoy internationally acclaimed BBC programming. Only the Akimbo Service gives consumers access to television programming from around the world."

Akimbo's "Queue and View(TM)" feature lets consumers select programs for download to the Akimbo Player through a broadband-Internet connection and view them on their televisions. The Akimbo Service is delivered to the Akimbo Player, a stylish set-top box that can store up to 200 hours of video and provides consumers with viewing controls such as pause, rewind and archive. The Akimbo Player uses widely adopted technology for playback including Windows Media technologies for audio and video compression, and Windows Digital Rights Management.

Offering more than 50 categories of specialty video content, the Akimbo Service is an enhancement to traditional television rather than a replacement for it. Akimbo constantly scours the world and partners with a growing list of dynamic video providers so that the Akimbo Service will soon have one of the largest collections of programs available on demand. Many of the programs are about topics such as education, independent film, sports and hobbies that aren't found on traditional television. As the Akimbo Service video library expands, Akimbo is waiving its basic service fee through April.

About BBC Worldwide Americas

BBC Worldwide Americas (BBCWA) is a wholly owned subsidiary of BBC Worldwide, the commercial consumer arm of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). BBC Sales Company, a joint venture of BBC Worldwide Americas (BBCWA) and Discovery Communications, Inc. (DCI) licenses, co-produces and distributes television programs in the United States and Canada on behalf of the BBC and DCI.

About Akimbo

With the Akimbo Service, your wish is on demand(TM). Akimbo was recently named "Best of What's New" by Popular Science and received a Digital World Innovations Award and a CES Best of Innovations Award. With 12 patent applications featuring more than 150 patent claims, Akimbo is the first company to deliver digital-quality video-on-demand to any television via a broadband-Internet connection. Akimbo has offices in Los Angeles and San Mateo, Calif., and is a privately held company funded by Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Draper Fisher Jurvetson, Sprout Group and Zone Ventures. For more information on Akimbo, visit www.akimbo.com.