NFL.com to Offer Fans Higher Quality Video Experience This Season

Higher quality video will be available to NFL.com users through the Akamai HD Network

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Sep 22, 2010, 06:30 ET

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Sept. 22 /PRNewswire/ -- NFL.com and Akamai Technologies (Nasdaq: AKAM) announced that NFL.com has implemented Akamai's HD Network to enable broader availability of high-quality online video. NFL.com will be utilizing the Akamai HD Network to assist in providing the best possible online video player experience for its fans.

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This season, the majority of video content on NFL.com will be offered in higher quality and delivered across the Akamai HD Network, including NFL.com Live: Thursday Night Football offering live look-ins to NFL Network's eight-game package, video highlights of every NFL game and coverage of other NFL events. In addition, exclusive video contained within the new NFL Fantasy Football game will be offered in higher quality through Akamai's HD Network. The enhanced content will be made available in multiple bitrates up to 3.2 mbps.

The incorporation of Akamai's HD Network into the NFL.com video player includes several benefits:

Akamai HD for the Adobe Flash Platform - NFL.com is currently leveraging HTTP-based adaptive bitrate streaming for smooth playback. NFL.com will offer video content in multiple bitrates ranging from 500 kbps to 3.2 mbps to maximize the video experience for each user based on their bandwidth availability.
HD Client Technologies – NFL is using a range of HD Client technologies from Akamai including Akamai's Open Video Player and the Akamai NetSession Client. The Open Video Player is being used on select areas of the site to provide the benefit of a built in integration with Akamai's HD Network. NFL.com users are currently able to access higher quality content on NFL.com by downloading the Akamai NetSession Client. Moving forward, NetSession will help NFL further optimize the end-user's experience by feeding information about device capabilities into the algorithms used by the player to choose the best stream for individual users.
Media Analytics – Through Akamai's robust Media Analytics product, the NFL will have access to QOS information that will allow for better insight into the viewing experience on NFL.com, as well as aggregated performance data to measure the impact that higher quality video delivery is having on its viewership.

"We think HD quality video will have the same impact online as it has on television," said Hans Schroeder, NFL vice president of media strategy and development. "Our multi-year partnership with Akamai will help us deliver the highest quality NFL video experience to our fans."

"NFL is pushing the envelope this season with their digital media strategy by offering so much of their content in high-quality. The Akamai HD Network offers the NFL a single platform for delivery of content along with unique intelligence and the ability to simplify complex processes in the network," said Robert Hughes, Executive Vice President of Global Sales, Services and Marketing at Akamai. "We are thrilled to be working closely with them to help raise the bar on the video experience for their fans."

About NFL.com

NFL.com is the NFL's official website. With up to the minute news, exclusive video, features and game information, NFL.com has complete and in-depth coverage of the players, teams, and games. Through NFL.com's Game Center application, fans can track all their favorite players with real-time statistics, a comprehensive scoreboard, exclusive play-by-play and graphical scoring charts and listen to radio broadcasts of the games. NFL.com hosts NFL FANTASY FOOTBALL, the world's only NFL fantasy game with video, including extensive in-game highlights. NFL.com also is the online home of NFL Films and NFL Network and offers internet users access to the vast array of NFL Network programming. In August 2007, NFL brought the operations of NFL.com in-house and re-launched the site.

About Akamai

Akamai® provides market-leading, cloud-based services for optimizing Web and mobile content and applications, online HD video, and secure e-commerce. Combining highly-distributed, energy-efficient computing with intelligent software, Akamai's global platform is transforming the cloud into a more viable place to inform, entertain, advertise, transact and collaborate. To learn how the world's leading enterprises are optimizing their business in the cloud, please visit www.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. 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 effects of any attempts to intentionally disrupt our services or network by hackers or others, unexpected early termination of Akamai's relationship with the NFL, a decision by the customer not to fully expand its use of HD video over the Internet, a failure of Akamai's network infrastructure, and other factors that are discussed in Akamai's Annual Report on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, and other documents periodically filed with the SEC.