Akamai Supports Hollywood’s “UltraViolet,” Bolsters its Content Distribution Network

LAS VEGAS — At CES, technology giant Akamai threw its weight behind Hollywood's UltraViolet video initiative — a technlogy which allows consumers to watch and share movies and TV shows across multiple devices, said Kris Alexander, Chief Strategist for Connected Devices & Gaming at Akamai, in this interview with Beet.TV

The UltraViolet platorm is designed to help protect movies and TV programming against digital piracy while allowing users to play DVD content via the cloud across various devices.

More than 750,000 consumers have signed up for the UltraViolet program for access to digital versions of content they've bought on DVD.  But the format has yet to take off in a major way, so support from companies such as Akamai may help.

"This is an important transitional step for consumers," Alexander said. He added that Akamai has added enhancements to security and content distribution over its network, which is vital as more video moves to the cloud. Akamai is also working on solutions to help port content to various smart TV platforms.

Alexander added that Akamai is preparing to deliver Olympic programming across various devices this summer from London.

Please see our exclusive interview with Mitchell Singer, Chief Technology Officer Sony Pictures and head of the UltraViolet initiate. 

Daisy Whtney

Posted on 01/19/2012 at 11:13 AM by Daisy Whitney

RECENT VIDEOS
AAA
IPG Mediabrands Shifts Pay Structure to “Pay For Performance”

MOUGINS, France  – About half of IPG Mediabrands clients now pay the media agency on a pay-for-performance rather than commission basis, says Matt Seiler, Global CEO, IPG Mediabrands in an interview with Beet.TV. He contends that commission-based fees that incentivize agencies to spend as much of the ...

Posted on 06/18/2013 at 6:55 PM by Daisy Whitney

AAA
AOL’s Cahn on AOL On’s Resurgence of Original Content

CANNES – AOL has been supporting their variety of premium original content this week at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. Beet.TV spoke with Karen Cahn, GM of AOL On Original Video for AOL, about their recent developments during the event. As the first content company on the Internet, ...

Posted on 06/18/2013 at 6:51 PM by Katy Charles

AAA
AOL Makers Tops 40 Million Views in First Year

CANNES – Since its launch 13 months ago, AOL has grown its “Makers” series to 40 million video views, with the number of views rising month over month, says Maureen Sullivan, Senior VP and General Manager Lifestyle Brands and Women’s Content at AOL during an interview with Beet.TV. ...

Posted on 06/18/2013 at 6:35 PM by Daisy Whitney

AAA
Microsoft Touts ’100% Always-On’ Xbox One To Advertisers

CANNES — Microsoft believes its Xbox game console can take marketers’ messages to consumers beyond gaming’s traditional hardcore audience. “The fastest-growing demographic on Xbox today is females aged 18 to 39, who happen to be the chief decision-makers on purchases in most ...

Posted on 06/18/2013 at 1:21 PM by Robert Andrews

AAA
Adobe Finds Tablets Racing Ahead For Retailers

CANNES – Time was, the term “mobile” could be used to describe a swathe of devices. But now the market is so rich with portable gadgets, it’s time to get more granular, according to Adobe digital marketing SVP and GM  Brad Rencher. “A lot of people are still lumping smartphones ...

Posted on 06/18/2013 at 1:20 PM by Robert Andrews

AAA
Data-Hungry Mail Online Mulls Original-Video Move

CANNES – Look out, world. Having quickly become the planet’s most-visited newspaper website, Mail Online plans to ramp up its digital video offering beyond its core categories of entertainment, lifestyle and breaking world news. “We’ll continue to expand the types of video programming ...

Posted on 06/18/2013 at 10:08 AM by Robert Andrews

AAA
AOL Adds Biometric Tracking to Video Ad Measurement

CANNES – Using biometric tracking, AOL has begun testing emotional reactions to ads via a partnership with technology firm Realeyes, says Mihkel Jäätma, Managing Director of Realeyes during an interview with Beet.TV at Cannes. The company’s facial recognition software can measure the level of ...

Posted on 06/17/2013 at 5:20 PM by Daisy Whitney

AAA
AOL Tests Emotional Response to Video Ads

CANNES – AOL is working with brands such as LG and Heineken on its new neuromarketing platform that aims to measure emotional reaction to video ads, says Rene Rechtman, SVP of AOL International. This sort of measurement can help brands better understand whether their creative is actually connecting ...

Posted on 06/17/2013 at 5:20 PM by Daisy Whitney

AAA
Mariane Pearl to Launch Global News Site for Women, Next Week

CANNES – Mariane Pearl,  who is spearheading a global advocacy group for woman called Chime for Change, will launch a global news site about women with correspondents from locations around the globe, she says in this interview with Beet.TV.  She will serve as managing editor. She says that the ...

Posted on 06/17/2013 at 1:11 PM by Andy Plesser

AAA
Gloria Steinem on Digital as a Medium for Women’s Stories

CANNES – “Women around the world really are making huge use of digital media in every way,”  says feminist activist Gloria Steinem. With the growth of digital media, the message of the women’s movement is able to be spread more and more, particularly with the creation of MAKERS.com – ...

Posted on 06/17/2013 at 1:02 PM by Katy Charles

AAA
Women’s Stories Hub MAKERS.com Sees 1.5M Monthly Viewers

CANNES – Launched in February 2012, MAKERS.com – a digital platform dedicating to telling the stories of the “trailblazing women” and a joint initiative by AOL and PBS – sees 1.5 million visitors a month, and 48 percent are men, says executive producer and founder of MAKERS.com Dyllan ...

Posted on 06/17/2013 at 1:01 PM by Katy Charles

AAA
TubeMogul Intros Video Viewability Standards for Digital Video Ads

The notion of “video viewability” is quickly becoming an important standard in the online video advertising business. That’s why a group of digital video companies recently introduced a solution called Open VV, for Open Video View, that works with in-stream video ads and determines how much ...

Posted on 06/13/2013 at 8:16 PM by Daisy Whitney