Akamai Announces Media Framework for Adobe Flash Video

The Framework leverages best practices and open technologies to simplify the often complex task of creating video player applications. A code-based foundation for a fully functional media player allows interactive developers and sites to focus resources on designing a custom branded player that reflects their needs and business strategies. The Framework provides turnkey support for industry standards such as Media RSS and offers media companies a standardized way to publish and deliver media content to their own site as well as to distribution partners. By taking advantage of the combination of the Framework, deployment techniques, and the Akamai delivery network, customers can quickly implement a world-class solution for delivering Flash player video content and provide users with a consistent, high-quality experience.

"As media companies start executing strategies to turn their media assets into offerings that attract consumers and advertisers en masse, they see competitive advantage in enhancing the player to create an experience that is unique to their content," said Bill Wheaton, Vice President of Digital Media, Akamai Technologies. "This toolset is a resource for the community that improves the overall process from start to finish." The video player application is at the center of many media companies' digital distribution strategy. Companies need to implement complex, visually stimulating players that reflect their brand. What's not apparent to the consumer is that these players also need to support a seamless production and content distribution workflow as well as monetization through things such as video advertising. This gets more complex around syndication. With the Media Framework, Akamai is providing a solid foundation to help companies deliver a video player that takes care of the nuts and bolts and allows them to focus on providing a great media experience that consumers will enjoy.

"As the demand for Internet video accelerates, more and more companies are looking for better ways to create customized branded video experiences," said Kevin Towes, product manager for Flash Media Server at Adobe. "Akamai is providing a valuable resource that will help the Flash community get a jump start on developing customized video experiences based on standards and best practices. This framework will enable the community to easily and quickly bring robust and innovative video experiences for Flash to market."

"Developing a video player based on the Akamai Media Framework for Adobe Flash was a breeze and allowed Adveno to focus on our client's needs instead of the technical minutia usually associated with video application development," said Robbie Cohen, CEO, Adveno. "The Framework shortened our development cycles from weeks to days, allowing us to focus on extending the player functionality with little effort, delivering a powerful video experience to the end user. Adveno was also able to leverage the robust functionality of Akamai Stream OS and Media RSS services to create an automated, efficient workflow for our clients to organize, publish, and update their media content to targeted video players. Stream OS lets us provide detailed metrics on video consumption patterns and distribution across a wide range of sites."