AT&T announced in late June that it is creating a separate division and new services for its Digital Media Solutions operation, and beefing up its funding is just the first salvo in what is likely to be a bigger push by service providers into the content delivery network space.

To date, only Level 3 Communications has made a big content delivery networks (CDNs) push, based on its acquisition of Savvis and its network operation, but analyst David Vorhaus, who just launched Yankee Group’s CDN Scorecard, expects AT&T, BT and Verizon, among others, to enter the space as well — possibly by buying one of the many smaller CDN players that are currently challenging the market giant, Akamai, which commands 70% of the space.

Source: http://telephonyonline.com/wireless/news/telecom_cdn_next_frontier/

If you want 60%+ returns, FBR thinks you should buy Akamai (AKAM). The firm believes the content delivery network (CDN) AKAM is well-positioned not because of its premium pricing (which most analysts focus on), but because of its cost advantages.

This guy certainly is bullish on Akamai!

Source: http://www.clusterstock.com/2008/7/ignore-collapsing-cdn-pricing-akamai-akam-will-surge-because-of-cost-advantages

Whether it’s a telco or cable operator delivering video over standard hybrid fiber coax, copper-based DSL, or ultimately fiber, the nature of video service delivery continues to evolve. And while IPTV, heralded as the ultimate converged video service platform, is gaining momentum, a growing base of traditional broadcasters and alternative sources are leveraging broadband lines to deliver what is now being called over-the-top (OTT) video.

Source: http://www.telecommagazine.com/newsglobe/article.asp?HH_ID=AR_4319

SALINAS, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–CDNs (Content Delivery Networks) generated $947 million in account revenue in 2007, forecast to grow by 32% in ‘08. Commercial market value (transit, retail, self-hosted delivery) for audio, video, streaming advertising, progressive download, Podcasting and download entertainment was worth $589.1 million in 2007, according to the multi-year sector analytics report CDN Market Growth 2006 – 2009, published by AccuStream Research.

Source: http://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20080709005057&newsLang=en

While Akamai currently dominates the world of content delivery networks (CDN), a leading analyst firm believes service providers such as AT&T, British Telecom and Verizon will soon be playing in that sandbox and might quickly gain traction through acquisition of smaller players such as Limelight Networks.

Source: http://telephonyonline.com/software/news/carriers-acquire-content-delivery-networks-0709/

Nobody in social media is making the money they think they should be. That would include YouTube if you put the site into the social media bucket. But if you see YouTube instead as the dominant video site online instead then its revenues, reportedly to reach about $200 million this year, are arguably really lagging. One of the hallmarks of YouTube has been its user-centric focus to the exclusion of almost all other considerations, including copyright law according to Viacom. But in an effort to find more revenues YouTube is apparently abandoning its historical “no-Preroll” policy.

Source: http://searchengineland.com/080709-085327.php

MEVIO to Offer Advertisers ‘Brand-Safe’ Programming with Audiences that Rival Broadcast Television
Last update: 12:01 a.m. EDT July 9, 2008
SAN FRANCISCO, July 9, 2008 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ — MEVIO today announced that it has secured $15 million in a Series C funding round led by Crosslink Capital and including Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Sequoia Capital, Sherpalo Ventures and DAG Ventures. MEVIO will use the investment to continue expansion of its broadband entertainment offering and to launch new vertical entertainment networks that offer advertisers a “brand-safe” platform to reach audiences on the scale and frequency offered by traditional broadcast networks.

Source: http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/mevio-secures-15-million-funding/story.aspx?guid={49310EE4-DCB9-407D-8046-D6896B3E5EE4}&dist=hppr

EdgeCast Networks, the rich media content delivery network (CDN), and AnimeNewsNetwork.com, the world’s leading Japanese animation content website, publicly unveiled a new Anime video streaming service. The content is being delivered around the world exclusively via the EdgeCast content delivery network. The service will be ad supported and free for viewers.

AnimeNewsNetwork.com delivers 2.3 million unique visitors with over 19 million page views per month. Internet metrics firm Alexa puts AnimeNewsNetwork.com consistently in its top 1,500 websites worldwide.

EdgeCast Networks, utilizing their worldwide content delivery network, will power the streaming video services. The service will be among the first to leverage the new Adobe Flash Media Server 3 [FMS] platform to securely deliver near broadcast-quality h.264 video to end users on Windows, Mac and Linux environments. EdgeCast has implemented FMS security features such as RTMPe delivery, SWF verification, and token authentication throughout its global content delivery network, making this service possible while minimizing security risks such as piracy and stream ripping.

“I couldn’t be happier with the level of service we’ve received from EdgeCast Networks,” said Justin Sevakis, AnimeNewsNetwork.com director of new media. “This service would not be possible if it weren’t for the reliable delivery and support for the newest technologies that EdgeCast provides.”

Source: http://www.editechial.com/2008/07/animenewsnetworkcom-partners-with-edgecast-networks-to-unveil-streaming-video-service/

This is a real desktop offering - what’s funny is the music it’s set to (or it’ll drive you crazy).

If you’re a Linux user, this looks worth investigating and I’d love to hear from anyone who is using this on a day-to-day basis. I don’t think the graphics card on the PC that I have Linux installed on will support this.

DMN Newswire–2008-7-1–Panther Express, (www.pantherexpress.net) a leading global provider of high-performance content delivery services, today announced they have been selected as the content delivery network (CDN) for PriceMinister.com (http://www.priceminister.com), one of Europe�??s leading e-commerce sites. Based in France, and serving customers throughout the world, PriceMinister.com is a global online marketplace for connecting buyers and sellers. PriceMinister.com is the second most popular e-commerce site in France and in the top 15 of all French websites overall.

Source: http://hardware.broadcastnewsroom.com/articles/viewarticle.jsp?id=441087