AKAMAI EXCLUSIVE STREAMING DELIVERY PROVIDER FOR WRESTLEMANIA
- 03/30/2007 (3:42:47 pm)
- Press Release
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Akamai Exclusive Streaming Delivery Provider for WWE®'s WrestleMania® 23
CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Akamai Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: AKAM), the leading global service provider for accelerating content and business processes online, announced today that it has entered into a long-term agreement with World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. (WWE) and will deliver all video streams – live and on demand – for WrestleMania 23, WWE's annual pop culture extravaganza.
WrestleMania 23 will take place Sunday, April 1, 2007 live on pay-per-view from Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan. Live and On Demand coverage of the weekend will begin on March 31 at 6:00 p.m. EST and will continue during and after the event on Sunday, April 1. Fans from 23 countries, including all 50 states, will be present at the live event, which is expected to be viewed by more than 1 million fans internationally. WWE will rely on Akamai for high-quality video distribution to online fans around the world as part of its overall business initiatives to capitalize on the more than 15 million monthly visitors to WWE.com and maximize revenue opportunities from the Web site's rich media assets.
"WrestleMania is truly a global phenomenon with fans increasingly turning to WWE.com not only for news, but for event viewing," said Jon Zerden, Vice President of Interactive Technology, WWE. "In order to meet the challenges associated with supporting this increasing global fan base online during these events, we selected Akamai for their unparalleled network reach and scale. This new partnership will allow us to successfully increase our reach and support our online audience for WrestleMania 23 and future events. "
With the popularity of bringing entertainment online increasing, WWE is looking to Akamai to meet consumer demand for viewing high-profile wrestling events over the Internet.
"Online media events present many business and technical challenges for companies. Challenges include properly estimating the degree of interest from a global audience, ensuring a high-quality experience and offering interactive features that engage the on-line audience, " said Bill Wheaton, vice president of digital media at Akamai. "We're thrilled that WWE is entrusting Akamai with supporting WrestleMania 23, as well as all of its live and on-demand Internet events moving forward. By utilizing Akamai 's media solutions, the WWE can focus on WrestleMania and leave the Internet broadcast to us."
About World Wrestling Entertainment
Additional information on World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. (NYSE: WWE), can be found at wwe.com and corporate.wwe.com . For information on our global activities, go to http://www.wwe.com/worldwide/ .
About Akamai
Akamai® is the leading global service provider for accelerating content and business processes online. Thousands of organizations have formed trusted relationships with Akamai, improving their revenue and reducing costs by maximizing the performance of their online businesses. Leveraging the Akamai EdgePlatform, these organizations gain business advantage today, and have the foundation for the emerging Web solutions of tomorrow. Akamai is " The Trusted Choice for Online Business." For more information, visit www.akamai.com.
Akamai Statement Under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act
The release contains information about future expectations, plans and prospects of Akamai Technologies, Inc.'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 unexpected difficulty in closing our financial books for the quarter and other factors that are discussed in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, and other documents periodically filed with the SEC.
Trademarks: All World Wrestling Entertainment Inc. programming, talent names, images, likenesses, slogans, wrestling moves, and logos are the exclusive property of World Wrestling Entertainment Inc. All other trademarks, logos and copyrights are the property of their respective owners
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