Two of the largest names in streaming video on the Internet have partnered to improve video quality and make the process more user-friendly.
Brightcove, a maker of video tools, and Akamai, a content delivery network, announced the deal last week. The two companies have been working together informally for years, said Suzanne Johnson, Akamai’s director of marketing for media and entertainment.
Brightcove creates video publishing tools such as content management, encoding and analytics, while Akamai’s infrastructure helps improve the delivery of Web content, especially video. With the new partnership, delivery through Akamai’s HD Network, which launched last fall, will be bundled as part of Brightcove’s service.
Jeff Whatcott, senior vice president of marketing at Brightcove, said this should be an attractive package for existing media and entertainment customers, but it also means that smaller businesses that don’t have technical resources or expertise will get improved delivery as part of the package.
“Together, we’re in a position to reach new customers who don’t yet see a clear path for how they can deliver a high-quality video online,” Whatcott said. The bundled service will be rolling out this fall, he added.
Akamai is a publicly traded company that has also partnered with Inlet Technologies, AEG, ClipSync, IBM, iStreamPlanet, mDialog, Ooyala, and Origin Digital to deliver video on its Akamai HD Network. Brightcove has raised nearly $100 million from backers such as Accel Partners, General Catalyst Partners, AOL, IAC and The New York Times. Both companies are based in Cambridge, MA.
