Will the third time be the charm for Akimbo?
After two attempts at a direct-to-consumer model, the Internet video company is now offering a turnkey solution for business customers looking to set up their own Web TV channels.
Founded in 2002, Akimbo initially tried to sell a set-top box that downloaded premium VOD content over the Internet and played it back on TV sets. Then, after phasing out that product last spring, the San Mateo, Calif., company was trying to become an aggregator of VOD content delivered through its own Web site and other outlets.
Now Akimbo has launched an Internet VOD solution for content providers' own Web sites. The service supports multiple business models, including ad-supported content, subscription-based, download-to-own, download-to-DVD, pay-per-minute and gift cards. The platform includes advertising-management capabilities and a subscriber management system.
“We have engineered a solution that allows content owners to take control of their own destiny without incurring costly infrastructure expenses or unreasonable revenue splits with third parties,” Akimbo president and CEO Thomas Frank said, in announcing the company’s new strategy.
Akimbo’s first customer for the new solution is MavTV, a multiplatform content provider targeting male viewers owned by the Mav'rick Entertainment Network.
With its new strategy, Akimbo’s competitors will include Yahoo, which last month acquired startup Maven Networks, and Brightcove.
