This closure has nothing to

dean collins — Thu, 29 May 2008 12:26:40 -0700

This closure has nothing to do with saturated VOD market.

This closure has nothing to do with the sky falling.

The MS Media center deal was the dumbest 'distractor' I've ever personally witnessed.

http://deancollinsblog.blogspot.com/2008/05/ding-dong-akimbos-dead.html

I'm sure one day someones going to write a book about how something so far ahead of it's time (but not too far - so thats not the reason), went so very very wrong.

Cheers,
Dean Collins
www.Cognation.net

Akimbo needs a business

Derick H. — Wed, 28 May 2008 16:50:09 -0700

Akimbo needs a business model that absolutely differentiates itself from the rest of the pack. Management and VCs alike ought to have a look at Interchangeable Master Channels (IMCs) which are accessible to anyone. The present network is a uniform and coherent aggregation of 750 dot-com master channels that allow brand name entities to attach themselves to IMCs in the form of http://brandchannel.masterchannel.com. The network is large enough to accommodate almost every conceivable brand name product or service anywhere in the world. Thematically arranged VOD content can then be sponsored by the related brand channels. There is related iinformation in the Comments part of the following post at http://www.circleid.com/posts/do_we_need_two_internets/.

VOD provider Akimbo seeks buyer, dismisses staff

IDG News Service — Fri, 23 May 2008 14:15:56 -0700

Unable to raise $4 million in needed outside capital, Internet video-on-demand provider Akimbo of San Mateo, Calif., Thursday laid off most of its employees, including all but one of its executives, and is searching for a buyer, Peter Shantel, Akimbo's chief financial officer, confirmed today.

"We went to market in February with a new strategy that was very exciting and very well received," Shantel said.

"We had recapitalized with $4 million from inside investors, and wanted to raise another $4 million from the outside. But the (video-on-demand) market is very crowded and there's a credit crunch. The board thought because we couldn't raise additional funds that we need to look for a strategic partner to buy us."

He declined to comment whether the company is currently negotiating with potential partners. Akimbo VOD solution is being used by AT&T Homezone, CenturyTel, an Internet service provider, and Mass TV, as a white label product. Akimbo competes with Brightcove, Extend, Intrigue, Narrowstep and other VOD solutions.

Shantel said Akimbo is attractive to suitors because "our solution works well, we have customers, and as SaaS (software as a service) solution it scales."

Shantel said the company's board of directors, chaired by William R. Hearst III, a partner in Kleiner, Perkins, Caufield & Byers, kept on a skeleton crew to support the company's three customers and dismissed 14 employees including CEO and president Thomas Frank and the rest of the management team.

When it introduced its player in 2004, Akimbo was the first company to bring Internet video to televisions.

In February, Akimbo refashioned itself and introduced a turn-key Internet VOD solution for content providers' Web sites that includes a comprehensive advertising system and supports multiple business models including ad-supported, transactional, subscription, download-to-own, download-to-burn, pay-per-minute, gift cards, and account credits.

In March, Akimbo had appointed 25-year industry veteran Phil Sakakihara as chief technology officer and Brant J. Smith, as marketing director. Both were dismissed yesterday.

Besides Hearst, Akimbo's board members are Andreas Stavropoulos, managing director of Draper Fishe Jurvestson; Frank M. Creer, managing director, Zone Ventures; and Dave Habiger, president and chief executive officer of Sonic Solutions. Investors are Kleiner, Perkins, Caufield & Byers, Draper Fisher Jurvestson, Zone Ventures, Sonic Solutions, AT&T, Blueprint Ventures, Cisco Systems, Sprout Group, and Wasatch Venture Funds.

More news, commentary, and predictions from The Industry Standard:

Special Feature: The Industry Standard's Top 25 B-to-Z List Blogs
Special Feature: 10 'Net services that will succeed (and 10 that will probably fail)

The Industry Standard - VOD provider Akimbo seeks buyer, dismisses staff - Comments

This closure has nothing to

Akimbo needs a business

VOD provider Akimbo seeks buyer, dismisses staff