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WebFN Relies on Akamai Streaming Services as Viewership Reaches New Highs
WebFN, one of Akamai's most popular streaming customers, outsources its live, on-demand and customized financial news programming webcasts to Akamai's globally distributed platform, enabling viewers of WebFN.com to receive important financial content with improved quality and performance, enabling an optimal end-user experience. Together, the two companies have supported explosive demand for WebFN's financial news programming amid today's unsettled market conditions.
"Investors, even professional traders, are trying to understand the forces that are causing severe volatility in the markets," said Ken Wills, WebFN general manager and news director. "For these viewers, WebFN offers a broad sampling of perspectives and forecasts from key players to help make sense of market conditions. Everyone wants to know where to put their money."
Using Akamai's integrated site reporting tools, WebFN determined that during the past month, as the Dow Jones Industrial average hit a five-year low, site visitors spent, on average, more than 24 minutes per session watching WebFN's streaming financial news webcast. This represents a 101 percent increase from levels reported in July 2001. In addition, during the month of July, WebFN averaged more than 11,000 daily requests, a 134 percent increase from levels reported a year ago. This heightened usage resulted in the network delivering more than 9.2 million minutes of financial news programming, a 376 percent increase from levels a year ago.
"Given the continued increase in WebFN's viewership, a globally distributed infrastructure was a clear solution to ensuring the richest broadcast experience for its end viewers," said Michael Ruffolo, executive vice president, Global Sales, Services, and Marketing, Akamai. "A valued Akamai customer, WebFN has quickly become a top online news destination within the investment community with its up-to-the minute financial news programming and expert commentary. Building on our trusted relationship, we look forward to continuing to assist WebFN in its efforts to efficiently deliver useful information in innovative ways to its viewers."
WebFN offers users 12 hours of live market coverage every business day via the Internet. Through licensing and syndication relationships, WebFN's programming can be viewed at a number of finance and investments sites which include ETRADE Financial's web site, the CNBC on MSN® Money web site (formerly MSN MoneyCentral™) and Fidelity Investments' web site, in addition to the network's proprietary web site, WebFN.com.
"The regular increase in usage serves as another endorsement of our position on the value of our coverage and financial news," said WebFN CEO Bob Reichblum.
About Akamai
Akamai is the leading provider of edge computing solutions, delivering secure content and distributed applications across the Internet, intranets, and extranets. These solutions enable customers to achieve optimal results from their e-business initiatives, thereby reducing the cost of ownership, improving ROI, and creating new revenue streams. Akamai's globally distributed edge computing platform comprises more than 12,900 servers in more than 1,000 networks in 66 countries, ensuring the highest levels of availability, reliability, and performance. Headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Akamai provides services and world-class customer care to hundreds of successful enterprises, government entities, and leading e-businesses worldwide. For more information, visit www.akamai.com.
About WebFN.com, L.L.C.
WebFN is a 24/7 global financial news and information network that streams 12 hours of live, original, financial news programming, from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. ET, every business day on the Internet. Original WebFN programming completes the network's daily 24-hour news loop and airs during the weekend and market holidays. This programming can be viewed at CNBC on MSN® Money, E*TRADE Financial, Fidelity Investments, TD Waterhouse.com, WebFN.com, and the subscription site B4Utrade.com.
Akamai Statement Under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act
The release contains information about future expectations, plans and prospects of Akamai'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 dependence on Akamai's Internet content delivery service and technology products, the effects of any attempts to intentionally disrupt our services or network by hackers or others, failure of our telecommunications suppliers to provide sufficient transmission capacity, a failure of Akamai's network infrastructure, 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.
| Contacts: |
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| Graham Fleming WebFN (312) 660 - 8302 gfleming@webfn.com |
--or-- | Caryn Brownell Akamai Technologies, Inc. (617) 444 - 4661 cbrownell@akamai.com |
Streaming financial news network posts strong viewership figures amid challenge to investor confidence; provides optimal viewer experiences via Akamai's distributed computing platform
Chicago, IL and Cambridge, MA - August 19, 2002 - WebFN, a 24/7 global financial news and information network, and Akamai Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq: AKAM) today announced an over 100 percent increase in viewership to the WebFN financial news network that is powered by Akamai's market-leading streaming services.WebFN, one of Akamai's most popular streaming customers, outsources its live, on-demand and customized financial news programming webcasts to Akamai's globally distributed platform, enabling viewers of WebFN.com to receive important financial content with improved quality and performance, enabling an optimal end-user experience. Together, the two companies have supported explosive demand for WebFN's financial news programming amid today's unsettled market conditions.
"Investors, even professional traders, are trying to understand the forces that are causing severe volatility in the markets," said Ken Wills, WebFN general manager and news director. "For these viewers, WebFN offers a broad sampling of perspectives and forecasts from key players to help make sense of market conditions. Everyone wants to know where to put their money."
Using Akamai's integrated site reporting tools, WebFN determined that during the past month, as the Dow Jones Industrial average hit a five-year low, site visitors spent, on average, more than 24 minutes per session watching WebFN's streaming financial news webcast. This represents a 101 percent increase from levels reported in July 2001. In addition, during the month of July, WebFN averaged more than 11,000 daily requests, a 134 percent increase from levels reported a year ago. This heightened usage resulted in the network delivering more than 9.2 million minutes of financial news programming, a 376 percent increase from levels a year ago.
"Given the continued increase in WebFN's viewership, a globally distributed infrastructure was a clear solution to ensuring the richest broadcast experience for its end viewers," said Michael Ruffolo, executive vice president, Global Sales, Services, and Marketing, Akamai. "A valued Akamai customer, WebFN has quickly become a top online news destination within the investment community with its up-to-the minute financial news programming and expert commentary. Building on our trusted relationship, we look forward to continuing to assist WebFN in its efforts to efficiently deliver useful information in innovative ways to its viewers."
WebFN offers users 12 hours of live market coverage every business day via the Internet. Through licensing and syndication relationships, WebFN's programming can be viewed at a number of finance and investments sites which include ETRADE Financial's web site, the CNBC on MSN® Money web site (formerly MSN MoneyCentral™) and Fidelity Investments' web site, in addition to the network's proprietary web site, WebFN.com.
"The regular increase in usage serves as another endorsement of our position on the value of our coverage and financial news," said WebFN CEO Bob Reichblum.
About Akamai
Akamai is the leading provider of edge computing solutions, delivering secure content and distributed applications across the Internet, intranets, and extranets. These solutions enable customers to achieve optimal results from their e-business initiatives, thereby reducing the cost of ownership, improving ROI, and creating new revenue streams. Akamai's globally distributed edge computing platform comprises more than 12,900 servers in more than 1,000 networks in 66 countries, ensuring the highest levels of availability, reliability, and performance. Headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Akamai provides services and world-class customer care to hundreds of successful enterprises, government entities, and leading e-businesses worldwide. For more information, visit www.akamai.com.
About WebFN.com, L.L.C.
WebFN is a 24/7 global financial news and information network that streams 12 hours of live, original, financial news programming, from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. ET, every business day on the Internet. Original WebFN programming completes the network's daily 24-hour news loop and airs during the weekend and market holidays. This programming can be viewed at CNBC on MSN® Money, E*TRADE Financial, Fidelity Investments, TD Waterhouse.com, WebFN.com, and the subscription site B4Utrade.com.
Akamai Statement Under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act
The release contains information about future expectations, plans and prospects of Akamai'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 dependence on Akamai's Internet content delivery service and technology products, the effects of any attempts to intentionally disrupt our services or network by hackers or others, failure of our telecommunications suppliers to provide sufficient transmission capacity, a failure of Akamai's network infrastructure, 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.
