Press Release Details 5.23

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Middle East Broadcasting Center (MBC) Group Selects Limelight Networks(R) Integrated Solutions for Online Video Publishing, Site Acceleration and Media Delivery

07/19/2011

TEMPE, Ariz., July 19, 2011 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Limelight Networks, Inc. (Nasdaq:LLNW) ("Limelight") today announced that Middle East Broadcasting Center (MBC) has selected Limelight as its sole solutions provider for online video publishing services, site acceleration and media delivery. MBC chose Limelight because it is the only company capable of addressing all of its requirements with a fully integrated set of solutions. MBC can therefore employ just one vendor to upload, manage, publish, deliver and analyze high-quality content, enabling it to more easily and effectively reach a global audience and maximize the performance of its sites.

MBC is the largest media conglomerate and broadcasting group in the Middle East with over 165 million viewers worldwide. Launched in 1991, it is the first pan-Arab free-to-air satellite station. Recently, MBC required both content delivery and online video platform solutions for its websites Shahid.net and AlArabiya.net. Shahid.net, the first free Video-On-Demand site that provides an archive of MBC television shows, launched in 2007 and receives four million views a day. MBC is currently revamping a new and enhanced version of the site, which will include a large archive of its own content, as well as third party content. AlArabiya.net provides live streams of news coverage 24/7. About half of the sites' viewers are from the Gulf region, while the other half are international.

MBC chose to deploy Limelight's integrated services—Limelight Video Platform, Limelight Site Accelerator and Limelight Deliver—for their ability to meet MBC's following requirements:

  • Guaranteed high quality video
  • Video Storage and content delivery facilities for various websites
  • Scalability for future requirements, including specific demands such as SmartPhones, STB or Connected TV sets support
  • Pre-roll, mid-roll, and post-roll advertising
  • Syndication to YouTube
  • Video Analytics
  • Ease of video publishing workflow
  • Extensive APIs for content management

Video Platform allows publishers to efficiently manage, publish, measure and monetize their video content. Site Accelerator, a whole site delivery solution, enhances the performance of cacheable "small object" web content and can significantly reduce requests made to customer-owned infrastructure. MBC also chose to employ Deliver, Video Platform's integrated content delivery solution, to enhance the delivery and performance of "large object" videos and images. By utilizing both Video Platform and Deliver for the entire video publishing workflow, MBC can speed the transfer for large volumes of video files, optimize ingestion points, improve player responsiveness and enhance viewer experience in near real-time as network conditions change.

Both Video Platform and Site Accelerator maximize viewer experience by leveraging Limelight's high-speed, private global network infrastructure, which ensures the quick, seamless delivery of whole websites and high quality videos regardless of traffic or end user location.

"We're pleased that Middle East Broadcasting Center has selected to work with Limelight," notes David Hatfield, Senior Vice President Global Sales and Marketing, Limelight Networks. "Over the past 20 years, MBC has grown substantially and now includes 10 FTA channels, two radio stations, a weekly magazine, portal websites and a production house. As MBC continues to expand its reach and provide additional informative and entertaining content to viewers worldwide, it can now guarantee its audience that it will always deliver brilliant online viewing experiences with well-performing sites and high quality videos. Finally, 7 of the 10 channels moved into High Definition (HD) July 1, 2011." 

About Limelight Networks, Inc.

Limelight Networks, Inc. (Nasdaq:LLNW) provides solutions that enable business and technology decision makers to profit from the shift of content and advertising to the online world, the explosive growth of mobile and connected devices, and the migration of IT applications and services into the cloud. Approximately 1800 customers worldwide use Limelight's massively scalable software services that engage audiences, enhance brand presence, analyze viewer preferences, optimize advertising, manage and monetize digital assets, and ultimately help build stronger customer relationships. For more information, please visit http://www.limelightnetworks.com or follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/llnw.

Copyright © 2011 Limelight Networks, Inc. All rights reserved. All product or service names are the property of their respective owners.

About MBC Group

MBC Group, the first private free-to-air satellite broadcasting company in the Arab World, launched in London in 1991 and later moved to its headquarters in Dubai in 2002. Over the past 20 years, MBC Group has grown to become a well-established media group that enriches people's lives through information, interaction and entertainment. Based in Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates, MBC Group includes 10 television channels: MBC1 (general family entertainment), MBC2 and MBC MAX (24-hour movies), MBC3 (children's entertainment), MBC4 (entertainment for new Arab women), MBC Action (action series and movies), MBC Persia (24-hour movie channel dubbed in Farsi), Al Arabiya (the 24-hour Arabic language news channel); Wanasah (24-hour Arabic music channel) and MBC DRAMA coinciding with the Group's 20th anniversary, and offers 24/7 Arabic Drama; the Group also includes two radio stations: MBC FM (Gulf music), and Panorama FM (contemporary Arabic hit music); as well as O3 productions, a specialized documentary production unit. It has also several online platforms: www.mbc.net, www.alarabiya.net, www.alaswaq.net and www.shahid.net, the first free VOD portal in the Arab world.

CONTACT: Media Contacts:
         Limelight Networks:
         Leah Gladu
         678.891.1806
         lgladu@llnw.com

         Heather Miller
         215.867.8600 x239
         media@llnw.com

         MBC:
         Ruba Al Ayed
         Group PR Manager
         MBC Group
         +971 56 6038358
         ruba.alayed@mbc.net
Source: Limelight Networks
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