OK, lots of excitement today surrounding online VOD provider Akimbo’s deal with AT&T. AT&T will offer Akimbo’s video fare (so far not much there) via a special set-top box that will also deliver AT&T co-branded Dish Network satellite service, Internet content access and PVR capability.
AT&T will offer this “converged” set-top box to its HomeZone customers who also purchase the company’s DSL offering. HomeZone is the telco’s answer to IPTV in areas where AT&T won’t be rolling out its Project Lightspeed DSL-delivered multichannel video offering.
Although AT&T had originally planned to roll out HomeZone in Q2 05, the schedule now calls for deployment late this summer. The inclusion of Akimbo in AT&T’s HomeZone service isn’t really a big deal — Akimbo still offers relatively obscure and ultra-niche content.
But AT&T’s “converged” set-top box is quite interesting, with its ability to pull Internet content to the TV set. Akimbo comes out the winner in the deal by jettisoning, at least in AT&T areas, the requirement that customers purchase an extra set-top box to watch its VOD content. As Rafat points out
As for the viability of HomeZone, as with any other set-top box based service, it will be a tough play, but at least an integrated service has a better chance at it than say the standalone foolishness of Moviebeam.
Cynthia Brumfield at 7:33 PM|Comments(0)
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