Akamai Expands Support For Adobe Flash

In the application, announced Tuesday, Akamai’s worldwide distributed network of servers will be tailored to integrate Adobe’s Flash Platform with the Akamai HD Network to simplify users adoption of HTTP Dynamic Streaming.

The latest cooperation between the two firms represents an evolution of a longstanding alliance the firms forged years ago. In the past two years, the firms have cooperated in developing the Open Video Player and OSMF (the Open Source Media Framework).

“Akamai and Adobe are dedicated to enabling the next generation of video experiences with Flash technology,” said Doug Mack, vice president and general manager, Digital Imaging and Rich Media Solutions at Adobe, in a statement. “Both companies continue to build on their long history of collaboration to ensure the Flash Platform supports the huge scale of media that we can expect as more premium content and audiences come online.”

Adobe’s Flash has been under relentless attack from Apple’s Steve Jobs in recent months and an Akamai spokesperson was asked whether the new Adobe-Akamai expanded support will have any bearing on the differences between the two firms? “No,” the spokesperson said noting that Akamai supports Apple products as well as Adobe and the new joint Adobe-Akamai effort has no connection with the dispute between Apple and Adobe.

Akamai noted that its HD for Adobe Flash Platform is designed to simplify the adoption of HTTP Dynamic Streaming for existing customers utilizing Flash technology.