CenturyTel and Akimbo have announced a partnership in which CenturyTel will make Akimbo’s 8,000 Internet based VOD titles available to CenturyTel’s 500K plus broadband subscribers. The news, first reported by Multichannel News, illustrates CenturyTel’s continuing strategy of adding entertainment value to their DSL products. We reported back in October how CenturyTel launched a PC based NetVideo offering. This recent Akimbo announcement expands on these earlier efforts. This is Akimbo’s first major announcement since shifting strategy earlier this year and going with a new set-top-boxless solution for distribution of their content library. Akimbo is actively courting service providers like CenturyTel who are looking to add entertainment value to their broadband services. CenturyTel is taking a leadership position in exploring PC based video as a potential competitive differentiator for broadband.
