Network’s Popular “World Championship Sports” Series Is First Title to be Featured
SANTA MONICA, CA – October 19, 2006 – World Championship Sports Network (WCSN), the country’s premier multi-platform world championship sports destination, today announced that Akimbo (TM) Systems, creator of the first Internet video-on-demand service for television, will make World Championship Sports, WCSN’s most popular weekly series, available for download through the Akimbo Service.
Televised in more than 47 million cable TV homes, World Championship Sports, currently in its 26-episode second season, captures the very best of WCSN championship events in all its dramatic, life-changing and glorious sports moments. Hosted by renowned sports broadcaster Craig Elsten, each one-hour episode is dedicated to a single sport. The series features a wide range of sports including cycling, gymnastics, skiing, volleyball and much, much more. The series has also captured recent emotional and timeless moments like Brendan Hansen’s two new world records in the 100m and 200m breaststroke at the USA swimming national championships, and Asafa Powell matching his own 100m world record of 9.77 seconds for the third time at the IAAF Golden League Zurich in August.
“We are excited that Akimbo recognizes that our high-quality and unique content is attracting sports fans globally,” said Claude Ruibal, chairman and CEO of WCSN. “Akimbo’s reputation in the industry and its robust technology will help us reach into untapped markets delivering our unique content to additional fans of these great sports.”
Akimbo offers one of the largest collections of video-on-demand titles, including thousands of programs from more than 200 distinctive content providers. Akimbo’s expansive collection of on-demand video includes well-known names as well as hard-to-find specialty offerings. Consumers can access Akimbo through the Online Spotlight area of Microsoft Media Center Edition PCs. Akimbo will soon be available on the brand new RCA Akimbo Player, an Internet video-on-demand set-top box, and through the upcoming AT&T Homezone entertainment service.
“We are impressed by WCSN’s strong programming ties with over 20 international sports federations,” said Josh Goldman, chief executive officer of Akimbo. “Through Akimbo, their audience will have even more options to see current and future sports stars in their history-making moments.”
About World Championship Sports Network (WCSN)
World Championship Sports Network (WCSN) is the country’s premier multi-platform network dedicated to creating a 24/7, 360 degree destination for interacting with and viewing athletes and international sports competitions from around the world; on TV, online and on handheld devices. With exclusive long-term programming agreements with over 20 major international sports federations, including track and field, gymnastics, skiing, volleyball, and many others, WCSN delivers exciting world-class competitions that can’t be seen anywhere else. WCSN was co-founded by Claude Ruibal, chairman & CEO and Tom Hipkins, EVP & general counsel and is managed in coordination with Carlos Silva, president & COO. The company has a strategic partnership agreement with Major League Baseball Advanced Media, LP (MLBAM), the interactive media and Internet Company of Major League Baseball. WCSN’s lead investor is Polaris Venture Partners who invests in seed, early stage, and middle market companies in high growth industries. They have over $3 billion under management and currently invest in over 90 companies. For more information, please visit http://www.wcsn.com/.
About Akimbo
With 12 patent applications featuring more than 150 patent claims, Akimbo is the first company to deliver digital-quality video-on-demand to any television via a broadband-Internet connection. Named to the OnHollywood 100 by AlwaysOn and “Best of What’s New” by Popular Science, Akimbo has also accepted 2005 Digital World Innovations and CES Best of Innovations 2005 awards for its easy-to-use and affordable Internet video-on-demand service. As an aggregator of brand-name and specialty video content, Akimbo provides one of the world’s largest collections of on-demand programming to companies including AT&T, Cisco Systems, Inc., Microsoft Corp., and Thomson Corp. Akimbo has offices in San Mateo, Calif. and is a privately held company funded by AT&T, Blueprint Ventures, Cisco Systems, Inc., Draper Fisher Jurvetson, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Sprout Group and Zone Ventures. For more information, visit http://www.akimbo.com/.