14 DAY TRIAL // Yahoo is surely the largest portal on the internet and one of the most popular search engines in the world. As you probably know, Yahoo is the most powerful Google rival, with many applications and services that are fighting for the leader position. One of the most important domains concerns the video services that allow users to upload and share movies. Google owns YouTube, the most known video sharing service among internet users, and also Google Video, a beta solution similar with YouTube. Yahoo owns only Yahoo Video, a service that can challenge Google's services anytime but with a small number of users and without a word class reputation. Some time ago, many bloggers issued a rumor that said Yahoo wants to buy Metacafe, another video service with the same functions as YouTube, but the giant portal denied it.
This time, it seems like Yahoo really wants to improve the video service, making a new partnership with Akimbo, a video-on-demand provider. The company offers an internet television system that allows users to select their favorite programs and watch them, without the need of download or installing of an application.
"Akimbo, the first and largest Internet video-on-demand service for TV, today announced that it is working with Yahoo! to bring the best of Internet video directly to the TV via the Akimbo Service. Akimbo subscribers will be able to browse a selection of popular and high-quality video updated regularly from the Yahoo! Video service, access titles for free and watch them on TV whenever they want," it is mentioned in the press release.
Currently, Akimbo provides more than 14.000 movies, TV series or shows organized on 100 categories and received from over 200 partners. "This holiday season Akimbo unveiled the brand new RCA Akimbo Player, an Internet video-on-demand set-top box retailing for $199.99 on Amazon.com, at Fry's Electronics and on Frys.com. Akimbo is also accessible from the Online Spotlight area of Microsoft Windows Media Center 2005 PCs and will soon be available on the AT&T Homezone home entertainment service," the company said.