ABI Research ranks Harmonic, Elemental, Akamai top in Video Delivery

ABI Research Ranks Harmonic, Elemental, and Akamai as Top Competitors in Video Delivery Market

SCOTTSDALE, Arizona — Virtualization and adoption of cloud-based video infrastructure continue to drive the video delivery market. To respond, encoder vendors and cloud-based video service providers are stressing flexibility and modularity in their solutions. In its competitive analysis, ABI Research, the leader in transformative technology innovation market intelligence, scores Harmonic and Elemental as the best overall video encoders, while Akamai receives top overall ranking for cloud video service provider.

“The amount of M&A activity in the space, especially among encoding vendors, is indicative of a quickly evolving market that has not yet settled,” says Eric Abbruzzese, Research Analyst at ABI Research. “Evidenced by the major acquisitions of cloud encoding experts Elemental and Envivio, companies are realizing the value of flexibility and scalability available in cloud-based platforms. We expect this type of activity to continue, leaving room for a select few heavy hitters.”

Both Harmonic and Elemental tied for best overall video encoders, with ABI Research awarding Elemental as best for implementation. Elemental has a strong list of customers that includes media giants Comcast, ESPN, and Warner Bros, and the company shows promising worldwide growth due to its live and file based strengths and forthcoming benefits from its acquisition by Amazon Web Services. Harmonic ranks the highest for innovation. The company, together with acquired Thomson Video Networks, shows promise due to the strong High Efficiency Video Coding support seen through early partnerships and demonstrations.

Similarly, though Akamai wins best overall cloud video service provider, Ooyala receives best implementation honor due to the company’s aggressive advertising platform, as well as strong geographic reach in the Americas, Europe, and the Middle East. Akamai pulls out on top again as best innovator in cloud video service providers. In addition to possessing one of the most powerful offerings in terms of its flexibility and available APIs, its quality of service is made incredibly impressive by its robust footprint.

“When considering this trend toward virtualized and cloud-based services, there is potential for smaller, more focused companies to enter the spotlight through acquisition by larger players,” concludes Sam Rosen, Managing Director and Vice President at ABI Research. “Those that do not currently rank as high in the assessment may still make promising acquisition targets thanks to specialization in areas not fully served by larger companies.”

These findings are part of ABI Research’s Mobile, Multiscreen, and Cloud Video Delivery Service, which includes research reports, market data, insights, and competitive assessments.