Noted networking industry analyst Dan Rayburn just dropped a bombshell regarding Akamai Technologies'
Rayburn's sources say that Akamai is cutting prices on some of its largest contracts by half or more, in return for commitments to handle at least 51% of the client's content delivery needs. This makes Akamai the cheapest option in many cases, which is a drastic change from LimeLight Networks
Rayburn doesn't name a whole lot of new deals that Akamai gained from this radical strategy shift, but the one name he does mention is a doozy. You might wonder how Netflix
With charges as low as $0.015 per gigabyte of data delivered, the direct cost to Netflix is about $0.05 per high-definition video delivered and even less for a standard-definition flick. In other words, delivery costs are nearly inconsequential and certainly far less than first-class postage. Knowing how Netflix operates, the delivery cost savings will probably be poured into buying more licenses for streaming content.
For Netflix, this is obviously a sweet deal that turns up the fire under the streaming business model another notch. It is possible that competitors like Apple
For Akamai, the name of the game is market share. Akamai is already the leader in content delivery, and Rayburn notes that the company really doesn't have to beat its competitors' prices outright. "Akamai typically only has to reduce their pricing to be about 15%-20% more than their competitors to retain the business," he says. That pricing power is a testament to Akamai's mind share and reputation for quality service. This new pricing option can only help swat the competition out of contention for many high-profile contracts. Netflix can't be the only big name among Akamai's new customers.
The next round of earnings reports from Akamai, LimeLight, and the rest should tell that tale. Meanwhile, Netflix should report lower costs and a fatter streaming video library. I can hardly wait.
