Media delivery type lets you apply a specific mode to an edge hostname to aid in delivering your content. With AMD, you can select a segmented media mode to best deliver video on-demand, live, or event format media.

How it works

When an edge hostname is generated, Akamai uses specific edge maps based on multiple factors:

Delivery network. The geographic location of your content and requesting clients.
Product. For example, Adaptive Media Delivery.
IP version. IPv4 only, or dual stack (IPv4 and IPv6).

Media delivery type offers additional criteria called segmented media mode. This lets you select from separate modes (referred to as useCases in the AMD API) for your edge hostname to further define the optimal edge map:

VOD: Video on-demand content like pre-recorded media, movies, tv shows, or other evergreen content.
LIVE: Live, streaming event content like news, sports, or live broadcasts.
EVENT: Scheduled, online event content like product launches, webinars, or conferences.

You can incorporate these modes using one of two methods:

Method 1: One to one. Use a single edge hostname and configure one media mode (VOD, LIVE, or EVENT) for it. Because video on-demand, live, and event-based content have different access patterns, Akamai uses the optimal edge map to deliver your content based on the selected mode.
Method 2: Many to one. Set up separate edge hostnames to deliver video on-demand, live, or event content from a single property configuration. This applies separate, optimized edge maps for each delivery mode. With this method, you also incorporate Mixed Mode Configuration (MMC) to apply key use case-based behaviors in separate rules in the property configuration, and apply match criteria for each property hostname—one per mode.

Media delivery type vs. Mixed Mode Configuration

Akamai offers Mixed Mode Configuration (MMC) so you can apply various mode-based behaviors to additional rules in a property configuration and set delivery conditions to apply those specific behaviors to each request. For example, you can use MMC to set up separate edge hostnames and configure separate rules to manage requests for each format (video on-demand, live, and event), all in the same property configuration.

Previously, these behaviors were only available in the Default Rule, which applies to all requests for the property configuration. This meant that you had to set up separate property configurations for each media format.

Segmented media mode also allows you to select from VOD, LIVE, or EVENT content for an AMD property configuration. However, this is used to optimize delivery for each mode by selecting the optimal edge map to deliver this content.

You can combine these features in a single property configuration to optimize delivery through the best edge map and control VOD, LIVE, and EVENT delivery with a single property configuration. However, mismatch issues may apply when combining them. See Use Mixed Mode with AMD for full details.

Get media delivery type

Media delivery type is available automatically if you've purchased the AMD product. However, if you want to use Mixed Mode Configuration to apply Method 2 under How it works, contact your account representative to have it added to your contract.

How to enable media delivery type mapping solution

Select a segmented media mode (VOD, LIVE, or EVENT) when setting up a new property hostname to edge hostname association in Property Manager:

From the Edit dashboard of your AMD property, navigate to Property Hostnames.
Click +Hostnames, and select Add Hostname(s).
Add your hostname, and click Next.
In the Domain and Certificate Security step, choose your certificate details, and click Next.
In the Mapping Solution step, ensure Media delivery type is selected.
In the Segmented media mode dropdown, select one of: VOD, LIVE, or EVENT.
Click Next.
In the Edge Hostnames step, review your generated edge hostname details and click Submit.

For more information, see: