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Cisco Will Buy ExtendMedia To Manage Video Delivery
Posted by MOHAMED NIAMATH
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cisco
Cisco Systems will buy ExtendMedia to help its clients stream video to multiple screens and provide TV everywhere. ExtendMedia is leading provider of content-management systems. Cisco's John Earnhardt said ExtendMedia will let Cisco serve a video market that is in transition. Cisco will aim ExtendMedia at the enterprise rather than consumers.
Internet infrastructure Relevant Products/Services giant Cisco Relevant Products/Services Systems will acquire a small content Relevant Products/Services-management Relevant Products/Services firm in a bid to help clients stream video to multiple screens. "Today, we are pleased to welcome ExtendMedia to the Cisco family," wrote John Earnhardt, Cisco's social-media director on the company's blog Thursday.
A privately held company based in Newton, Mass., with most of its employees in Toronto, Canada, ExtendMedia is a leading provider of software-based content-management systems that "manage the entire life cycle of video content through monetization for pay media and ad-supported business models."
'Video, Video, Video'
"ExtendMedia will enable Cisco to help service providers deliver multiscreen offerings as the market transitions to IP video," Earnhardt wrote. "In English: Video, video, video and more video on any screen, on any network Relevant Products/Services, on any device."
Cisco didn't release the terms of the deal, which is expected to close in the first half of the next fiscal year. The majority of ExtendMedia employees will be integrated into Cisco's Service Provider Video Technology Group. Cisco said the company's software team "understands the complexities of delivering multiscreen video over IP networks," and its CMS software will be a core component of Cisco's next-generation video architecture
The deal is consistent with efforts by a growing number of companies to get ready for an age in which mobile Relevant Products/Services devices like tablets, smartphones and laptops become receivers for a variety of content from cable companies, movie rental firms, YouTube, TV networks, and others.
"Everyone has been looking at different methods for managing content and distributing that content via different delivery methods," said Jason Blackwell, digital Relevant Products/Services home analysis director at ABI Research.
"This puts [Cisco] in a more competitive position against companies that do content management like Brightcove and Limelight networks," he added. "Cisco is already positioned well with cable and electronics in terms of set-top boxes. But those same pay-TV operators are looking to extend their reach through 'TV everywhere' services. We're going to see a lot of activity as people join the fight."
Beyond TV
While some vendors are designing consumer devices like the Boxee and apps like Verizon's What's Hot to put web content on multiple screens, Blackwell said, "This particular acquisition is definitely aimed at the enterprise Relevant Products/Services in terms of the value chain. They are definitely not going to create some kind of consumer product, but [a system] designed to manage the content at the enterprise level, the pay-TV operator level, which enables those operators to quickly deliver content to PCs, laptops, cell phones, and other mobile platforms beyond the TV."
Enrique Rodriguez, senior vice president and general manager of Cisco's Service Provider Video Technology Group, said ExtendMedia will help Cisco enable providers to deliver a more interactive and personal experience.
"As the video market transitions and consumers expect multiscreen engagement, service providers are enhancing their infrastructure to manage and deliver video to any device while providing a rich user experience," Rodriguez said.
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Internet infrastructure Relevant Products/Services giant Cisco Relevant Products/Services Systems will acquire a small content Relevant Products/Services-management Relevant Products/Services firm in a bid to help clients stream video to multiple screens. "Today, we are pleased to welcome ExtendMedia to the Cisco family," wrote John Earnhardt, Cisco's social-media director on the company's blog Thursday.
A privately held company based in Newton, Mass., with most of its employees in Toronto, Canada, ExtendMedia is a leading provider of software-based content-management systems that "manage the entire life cycle of video content through monetization for pay media and ad-supported business models."
'Video, Video, Video'
"ExtendMedia will enable Cisco to help service providers deliver multiscreen offerings as the market transitions to IP video," Earnhardt wrote. "In English: Video, video, video and more video on any screen, on any network Relevant Products/Services, on any device."
Cisco didn't release the terms of the deal, which is expected to close in the first half of the next fiscal year. The majority of ExtendMedia employees will be integrated into Cisco's Service Provider Video Technology Group. Cisco said the company's software team "understands the complexities of delivering multiscreen video over IP networks," and its CMS software will be a core component of Cisco's next-generation video architecture
The deal is consistent with efforts by a growing number of companies to get ready for an age in which mobile Relevant Products/Services devices like tablets, smartphones and laptops become receivers for a variety of content from cable companies, movie rental firms, YouTube, TV networks, and others.
"Everyone has been looking at different methods for managing content and distributing that content via different delivery methods," said Jason Blackwell, digital Relevant Products/Services home analysis director at ABI Research.
"This puts [Cisco] in a more competitive position against companies that do content management like Brightcove and Limelight networks," he added. "Cisco is already positioned well with cable and electronics in terms of set-top boxes. But those same pay-TV operators are looking to extend their reach through 'TV everywhere' services. We're going to see a lot of activity as people join the fight."
Beyond TV
While some vendors are designing consumer devices like the Boxee and apps like Verizon's What's Hot to put web content on multiple screens, Blackwell said, "This particular acquisition is definitely aimed at the enterprise Relevant Products/Services in terms of the value chain. They are definitely not going to create some kind of consumer product, but [a system] designed to manage the content at the enterprise level, the pay-TV operator level, which enables those operators to quickly deliver content to PCs, laptops, cell phones, and other mobile platforms beyond the TV."
Enrique Rodriguez, senior vice president and general manager of Cisco's Service Provider Video Technology Group, said ExtendMedia will help Cisco enable providers to deliver a more interactive and personal experience.
"As the video market transitions and consumers expect multiscreen engagement, service providers are enhancing their infrastructure to manage and deliver video to any device while providing a rich user experience," Rodriguez said.
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