Sinclair Broadcast Group is one of several companies talking to Xumo about buying the ad-supported video-on-demand platform, Variety reported, citing unnamed sources.
Spokespersons for Xumo and Sinclair didn’t immediately respond to B&C’s inquiries for comment. They didn’t comment for Variety, either.
The reported acquisition talks come a month after Viacom paid $340 million for another popular AVOD streaming destination, Pluto TV.
Like Pluto TV, Xumo is an AVOD platform that ships natively with smart TVs. Xumo has ties to Panasonic, LG, Vizio, Sharp and Hisense. The platform, which delivers digital channels in a traditional linear type grid, is available on Roku, as well as Android mobile devices. Irvine, Calif.-based Xumo ended 2018 deployed in about 20 million U.S. homes.
With the subscription streaming market widely viewed as somewhat saturated right now, there’s an acquisition focus on ad-supported OTT companies. Beyond Xumo, similarly focused AVOD start-up Tubi is also getting checked out. Viacom reportedly also had talks with Tubi before consummating its deal for Pluto TV.
