U.K.-based media-management provider Red Bee Media acquired privately held TV Genius, a provider of content search and recommendation technologies, for an undisclosed amount.
Promising to "reinvent the EPG for online video," Red Bee Media said it plans to integrate its metadata
services with TV Genius' content-discovery technology to bring a
"synchronized viewer experience" across live and on demand TV with
search, personally relevant recommendations and enhanced TV
guides across multiple platforms and devices.
The deal comes after Cisco Systems announced a partnership with Red Bee Media in June to deliver RedPlayer, an online video player solution aimed at broadcasters and media companies that delivers content to devices including PCs, iPhones, iPads, gaming consoles and connected TVs.
TV Genius was founded in 2005 by former T-Mobile executive Tom Weiss and Bob Eggington, the project director responsible for launching BBC News Online.
"A critical requirement for monetizing content across platforms and screens is to enable consumers to easily discover content in what is becoming an increasingly cluttered and fragmented marketplace," Red Bee Media CEO Bill Patrizio said in a statement. "Accurate search and personally relevant recommendation is a key differentiator in addressing this challenge and this acquisition allows us to significantly enhance our current offering by investing in new technologies at the core of the future TV experience."
According to TV Genius, its platform is used by media companies including ITV, Sky, Freeview, Astra, Bauer Media, IPC Media, STV and AOL.
London-based Red Bee Media provides managed services for the media sector ranging from media management and multiplatform content preparation to creative services such as user interface designs, digital rights management (DRM) and content-protection services.
Red Bee Media clients include BBC, Sky, Canal+, Discovery Channel, QVC, ESPN, MTV, Turner Broadcasting System, Virgin Media, Liberty Global's UPC and Endemol, according to its website.
