Rovi Acquires Video Search firm Veveo

Video-search firm Veveo, in a deal valued at up to $69 million, is being acquired by top interactive program guide vendor Rovi. Veveo's personalized natural language processing platform will "complement and leapfrog" Rovi's analytics and metadata systems, said John Moakley, Rovi's executive vice president of data solutions.  In addition to developing technology that allows viewers to use search for content using apps on smartphones, Veveo has said previously that it would license its technology to set-top and smart TV manufacturers.

The deal is expected to juice the bottom line for Rovi and they have stated that the Veveo deal will contribute to "double digit revenue growth and be accretive in fiscal year 2015". But the company said that the acquisition would also "likely lower" its adjusted pro forma income per common share this year by 3 cents to 6 cents.

Bottom line, the Veveo acquisition will deepen Rovi's cloud-based search and recommendation capabilities, enhance their entertainment metadata and guide solutions with next-generation semantic capabilities, and help them grow their advertising and analytics offerings. More: 02/24/14 Bloomburg.com - Rovi to Buy Veveo to Bolster Television Analytics

Verizon ramps up TV, buys Intel Medias OnCue

Verizon announced Tuesday its agreement to purchase the assets of Intel Media, a division of Intel dedicated to the development of cloud TV products and services that includes the OnCue Cloud TV platform. Financial terms were not disclosed, and although the deal has to pass through regulatory screenings, it’s expected to be closed by the end of Q1 2014. From the industies perspected, OnCue was a long shot for Intel. Headed by Intel Media VP Erik Huggers, it was definitely one of those try-it-and-see-how-it-goes sort of endeavors. According to sources at Verizon, they are aquiring all of Intel Media, including their 350 employees, intellectual property rights, and other assets. "The OnCue platform and team will help Verizon bring next-generation video services to audiences who increasingly expect to view content when, where and how they want it," said Verizon CEO Lowell McAdam.

Malone's Liberty Global - Now the worlds largest cable TV provider

Yesterday U.S. cable pioneer John Malone's Liberty Global officially closed it acquisition of British cable provider Virgin Media for $24 billion cash and stock. The deal expands Liberty Global's total subscriber count to 25 million customers in 12 countries in Europe now bigger than Comcast Cable which counted 22.3 million subscribers at the end of the first quarter.

Malone, is also looking to boost profits from U.S. cable systems. In March, Liberty Media agreed to pay $2.62 billion for a 27.3 percent stake in Charter Communications. That deal also gave Malone and three of his Liberty lieutenant’s seats on Charter's board of directors. I sure it's also no coincidence that Charters top brass consists of some of the cable industries best and brightest and I have no doubt they will be jumping at the chance to drive consolidation in the U.S. cable industry. I’m sure it will not be long before we hear much more from Liberty and Mr. Malone in the future.

Yahoo eyes Hulu

Add Yahoo to the growing list of Hulu-suitors. According to reports, Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer and Chief Operating Officer Henrique De Castro recently met with executives at Hulu, the premium video service whose owners have been considering selling it for some months. Hulu would make a powerful weapon to add and they also have mobile applications for their premium subscribers, making the company a natural fit. Mayer's drive into the mobile & digital content spaces seem to offer this deal synergies that could justify the enormous cost of this acquisition. She has made it no secret that her company has been looking to expand its video assets, recently acquiring the exclusive rights to all of SNL's classic clips from 1975 through 2012 while expanding their original exclusive programming. While speaking this past Tuesday during the Wired Business Conference, Mayer's stated that "video is important across all of the company's properties" and that Yahoo is becoming a "mobile-focused firm".

Hulu's board still has a lot of decisions to make and Yahoo has not made and offer. One thing does seem clear at this point and that is that if Yahoo is to pick up the video company, it will fundamentally change the online video landscape, and put Yahoo into competition with a host of new firms.

Intel's Pay-TV Service

Can Intel, best known for its computer processing chips succeed where Apple and Google couldn't? The company is said to be in discussions with Time Warner, NBC-Universal, News Corp, Viacom and others to obtain TV shows and films in preparation for the launch for its upcoming online pay-tv service. Intel’s Erik Huggers (see 2/16 post - Erik Hugger’s Intel Plans), well-known to European players for his work at the BBC, Microsoft and at Endemol, confirmed Intel’s overall plans in February and although he was vague about his programming plans it now seems that those discussions are advancing. He is betting that Intel can create a more flexible service (unbundled networks), delivered through consumers’ broadband accounts, that gives subscribers more choices over the channels they receive and offers an easier-to-use electronic programming guide. More power to them if they can do it. Perhaps the timing was just not right for their predecessors! 3/26 Bloomberg - Intel Said to Be Nearing Media Deals for Pay-TV Service 

Betsy Morgan, President & Chief Strategy Officer TheBlaze

Betsy Morgan and I met back earlier in her career when she was SVP of CBS Interactive. She's built an outstanding track record and has experienced a lot since then spending the majority of her time in the "wild west" times of the digital age's new video landscape. Currently she is the president of TheBlaze (Glenn Beck's media company). A network that's "blazing" (pun intended) new trails in today's cross-media multi-platform world. Today there is no longer a one-size fits all model; rather what's needed is a flexible approach that serves consumers however and whenever they want to access content. She believes that the big problem with legacy media companies is that they’re trying to preserve audience. By choosing to protect particular businesses at the expense of experimenting with new models those content provider will ultimately be the ones that will ultimately lose.

This morning I ran across this insightful interview of her at NAPTE done by Will Richmond @ Videonuze.com. Take a look: Conversation with The Blaze's Betsy Morgan

UPDATE 05/02/13 - Cablevision, beginning late this month, will add Glenn Beck's online channel TheBlaze to its Optimum TV lineup. Cablevision, which has about 3 million customers in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, is the biggest provider to program Beck's channel, which launched an effort in March to gain carriage on pay-TV systems. The New York Times - Cablevision Picks Up Glenn Beck’s Internet Channel by Brian Stelter

NBCU moves to win bid for Weather Channel

NBCU has unofficially won the bid for the Weather Channel at $3.5 billion, according to NewsBlues. That’s well under the $5 billion that Landmark had hoped to earn. NBCU was part of a consortium that included Blackstone Group and Bain Capital. The offer of $3.5 billion, roughly half of which, or $1.8 billion, is equity, according to Reuters. Blackstone’s GSO Capital is also putting in $600 million. The future of WeatherPlus is the big question now

YouTube videos accessed by TiVo

Forget about squinting to see those sometimes bazaar videos on you computers screen, you can watch the latest web phenomenon on your big screen. TiVo and YouTube this morning announced an agreement that will offer access to web videos directly on the television via TiVo digital video recorder devices. The service will become available later this year for broadband-connected subscribers with Series3 DVRs or later models. Users will be able to surf through YouTube videos on their TVs and watch and save videos. They will also be able to log into their YouTube accounts in order to access existing favorite videos and channels. TiVo calls the deal one more step in the process of combining all web and television viewing needs into one service. Link: Tivo.com Press Release 3/12/08 - TIVO TO PROVIDE YOUTUBE VIDEOS DIRECTLY TO THE TELEVISION

IdeaCast and Transit TV do deal

IdeaCast (which we covered in my post on 06/27/07 - National Cinemedia take big Position in IdeaCast), a private provider of custom television content and advertising to health clubs announced that it has entered into a strategic sales relationship with Transit TV and will represent digital OOH networks advertising inventory to IdeaCast's list of ad clients. In addition, IdeaCast has also entered into a letter of intent with an option to acquire Transit TV in Q2. Transit TV is a major transit-based digital out-of-home adverting network operator with systems installed and operational in Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta, Milwaukee, and Orlando, Transit TV communicates with over 500 million riders per year on nearly 4,000 vehicles. IdeaCast's plans for Transit TV include expanding the Transit TV network to the top 10 U.S. markets, as well as contracting with Nielsen Media Research to establish metrics and a process for audience measurement for the transit network.

Tivo and NBCU Strike Deal

NBC Universal inked a multiyear deal with TiVo that will allow the entertainment conglomerate to sell interactive ads for TiVo’s digital video recorders. Terms of the new agreement allow NBCU’s 14 television networks and 10 owned-and-operated stations will be able to sell TiVo Interactive Tags in conjunction with existing commercial spots. It makes NBC the first top broadcaster to use TiVo's audience data and interactive ad tags. Link(s): The Wall Street Journal, Nov, 27, 2007 – NBC to use TiVo’s Viewership data, Multichannel News – Nov, 27, 2007 - NBCU Buys Into TiVo Ratings, Interactive Ads

ABC Moves Advertisiers on to the Golf Course

ABC has inked an agreement with ProLink Solutions to sell space on ProLink's GPS screens in golf carts at some 400 golf courses. ABC will sell on a national level, and will earn commissions based in part on the prominence of the advertisers it brings in. ProLink will continue to sell space, as well. It is a growing trend to see big media moving into the growing out-of-home (OOH) sector. The O&Os of the television networks have begun seeking ways to bring in additional revenue by offering OOH options to advertisers, according to MediaPost. These options have included ads in grocery stores, taxis, screens on pumps at gas stations and on screens in Times Square. See recent SMM Post: 09/07/07 - CBS Purchases Sign Story. Link: MediaPost - 10/03/07 - Fore Real: ABC Pitches Ads On Golf Cart Screens

CBS purchases Sign Storey

In a major vote of confidence for the rapidly growing OOH industry, CBS Corp. this on late Thursday that it will acquire SignStorey, Inc., a distributor of video programming and ad content to retail stores. The purchase price is 71.5 million in cash. SignStorey will be renamed "CBS Outernet" upon closing of the deal which is expected in Q4. With digital video displays in more than 1,400 grocery stores in major markets across the United States, SignStorey offers advertisers the opportunity to reach consumers with targeted content that can be customized by region and by daypart. The company's satellite-delivery system enables immediate, customized programming and messaging to each individual system. SignStorey has long-term exclusive contracts with SuperValu (Acme, Albertsons, Jewel and Shaw's), Pathmark, ShopRite and Price Chopper, among others, and is currently installed in six of the top 10 markets in the U.S., with traffic of more than 72 million consumers every month. CBS has significant experience in programming for out-of-home audiences. In addition to SignStorey, current partners in this regard include American Airlines/CBS Eye on American, Royal Caribbean/CBS Eye on Royal Caribbean; AutoNet TV/Rev It Up; Salon Network Channel; Starwood Hotels/SPG TV; Indoor Direct; Mall of America; On Spot Digital/Simon Malls and Ripple TV/CBS Outdoor, among others. Link: Wall Street Journal Sept 07, 2007 - Checking Out CBS in the Checkout Line (subscription)

PRN and NBCU Partner to sell Ads

Premier Retail Network - creator of the world's largest OOH in-store media network has announced an agreement with NBC Universal. For some time, NBCU has provided programming to PRN and bought space on its networks, which include channels in Wal-Mart and Costco. The new deal will allow it to sell ads to select marketers on PRN's network that's available at supermarket checkout counters. The synergies between the two partners should be strong because NBCU O&O Stations fit nicely with PRN's "Supermarket Checkout TV" 1,000 plus store locations. Link: MediaDaily News - July 19 '07 - In-Store Reach: NBCU joins with PRN