News
Swedish kit maker says deal will strengthen its TV and media business in the U.S.
Ericsson has agreed to acquire content discovery specialist FYI Television, a deal the Swedish vendor says will strengthen its media and TV business in the U.S.
Based in Texas, FYI Television collects TV scheduling and content metadata – such as title, genre, cast, and running time information – from more than 9,000 TV networks. It distributes this data to clients who use it for all manner of purposes, such as populating electronic programme guides, powering content search and recommendation engines, and analysing viewing habits.
Ericsson claims it already has a leading position in these areas in Europe, and that acquiring FYI Television will create "a powerful global force" in content discovery.
"As the TV industry evolves and viewing behaviour changes, we believe that high-quality, rich metadata will be a key component for a personalised TV experience," said Magnus Mandersson, EVP and head of global services at Ericsson, in a statement.
"FYI Television’s expertise and customer base in the US is a great complementary fit for Ericsson and will be an integral part of our growth strategy. It will strengthen our position as one of the leading providers of media services in the world," he said.
FYI Television’s employees will join Ericsson’s broadcast and media services division, which is part of the company’s global services business unit.
The deal is expected to close during the first quarter.
