Ericsson acquires TV solutions provider Azuki Systems

Swedish vendor Ericsson has acquired US-based upstart Azuki Systems, a television streaming delivery platform provider. The vendor said that the acquisition strengthens its television and media portfolio and complements Microsoft’s TV unit Mediaroom, which it purchased in April last year.

Ericsson said that Azuki’s TV Anywhere solution brings high quality user experience to over-the-top video as well as personalisation, content protection, scalability and reliability. The vendor said Azuki’s technology also enables monetisation options beyond portals and authentication services. In its customer base is cable operators, IPTV providers, mobile network operators and content owners.

The firm added that the acquisition will help it bring new content viewing experiences across a range of devices.

“We are executing on our TV & Media strategy and Azuki adds key technologies and capabilities to extend our market leadership position,” said Per Borgklint, senior VP and head of business unit support solutions at Ericsson.

“Traditional TV is shifting rapidly towards TV Anywhere. Azuki Systems further positions Ericsson to help customers deliver on the Networked Society’s global demand for customized and personalized media experiences that include content on any screen, any time across any network.”

At the time of the Mediaroom acquisition last year, Borgklint said that there are one billion video enabled devices in the world today and  in ten years there will be around ten billion video enabled devices.

“The amount of total video distributed over the network will probably account for around 99 per cent of traffic on the network. Video distribution technology will be core for our end users and for us,” he said.

“Video will be as important to the mobile network as voice was 15 years ago.”

The acquisition is expected to close before the end of this month, subject to customary closing conditions. Azuki Systems will be incorporated into Ericsson’s business unit support solutions. Financial details were not disclosed.