Ericsson to acquire FYI Television


Details

Michelle Clancy

| 19 January 2016




In yet another of its acquisitions of key niche players in broadcast, Ericsson has revealed plans to acquire FYI Television, the metadata and rich media content supplier.



Based in Grand Prairie, Texas, FYI Television accumulates and distributes TV entertainment content and linear scheduling data from more than 9,000 TV networks daily, aggregating the information into customised formats for various digital, media, content, analytics and print clients for use on their connected devices such as tablets, phones, desktops, Internet portals and gaming consoles.

The terms of the deal have not been disclosed but what is known is that once the deal completes, which is expected to in Q1 2016FYI, Television’s employees will join Business Line Broadcast & Media Services, part of Ericsson’s Business Unit Global Services.

The rationale for the deal could well be explained by Ericsson’s own ConsumerLab research. In the latest report, half of linear TV viewers say they can’t find good programming to watch on a daily basis – highlighting the importance of 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 Business Unit Global Services at Ericsson. “Combined with our capabilities in TV platforms and content discovery, we will be able to help our customers to improve the video experience and identify new revenue opportunities. 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.”

Earlier this year, Ericsson established a US broadcast and media services hub based in Atlanta, Georgia. The company currently provides closed captioning services to broadcasters around the world from this hub, with plans to roll out video description services over the coming months.