Tag: MobiTV

TiVo Wins MobiTV Bankruptcy Asset Auction, Beating Roku, Others

TiVo has edged out a competing bid from Roku and others for the intellectual assets of bankrupt MobiTV, a distributor of software for on-demand programming, live TV, catch-up TV, network DVR and content recommendations without the need of a set-top box.

TiVo’s winning bid of $18.5 million, which includes $17.4 million in cash, beat a collective $18 million offer from Roku, patent licensor RPX and Amino Technologies. TiVo’s initial bid during the two-day process had been $13 million.

MobiTV, based in Emeryville, Calif., filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on March 1, citing $10 million to $50 million in assets and $50 million to $100 million in liabilities.

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“The acquisition of the MobiTV assets immediately expands our capabilities and the addressable market for our IPTV solutions, helping to secure TiVo’s position as a leading provider of pay-TV solutions,” Jon Kirchner, CEO of Xperi, said in a statement. “As a result, the acquisition of MobiTV’s managed service assets will help accelerate our growth in the IPTV market through an increased subscriber footprint.”

MobiTV delivers a full TV platform, including live and on-demand content, network recording functionality and transport rights. The platform could provide an attractive extension of TiVo’s IPTV pay-TV service offerings by adding managed services with the ability to reduce deployment time and onboarding costs. MobiTV will help increase TiVo’s IPTV penetration with pay-TV operators enabling them to rapidly launch a branded, fully featured, app-based TV service. The acquisition includes MobiTV’s patent portfolio, which is highly complementary to Xperi’s existing media patent portfolio.

The closing of the transaction is subject to various conditions, including approval by the bankruptcy court. Subject to bankruptcy court approval and pending closing, Xperi expects MobiTV’s operations to continue in the ordinary course. The acquisition is expected to close by early June 2021 and to be accretive beginning in 2022.

Roku Joins TiVo, Others in Bid for Bankrupt MobiTV Assets

Subscription streaming video pioneer Roku May 11 submitted a $5 million bid for the intellectual assets of bankrupt MobiTV, the Emeryville, Calif.-based company providing software for on-demand programming, live TV, catch-up TV, network DVR and content recommendations without the need of a set-top box.

On March 1, MobiTV filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, citing $10 million to $50 million in assets and $50 million to $100 million in liabilities.

Roku, which co-started the SVOD market more than 10 years ago with Netflix, joined RPX, a patent license aggregator, in the bid. U.K.-based IPTV software provider Amino joined the companies, contributing another $10 million bid for the “going concern” of the MobiTV business.

That consortium was then edged to the sidelines when TiVo Xperi upped its original $13 million bid to $15.5 million, and is now seen as the frontrunner for MobiTV assets — in an auction process that continues today.

 

MobiTV Secures $50 Million in Venture Funding

MobiTV, a platform offering pay-TV operators over-the-top video distribution across myriad platforms, July 1 announced it has closed more than $50 million in funding from three investment funds.

Based in Emeryville, Calif., MobiTV enables third-party pay-TV operators to offer subscribers on-demand programming, live TV, catch-up TV, network DVR and content recommendations without the need of a set-top box.

Investors include Oak Investment Partners, Ally Financial, and Cedar Grove Partners. The funding will be used to accelerate the growth of MobiTV’s international footprint.

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“We believe in MobiTV’s superior consumer experience and know that being the only true commercially deployed solution in North America has differentiated their positioning in the marketplace,” Bandel Carano, managing partner, Oak Investment Partners, said in a statement.

MobiTV’s “multi-tenant solution” can be deployed through either a managed service or in-network offering, enabling it to address operators of all sizes, in a cost-effective manner.

Third-party clients include Citizens Fiber, Windstream and EPB with access to more than 350 networks, including A+E Networks, AMC Networks, Crown Media Family Networks, C-SPAN Networks, Disney and ESPN Media Networks, Showtime and Viacom, among others.

“We’re equally proud to have a nod from the National Cable Television Cooperative, as they selected MobiTV as a premiere partner for app-based pay-TV video solutions,” said MobiTV chairman/CEO Charlie Nooney. “We continue to demonstrate our ground-breaking approach to addressing operator challenges as they upgrade their pay-TV offering in an increasingly competitive marketplace.”