Ericsson has announced its intention to acquire media services company Red Bee Media. The acquisition supports Ericsson’s strategy to grow in the broadcast services market, helping broadcasters and content owners address the convergence of video and mobility.
Red Bee Media’s 1,500 employees will join Ericsson’s broadcast services division, as well as media services and operations facilities in the UK, France, Germany, Spain and Australia. With 1,240 of Red Bee Media employees being based in the UK, Ericsson’s UK business would grow to around 4,000 employees, with more than one-third working in the media services business.
“Ericsson is making a step change to our business, cementing our commitment to TV and broadcast services and continuing a journey we started in 2007,” said Magnus Mandersson (pictured), executive VP and head of Business Unit Global Services, Ericsson. “We can create value for broadcasters by making digital content more accessible, enabling monetisation of TV content more efficiently. Video traffic shows very strong uptake in the mobile networks and Ericsson can address the need of both broadcasters and telecom operators through our technology expertise and services capabilities.”
Red Bee Media provides a range of media services; from media asset management to playout and digital video publishing, metadata services, multilingual access services and creative services to broadcasters and broadband platforms. The company is also the largest editorial metadata provider in Europe, and delivers more than 100,000 hours of subtitling per year.
