Advanced Television

Google acquires Widevine

December 4, 2010

by Colin Mann

Shortly after announcing a series of measures better to protect against copyright infringement, Google has revealed it is to acquire digital media solutions provider Widevine with the intention of  improving access to video content across the web.

According to Mario Queiroz, Google’s VP of Product Management, with rapidly improving broadband and wireless speeds, more powerful smartphones, and higher resolution screens on devices of all shapes and sizes, it is becoming easier than ever to watch video wherever you want, whenever you want. “And while it’s still fun to pull an old movie off the shelf and throw it in the DVD player, streaming is rapidly becoming the standard way for you to find the content you want to watch now. We’ve seen this on You Tube – where we get over two billion views every day – but it’s much bigger than that, as proven by the increasing popularity of movie subscription services and tablets,” he said in a blog post.

“Content creators and distributors are making huge strides in bringing us content in this way, but to do so, many require high-quality video and audio, secure delivery, and other content protection and video optimisation technologies. With these tools in place they can easily and effectively give you access to the rich library of content you want to watch, with the immediacy you’ve come to expect,” he explained.

“The Widevine team has worked to provide a better video delivery experience for businesses of all kinds: from the studios that create your favourite shows and movies, to the cable systems and channels that broadcast them online and on TV, to the hardware manufacturers that let you watch that content on a variety of devices. By forging partnerships across the entire ecosystem, Widevine has made on demand services more efficient and secure for media companies, and ultimately more available and convenient for users,” he said.

He confirmed that Google was committed to maintaining Widevine’s agreements and would provide direct, quality support for their existing and future clients, with plans to build upon Widevine’s technology to enhance both their products and its own.

Brian Baker, CEO, Widevine, noted that for many years, Widevine had enabled consumers to access digital entertainment content. “Through a combination of content protection and video optimisation technologies, we’ve provided consumers with the highest quality Internet video experience while giving them freedom to watch on a variety of devices. With the recent growth of Internet video and network connected devices, it is increasingly important for technology to provide consumers with the capability to watch what they want, when they want, where they want,” he stated.

“By working with Google, we are even further committed to the consumer Internet video experience and to the needs of content owners. Widevine will continue to supply the industry with leading video optimisation and content protection solutions. We are excited to have access to Google’s vast resources as we continue to improve our products, support our customers, and meet the future needs of consumers, content owners, service providers and device manufacturers everywhere,” he said.

Categories: Business, CA/DRM, Content, IPTV, M&A, OTT, OTT, UGC