Harris Broadcast, a portfolio company of the Grace Group and a market leader in content management and network infrastructure solutions serving global broadcasting, communication service providers, government, and enterprise markets, today announced that it has completed the acquisition of Imagine Communications, a leading innovator in digital video solutions that provide high-bandwidth services with optimal video quality.
"Television is ubiquitous; it is the future of our industry, and our clients are vigorously pursuing this path to expand their business models and enhance the monetization of content on any screen," said Charlie Vogt, CEO of Harris Broadcast. "By combining advanced adaptive bitrate (ABR) technology created through imagination with quality, density, and small size, we have significantly surpassed any other market today, improving transcoding economics by up to 10 times compared to competitive solutions. Our content creators and content distribution clients, including cable, MSOs, and telecom service providers, will benefit significantly from an end-to-end product portfolio integration, establishing a clear pathway for linear and nonlinear viewing on every screen."
On December 4, Harris Broadcast announced a definitive agreement to acquire Imagine Communications. This acquisition enhances Harris Broadcast's already robust solutions portfolio, which has established the first truly multi-service SDN™ (Software Defined Network) that integrates sales, scheduling, automation, broadcasting, and delivery across both linear and nonlinear content distribution networks. It also aligns with Harris Broadcast's vision of leveraging cutting-edge software breakthroughs in advanced transcoding technology, utilizing software-centric virtualization in high-density, low-power commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) and blade server environments.
"Harris Broadcast is a recognized leader and innovator in the broadcasting and media industry. Imagine Communications is an effective primary technology partner for us, enabling statistical multiplexing and transcoding of digital video across our high-quality cable distribution network," said Kevin Cuffling, Senior Director of Video Engineering at COGECO. "We are excited to see these great companies come together and look forward to integrating their strengths and innovations, allowing us to manage and distribute the highest quality content more effectively across any network and any device."
This acquisition expands Harris Broadcast's current R&D and innovation initiatives, enhancing the company's global total addressable market. Imagine Communications has invested over 8 years in developing industry-leading technology and an experienced R&D team in ABR, OTT, and television, bringing significant value to Harris Broadcast.
"In addition to fully supporting existing customers of the Imagine ICE® broadcast system and penetrating this highly attractive global market opportunity, we will leverage the quality and innovation of both companies around next-generation solutions for ABR, cloud PVR, and content delivery networks," said Steve Reynolds, Chief Technology Officer of Harris Broadcast. "Our portfolio today offers the industry's most powerful compression and processing solutions. Imagine's advancements and expertise in high-availability transcoding will complement existing advancements in an IP-centric, Linux-based environment at Harris Broadcast, opening the door to a range of development and integration opportunities."