Real-time 2-D and 3-D graphics system provider Vizrt has signed a letter of intent to acquire Ardendo, a developer of software that provides media asset management solutions for broadcasters. Based in Stockholm, Ardendo offers a range of software solutions for digital archiving, ingest, transcoding, browsing, and system integration media management for stations moving to IT-based production and archiving.
Under terms of the deal, Vizrt will acquire all outstanding shares of Ardendo for $23 million in an all-stock transaction. The deal is expected to close in April and is subject to due diligence and board approval of both companies.
Incorporating Ardendo’s range of media asset management solutions will extend Vizrt’s offering of graphics-specific to a full broadcast production systems that target the entire workflow, from ingest to visualization.
Ardendo’ ingest, media management and archive solutions include ARDOME for media management and archiving; the DART ingest scheduler; the ARDCAP ingest station and play-out control; the ARDENC transcoder; and ARDEON, an entry-level archive solution. The company’s customer base represents those in news, general program production, playout services and post-production. Worldwide customers include CNN, FOX Sports, Sveriges Television (SVT), Danish Broadcasting, TV2 Norway, BBC Broadcasting and the Swedish Parliament.
In September, Vizrt purchased a 19 percent interest in Adactus, a Norwegian developer of multimedia delivery and consumption platforms based on the MPEG-21 standard, specializing in delivery of video content to mobile phones. Ardendo software manages the various resolutions, codes and rights management solutions necessary for video transport to mobile phone platforms and will be critical to Vizrt’s upcoming mobile video applications.
For more information, visit www.vizrt.com.
