SAN FRANCISCO: Grass Valley announced the acquisition today of PubliTronic, a Dutch company known for accomplishments in the field of multichannel automated playout systems.
Alain Andreoli, Grass Valley president and chief executive officer, made the announcement in a special press conference, citing PubliTronic’s reputation for multichannel playout solutions, and stating that the amalgamation would strengthen Grass Valley’s ability to provide cutting-edge technology to customers in this rapidly expanding area of television.
“When we decided to expand our playout offerings to include an integrated approach, we had a choice: do it on our own or invest through an acquisition,” Andreoli said. “As we learned more about PubliTronic’s technology and people, it became very clear that a combination of our talents and resources could allow us to offer innovative and compelling products to our customers quickly.”
PubliTronic’s technologies will be integrated into Grass Valley as its Media Playout Solutions product line. The initial product entry resulting from the acquisition is a new product family, the K2 Edge, which is based on solutions from both Grass Valley and PubliTronic.
PubliTronic is headquartered in Apeldoorn, the Netherlands, and has been in business since 1997. Prior to today’s announcement, the company’s main marketing focus had been in the United Kingdom and Europe. Its founder, Harold Vermeulen, said that PubliTronic saw the acquisition by Grass Valley as a way to expand the reach of its technological offerings.
“We are on our third-generation platform and are at a time in our lifecycle when our products are mature,” said Vermeulen. “To build a global footprint was our challenge. We were approached by Grass Valley and are now on a mission to be a world leader in this [market] segment. With the help of Grass Valley, we can have that mechanism for rapid growth. The current product offering is complementary. There’s a nice synergy between technology products in the two companies.”
Vermeulen will head up the new Grass Valley Media Playout Solutions division.
PubliTronic has an installed base of more than 800 on-air channels, including systems in use at some of the largest broadcasters and content providers in Europe and the world. PubliTronic has operated as a privately-owned company. Terms of the acquisition were not announced.
Andreoli noted that the acquisition of PubliTronic “demonstrated that the new Grass Valley, with its new ownership, is investing in the future.”
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