Original URL: https://www.theregister.com/2011/10/23/cisco_buys_video_startup/

Cisco Borgs vid start-up for $US99m

BNI bolsters Cisco's video vision

By Natalie Apostolou

Posted in On-Prem, 23rd October 2011 21:30 GMT

Cisco has added another video software company to its IPTV armoury, acquiring video optimization company BNI Video for $US99 million.

BNI Video’s technology offers a solution for ISPs to manage their video services, including entitlement, billing and quality control. It particularly targets legacy cable providers that need to tweak their networks for online video distribution. Founded in 2009 BNI has raised US$16 million in funding to date from – quelle surprise - Cisco, along with Comcast Interactive Capital, Time Warner Investments, Charles River Ventures and Castile Ventures.

Cisco will integrate BNI Video’s smarts with its existing Videoscape service. It is the latest in a line of acquisitions to bolster the Videoscape TV platform, which allows service providers to deliver video to any device over any IP network.

In February Cisco purchased video encoder Inlet Technologies and last August it snapped up online video distributor ExtendMedia to boost its video-over-IP capabilities. Video, is one of Cisco's high five company priorities, is the biggest growth driver for IP traffic.

"Cisco is committed to working with our service provider customers to deliver next-generation IP-based video experiences across devices," said Marthin De Beer, senior vice president and general manager of Cisco's Emerging Business Group.

On the close of the acquisition, BNI Video employees will be integrated into Cisco's Service Provider Video Technology Group. ®