Haivision to buy LightFlow from Epic Labs

Video steaming solutions provider Haivision has struck a deal to acquire AI and cloud orchestration firm LightFlow from Epic Labs.

The purchase will bring LightFlow’s artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) technologies into Haivision’s portfolio of streaming solutions.

The Canadian company opted to buy LightFlow as part of its strategy to expand its cloud business. LightFlow’s technology suite includes media cloud orchestration architecture which will act as “a foundation to accelerate” Haivision’s cloud strategy.

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According to Haivision, the deal will form the basis for “advances in content-aware video encoding, content indexing, object detection” plus video optimisation for distribution and delivery of live feeds and video on-demand.

“Haivision is a recognized leader and pioneer in video streaming with the Makito series of video encoders and the open-source SRT initiative. Epic Labs is a cutting-edge innovator in cloud development and AI for video streaming,” said Mirko Wicha, founder and chief executive of Haivision.

“By bringing our visions together, we are poised to enable the delivery of revolutionary new end-to-end media solutions that will transform low-latency streaming workflows – from contribution and distribution, all the way to delivery and monetization.”

For LightFlow, the agreement gives it the “scale and reach” of Haivision’s position as a leader in the streaming solutions market, with the joint teams set to “accelerate our shared vision of delivering revolutionary cloud workflows to the market and the community” according to Epic Labs CEO Alfonso Peletier.

Epic Labs first launched LightFlow at IBC2019 as a QoE enhancer media platform. It has since added new multiCDN tech, which was unveiled ahead of IBC2019. LightFlow’s team is based in Madrid, Spain, which Haivision operates out of its HQ in Montreal with additional hubs in Portland, Chicago, Austin and Hamburg.

“With so much real-time data available throughout the media workflow, the magic dwells in understanding, learning, and adjusting continuously to achieve optimal results,” said Miguel Serrano, CEO of LightFlow Media Technologies.

“By applying artificial intelligence in different layers of the video workflow, we can harness the combined power of the cloud and edge processing to reinvent the way broadcast and media organizations produce, deliver, and monetize their content.”

Haivision did not disclose the financial terms of the acquisition or when the deal is expected to complete.

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