DIRECTV Drives Innovation with Strategic Investments in Leading Digital Technology Firms

EL SEGUNDO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

After launching the digital revolution in TV nearly 20 years ago, DIRECTV continues to fulfill its passion for innovation by partnering with two leading digital technology companies, LiveClips and i.TV, who are changing the way viewers watch television.

“We look forward to working closely with the management and Board members of these companies to bring new features and functionality that will wow our customers and define the next stage in the evolution of the television experience, especially in an evolving mobile world,” said Tony Goncalves, senior vice president, Digital Entertainment Products, DIRECTV. “These, and other investments, are more than financial, they're partnerships. We acquire unique capabilities to embed in our products and the ability to influence roadmaps. In turn, these companies gain access to a world-class technology team and the subscriber scale of DIRECTV.”

The LiveClips technology platform aggregates live, post-game or archived sports feeds to create, digitize and deliver discrete searchable video clips of every play for delivery to linear broadcast and digital devices. LiveClips' unique technology system delivers immediate personalized sports highlights for the DIRECTV NFL SUNDAY TICKET App experience.

“DIRECTV's decision to use LiveClips technology to power the delivery of personalized video content to its NFL SUNDAY TICKET application and its subsequent investment in our company, is as good as it gets,” said Lewis Bakes, chairman and CEO of LiveClips. “DIRECTV lives at the forefront of innovation and technology, providing sports packages that fans crave. Our partnership with DIRECTV provides us the opportunity to participate in the explosive growth associated with the delivery of personalized video content to the fans' device of choice.”

i.TV is a social TV and second screen platform that enables nearly 15 million people per month to discover, watch and engage with television. i.TV also powers experiences for brands like AOL, Huffington Post, Entertainment Weekly and Nintendo, and recently acquired popular second screen company, GetGlue. DIRECTV will be integrating i.TV's capabilities into its next-generation second screen app, which is scheduled to launch before the end of the year.

“We are thrilled to have DIRECTV as an investor and partner in our efforts to re-imagine the living room entertainment experience,” said i.TV CEO Brad Pelo. “With our recent acquisition of GetGlue, i.TV now has the largest social platform built specifically for television. This funding round from DIRECTV brings their significant resources and deep industry knowledge to our Board and product team, enabling us to realize our vision to make watching TV more interesting and fun.”

About DIRECTV

DIRECTV DTV is one of the world's leading providers of digital television entertainment services. Through its subsidiaries and affiliated companies in the United States, Brazil, Mexico and other countries in Latin America, DIRECTV provides digital television service to more than 20 million customers in the United States and more than 17 million customers in Latin America. For more information on DIRECTV, visit directv.com.