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IBM, Ustream-BM, we can't believe Ustream is now owned by IBM
Big Blue's bucks buy business to build better broadcast bundles
IBM has acquired internet telly station Ustream in hopes of boosting its cloud lineup.
Big Blue said that the video-streaming service would be added to its cloud lineup and, when combined with its other analytics and developer tools, it will give IBM customers a way to develop and use streaming video in their own applications and services.
Based in San Francisco, Ustream offers businesses tools for both developing embedded video players and live-streaming video content. The company says its tools are used for more than two million monthly broadcasts and 80 million viewers.
Once the acquisition is wrapped up, Ustream will become part of the IBM Cloud Video Services unit, and the Ustream Development Platform will be integrated into IBM's Bluemix cloud developer tools.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
"Video has become a first-class data type in business that requires accelerated performance and powerful analytics that allows clients to extract meaningful insights," IBM cloud senior VP Robert LeBlanc said in announcing the buy.
"Aligning our expansive video and cloud innovations into an integrated unit will create opportunities for clients to take advantage of this medium in the most strategic way possible."
The acquisition gives IBM another excuse to talk up a cloud business that has become one of the focal points in Big Blue's efforts to pull itself out of a trend of disappointing financial returns, as its traditional software businesses have seen revenues decline.
IBM has pointed to cloud, along with analytics, as one of the bright spots in its turnaround effort, reporting that over the 2015 financial year, the cloud unit generated more than $10bn in total revenues, growing by 57 per cent from the previous year. ®
"IBM, you BM, we all BM for IBM" – H.A.R.L.I.E, 1972