International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) has acquired cloud based video content management service provider Clearleap, Inc. for an undisclosed price.

Founded in 2007, Clearleap offers a platform that provides customers with multi-screen video processing and video asset management, along with an open API framework for building video into applications.

The company’s streaming support services promise to deliver seamless video experiences over any screen, at any time through a powerful, proven, extensible platform that empowers top television brands and providers to grow their revenues by creating and sustaining consistent experiences that delight customers – on any screen imaginable.

Although perhaps not a well-known name outside its market, Clearleap has proved to be popular with the company able to boast of clients including HBO, A+E Networks, the NFL, BBC America, Sony Movie Channel, Time Warner Cable, and Verizon Communications.

The service, which currently offers its own data centers from which to host digital video assets, will be migrated and integrated into the IBM Cloud platform including IBM Cloud data centers globally.

Clearleap APIs will be offered on IBM Bluemix to enable clients to build new video offerings quickly and easily.

IBM said in a statement that the acquisition was part of their broader strategy to help clients unlock the value of video as it grows in importance in business, with Big Blue advancing its cloud strategy to improve the performance and management of this powerful tool, and help clients extract insight from it.

“Clearleap joins IBM at a tipping point in the industry when visual information and visual communication are not just important to consumers, but are exploding across every industry,” IBM Cloud Senior Vice President Robert LeBlanc said. “This comes together for a client when any content can be delivered quickly and economically to any device in the most natural way.”

“IBM is focused on being an essential partner to the rapidly changing M&E industry by helping our clients deliver personalized content to the right customer in real time anywhere in the world,” IBM Global Media & Entertainment Industry General Manager Steven Canepa added. “The combination of Clearleap with our proven analytics and hybrid cloud capabilities will deliver exciting new video solutions that will fundamentally change communications across every industry.”

Video future

The acquisition of Clearleap isn’t the first cloud-related acquisition for IBM this year with the company having previously picked up Cleversafe, Inc. in October as well as Aspera, Inc. and others.

In the streaming video space Big Blue isn’t alone in beefing up their offering either with Cisco Systems, Inc. having acquired video streaming platform 1 Mainstream, Inc. also in October; although that service is somewhat different to IBM’s purchase of Clearleap both share a common market: the rapid rise of video on demand (VOD) streaming services as media consumption switches from legacy broadcast media to online based solutions.

Streaming media now accounts for 70 percent of all internet traffic during prime viewing hours and as demand continues to grow so to will the need for specialist cloud-based services such as those provided by Clearleap.

Prior to acquisition, Clearleap has raised $45.5 million over 8 rounds from investors including Noro-Moseley Partners, Trinity Ventures Susquehanna, and others.

Image credit: Clearleap/screenshot.