Who’s Buying Boxee?

Boxee buyer

Rumors surfaced earlier this month that Boxee is about to get bought on the cheap. And while details are virtually non-existent on the identity of the buyer, we’ve never let that stop us from speculating before.

So who is the mysterious suitor? I see four potential acquiring types.

Hardware company
With Boxee’s software roots, it’s possible that a hardware manufacturer like D-Link could pick up Boxee’s video guide and DVR applications to bundle with retail boxes. If the price is right, I wonder if even Roku might be interested. Roku doesn’t want to spend the money to license fancy guide software for its super-cheap hardware. But if it could pick up the Boxee assets cheaply enough, the interface upgrade potential could be compelling.

Service provider
It’s hard to imagine that a pay-TV provider would bother with Boxee, given the other software options available, and the fact that the big operators are building their own next-gen UIs. However, maybe a small innovator would consider grabbing the assets just to break away from the standard software vendors and create some buzz. Wide Open West has made hay with the Moxi interface. Maybe somebody else on the tier-two provider list is ready to step up on the multi-screen UI front.

Media company
Now that TV is going everywhere, the big media brands are anxious to capitalize on the closer relationships they’re building with consumers. Networks like HBO and ESPN are building their own applications, but the build-versus-buy equation might tilt toward “buy” for another media company. Add in the cloud DVR functionality, strip out OTA functionality, and streamline the OTT apps available, and Boxee could offer an intriguing platform for someone like Discovery Networks or National Geographic. Seems unlikely, but who knows?

Private equity firm
And then there’s the private equity route. I’m personally hoping that Boxee doesn’t get swallowed up by the finance guys, but given the tough position it’s in, that may be the only viable exit option. Sometimes you just have to minimize your losses.

Update: And the results are in! Rumor has it Samsung is picking up the Boxee team and tech on the cheap to power future “smart” television products.

9 thoughts on “Who’s Buying Boxee?”

  1. Wonder what sort of IP these guys have and how/if that factors in… I’m mostly envisioning an acqui-hire, to bring on the development team to speed someone else’s foray into this space. Wonder if Amazon might be interested given their prior Roky overtures. Hm.

  2. I wonder if there’s anyone who’d take real advantage of the OTA capabilities. I love the idea of Roku jumping in, but that company may have enough on its plate right now.

  3. “How ’bout TiVo? Any idea of the price range for this acquisition?”

    The S6 TiVo is going to have a Roku, AppleTV, Amazon Streamer, and Boxee all neatly tucked away in its case…

  4. It’s not entirely clear what IP Boxee owns that anyone would want. Does Roku really care about live TV, OTA tuning, or even DVR? They seem much more forward-looking than that, razor focused on streaming. And does anyone in the entire world want that OTA “cloud DVR” service badly enough to consider paying $10+/month for it when netflix and hulu+ are only $8?

    I suppose an acqui-hire is possible, but when you think about it, what do they really have to offer? The original boxee software was based on XBMC; boxee created their custom skin, kinda integrated into a social networking thingie that never took off, and (this last one is actually worthwhile) built an addon architecture. While it was promising for the time, the boxee box device was never particularly successful. The boxeeTV device, on the other hand, was an unmitigated disaster. So who would really want those guys?

    I guess they could have a patent portfolio to sweeten the pot. That’s all I can think of.

  5. I agree with Rodalpho. Im not seeing what they have to offer someone that they can actually sell. And those items that they can sell, who would want to buy?

    With the first Boxee, what is truly theirs? Skinning the product? As for the Boxee TV, who would want a pile of buggy, incomplete code based on a failed concept?

  6. Makes no sense to me, other than maybe as patent protection at the right price and MAYBE as an aqui-hire. Doubt the current code for Boxee TV is worth anything at all to anybody else out there. The cloud DVR model as they’ve built it makes absolutely no sense. Downloading alone is problem enough for caps on internet subscribers, uploading AND downloading is insane. And if they were more successful they would have been sued.

    Bad news is the agreement to offer gateway IP services to Boxee could go away with the death of Boxee TV.

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