Cisco Systems shed more light on the drivers behind its decision to acquire 1 Mainstream, believing that the deal the deal will enable it help service providers and new OTT partners more rapidly tie in support for a growing array of TV-connected devices.

Cisco’s multiscreen strategy initially focused around “companion devices” such as PCs, tablets and smartphones, but is hearing from both service provider customers and OTT and media players that they also want to launch, and launch rapidly, on devices that are connected to the primary screen, Conrad Clemson, the SVP and GM of Cisco’s Service Provider Video Software and Solutions Cloud Engineering Group, said.

“From our perspective, 1 Mainstream is far and away a market and a technology leader in this,”  he said, noting that the vendor will bring into the mix that are not currently supported by Cisco’s cloud-driven platform (by the way, Cisco confirmed that it has backed away from the “Videoscape” brand introduced in January 2011 at CES, going instead with an “Infinite” suite that includes support for managed networks and devices, and its cloud DVR and virtual video processing platforms). 

In addition to iOS and Android mobile devices, 1 Mainstream’s site lists out several TV-connected platforms it supports, including the Apple TV, Amazon  Fire TV, Android TV, Xbox 360 and Xbox One, Roku, Chromecast  and Samsung smart TVs. Those on its roadmap include the Sony PlayStation 3 and PS4 and LG smart TVs.

Colin Dixon, analyst and co-founder of nScreenMedia, also believes that the deal makes sense for Cisco. While Cisco’s got the backend infrastructure to help partners nail up new services in the cloud and to manage them, they didn’t have “a simple way for anyone to launch a video service across multiple devices really quickly.”

And that’s where 1 Mainstream is coming in with a portal/template system that allows for customers to configure and roll out apps quickly on these platforms. The question moving forward, Dixon said, is how well this approach works with large-scale providers that want a more custom look, but acknowledged that 1 Mainstream’s work with Sky’s Now TV offering is in that tier 1 category.

Clemson said 1 Mainstream will also add to the mix expertise in OTT monetization, search, recommendations and data analytics, complementing  Cisco's work around content management and catalog display. The acquisition, he added, will also  help Cisco across the board with traditional service providers and enable it to “rapidly expand” to the white-hot OTT market.

He said all 22 employees of 1 Mainstream will join Cisco, including CEO Rajeev Raman, who will become director of cloud engineering on Clemson’s team and help to “drive our Infinite video roadmap forward.”

Raman, the former head of product at Roku, said 1 Mainstream has about 70 customers today and is on its way to breaking the 100 mark.

He said it made strategic sense to team up with  Cisco as the company looked to scale up faster and fulfill its needs to expand in areas such as marketing, channel partners and customer support.

He said OTT, like the name of his company, is rapidly becoming a mainstream initiative for broadcasters and operators. It’s now “part of their short-term, and medium-term and long-term business plans at the CEO levels of these companies,” he said.

Noting that the lines between traditional pay TV services and over-the-top video are continuing to blur, Cisco Systems announced Wednesday that it is acquiring 1 Mainstream, a startup that specializes in cloud-delivered on-demand and live multiscreen services.

Financial terms were not disclosed, but Cisco said the acquisition will help its customers tap into cloud-based systems to accelerate the evolution of their own video offerings. Cisco added that 1 Mainstream’s technology complements its “Infinite” cloud video suite/platform.

Cisco expects to close the deal in Q2 of its current fiscal year, noting that 1 Mainstream will join Cisco’s Service Provider Video Software and Solutions Cloud Engineering Group, now led by Conrad Clemson, the unit’s senior vice president and general manager.

“OTT is fast becoming the new normal, where open, cloud-based technologies allow innovation at a rate simply not possible with traditional TV technologies,” Rob Salvagno, vice president of coporate business development at Cisco, said in a blog post about the deal.

Cupertino, Calif.-based 1 Mainstream was founded in 2012 by several former execs from  Roku, Apple and TiVo, with the goal of providing a platform that enables partners to rapidly spool up video services for a wide range of supported streaming platforms, including smartphones, tablets, gaming consoles, connected TVs and media players such as the Apple TV and Android TV-powered Nexus Player.

1 Mainstream’s financial backers include DCM, Menlo Ventures, BSkyB and Luminari Capital. In March, Sky invested an additional $5 million in 1 Mainstream, following a $2 million investment made in 2013.  Known 1 Mainstream customers include Sky News, Tastemade, Young Hollywood, Foxtel Play, NowTV (Sky), ACC Digital Network, Screambox, Acacia TV, and Universal Sports Network (which is shutting down).

“1 Mainstream’s rapid growth shows the huge opportunity for technology that helps premium content owners reach audiences across multiple platforms and devices, quickly and efficiently,” Alun Webber, managing director, product design and development at Sky, said in a statement. “As a major customer, we are pleased to have been so closely involved in their development and we look forward to continue working with them as they become part of our long-standing partner Cisco’s Service Provider Video Team."

AwesomenessTV, the YouTube multichannel network acquired by DreamWorks Animation last year that’s focused on teens and tweens, has extended another branch to the TV screen following its "channel" launch on the popular Roku platform.

AwesomenessTV partnered with multiscreen specialist 1 Mainstream to open up its new distribution channel with Roku, which makes a lineup of streaming set-tops and adapters and will soon be baked into select HDTVs from TCL and Hisense, as well. Roku has shipped more than 8 million devices in the U.S.

Roku will give the MCN another outlet for AwesomenessTV, which has parlayed its YouTube presence into 1 billion monthly views.  And it represents another TV-facing platform for the MCN’s brand, as AwesomenessTV also produces a show for Nickelodeon.

1 Mainstream, an Internet TV company started up by former Roku, Apple, and TiVo execs based in Cupertino, said the AwesomenessTV channel will be offered on other devices in the months ahead.

“We are excited to bring AwesomenessTV’s great content to new screens, devices, and audiences,” said Rajeev Raman, 1 Mainstream’s CEO, in a statement. “Streaming devices like Roku open up powerful new distribution channels for today’s emerging content creators. With complete control over video quality, recommendations, and advertising - this is the best of all worlds for them.”