Flingo is no more...as a company name, anyway. The developer of interactive apps for TVs, set-tops, tablets, smartphones and connected devices announced Tuesday that it has rebranded as Samba TV alongside the launch of a new web site reflecting that change.
The name swap, which essentially adopts the brand of the company’s interactive TV software platform, comes into play as Samba TV puts to bed several recent deals with TV and set-top makers, advertisers, content publishers and broadcasters, the company said.
Samba TV claims its home-grown, proprietary technology is currently available on more than 30 million screens in 118 countries. It uses automatic content recognition technology to trigger interactive applications on both live and time-shifted video. In addition to apps that sync up with regular programming, Samba TV also supports interactive advertising.
Among recent, moves the company formerly known as Flingo hired Jackson Huynh, the former global head of AdMob ad operations for Google as its new chief operations officer. TiVo joined the interactive app specialist’s supported device lineup in February.
The San Francisco-based company last year raised $7 million in funding from August Capital, plus an additional $1 million from Mark Cuban and Gary Lauder.
“Our brand is about more than our name – it’s about what we believe in. In the last few years, we made huge strides in our industry, winning hearts as we strove to make TV better,” said Ashwin Navin, CEO and co-founder of Samba TV. “Our new brand resembles a heart reflecting those efforts and represents the best things about TV: everything from laughing with your friends to anticipating what happens on the next episode. We create our products to make these moments more memorable, and if we are successful, it benefits everyone in the value chain – from the consumer to the device manufacturer and everyone in between.”
