Online video hub Vimeo said it will extend a bridge to the world of subscription-based models by acquiring VHX, a company that makes a white-label over-the-top video platform.
Financial terms of the deal were not announced, but Vimeo said the deal will shore up its ability to build and develop subscription VOD channels for its broad base of content creators, including niche programmers and major media firms, on a global basis.
Through the acquisition, Vimeo said it bringing on VHX’s entire team of 22 full-time employees, including VHX CEO and co-founder Jamie Wilkinson, who will report to Vimeo CEO Kerry Trainor. VHX’s current crop of SVOD partner channels include Yoga with Adriene and Black & Sexy TV, as well as a channel from comedian Jack Vale.
VHX’s platform supports several platforms, including Web browsers, iOS and Android mobile devices, tvOS (the new operating system for the Apple TV), and Roku. VHX has also set up a fee schedule for SVOD and buy/rent models as well as a variable scale for the amount of video that is being uploaded.
New York-based Vimeo, meanwhile, says its platform is supported in more than 200 markets and more than 280 million monthly users.
“Online video is expanding from a few, mainstream subscription services into a flourishing world of interest-based streaming channels, much like the evolution from broadcast to cable television,” Trainor said, in a statement. “Vimeo is home to the world’s leading video creators and the viewers who love them, and we’re excited to add VHX’s team and technology to our streaming marketplace. As the video universe continues to unbundle, Vimeo offers the ideal home for the next generation of premium video channels serving passionate global audiences.”
New York-based Vimeo is an operating business of IAC.
