Simply.TV acquires InFlow Media

Simply.TV, a leading content discovery and metadata provider, has acquired InFlow Media to create Europe’s leading metadata company. This is Simply.TV’s second acquisition, following the acquisition of Dutch metadata specialist GVIDI in 2022. With InFlow Media, Simply.TV strengthens its customer base in the Nordics, adds cutting-edge content discovery technology and welcomes 35 metadata experts from Denmark and Norway.

Commenting on the acquisition, Daniel Rühmann, COO of Simply.TV, said: “It is a dream come true to join forces with InFlow Media and create a true powerhouse for metadata and content discovery solutions in the Nordics. With the experienced team and the additional technology stack, we can provide even better services to the combined customer base. We are very impressed with the team and the technology we have been introduced to over the past months.”

InFlow Media, formed in 2019 from Universum Norway and Ritzau Mediaservice Denmark and previously jointly owned by NTB and Ritzau, has a unique position in the Nordics through decades of working with broadcasters, content owners and their TV customers. Starting with TV guides for print publications and evolving into EPG metadata, InFlow Media has been instrumental in supporting the transition to time-shift viewing, personal video recorders and VoD in the Nordics. In recent years, the company has focused on adapting to changing user habits and leveraging new technologies to take metadata to the next level, a focus that aligns closely with the Simply.TV brand.

Tina Mari Flem, CEO at NTB, emphasized the importance of this synergy, adding: “While merging Universum and Ritzau Media Service to form InFlow Media in 2019 was a great success, combining teams and technology with Simply.TV will take this to the next level. It feels good to have the InFlow Media team continue within the industry’s most dedicated and customer-focused metadata company.”

InFlow Media CEO, Rune Skogeng, continued: “The growth and impact of Simply in Europe has been significant and the competition has helped to bring out the best in InFlow Media over the years. We now look forward to joining forces and executing the wider Simply strategy.”

The right new owner:
NTB and Ritzau have owned InFlow Media for the past five years, during which the company has made significant strides in developing industry-leading technology. During this period of ownership, InFlow has invested heavily in innovations focused on streaming and advanced user experience. This focus has also extended to InFlow’s dedication to integrating interactive and immersive content, creating a more engaging viewer journey. The acquisition by Simply.TV further fuels this aspiration, as their vision and combined resources will propel these groundbreaking efforts to new heights.

Kamilla Laumark-Møller, Interim CEO at Ritzau, reflected on this progress and noted: “It has been an exciting journey and a great collaboration between NTB and Ritzau. But metadata for the TV industry is not the core of NTB and Ritzau. With Simply, InFlow Media will join a family of metadata experts. It will be fantastic to follow Simply and see how they lead the industry in the future.”

The acquisition is effective July 3. Terms of the deal remain unknown. Oberta