Microsoft acquires video search engine VideoSurf
23 Nov 2011
Microsoft yesterday announced that it has acquired California-based video search engine VideoSurf in order to augment its Xbox 360 ecosystem.
In a press release, Microsoft said it will integrate VideoSurf' s technology across its entertainment platform to augment the Xbox 360 ecosystem and evolve search and discovery of entertainment content on Xbox LIVE.
Although Microsoft did not disclose the financial terms of the deal, technology news site TechCrunch, citing Israeli business newspaper Calcalist, said that VideoSurf was bought for about $70 million.
The San Mateo, California-based company, founded by four Israelis in 2006, offers a back-end computer vision technology that ''sees'' frames inside videos to make discovering content fast, easy and accurate.
Since inception, VideoSurf has raised around $28 million from several investors, including Facebook chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg and her husband, as well as former US vice president Al Gore.
''VideoSurf's content analytics technology will enhance the search and discovery of entertainment content across our platform,'' said Alex Garden, director of Xbox LIVE for the Interactive Entertainment Business at Microsoft.
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