Macrovision Acquires AMG

Breaking news.... Macrovision acquires AMG (aka All Media Guide). AMG is most widely known for their music database products (which powers many media players and music stores), and also has a portfolio that include recommendation engines (Tapestry), music recognition technology (LASSO), and their consumer sites AllMusic, AllMovie and AllGame.

paidContent.org - The Economics of Content - Financial: "The acquisition of AMG extends Macrovision’s solutions for the enhancement and distribution of digital content by making it easier for consumers to discover, purchase, interact with and play back digital media assets, which is a strategic priority for Macrovision. Macrovision and AMG’s combined solutions offer consumer electronics device manufacturers the ability to better manage media while putting information about millions of movies, videos and songs within the easy reach of consumers. AMG’s comprehensive data is also intended to strongly appeal to Macrovision video content customers, which include Hollywood studios. AMG’s content enables those customers to more easily monetize digital media by making content identification, navigation, recommendation and enjoyment simpler for consumers. “In an era when consumers have many choices, cell phone manufacturers, electronics device makers and service providers want to make video and all other entertainment content quick and easy to find,” said Fred Amoroso, CEO of Macrovision Corporation. “AMG plays a critical role in enhancing the overall consumers’ user experience in searching, discovering, purchasing and enjoying entertainment media. Its offerings complement our existing solhttp://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gifutions and partnerships for helping content owners monetize their digital media assets and device makers retain and grow their customer base.”

“Metadata is a critical component of media commerce and demand for rich descriptive data such as reviews, album art, artist biographies and accompanying editorials is growing quickly,” said Karl Ryser Jr., President of AMG. “It takes years to accumulate a high-quality database of metadata, and AMG has become an essential partner for its customers. Joining together with Macrovision puts us in an even better position to help more consumer electronics manufacturers, retailers and content owners collaborate with customers to create outstanding online media experiences.”

UPDATE: For those curious, the reports say the deal was for $82 million.