Ericsson extends television and media leadership via acquisition of Azuki Systems

• Ericsson extends leadership position with acquisition of industry-leading technology portfolio in adaptive bitrate (ABR) and content protection
• Complements Microsoft Mediaroom acquisition, further supporting TV Anywhere services with a comprehensive set of technologies
• Accelerates Ericsson's offering of TV Anywhere services through addition of key technology

Ericsson (NASDAQ:ERIC) today announced it has entered into an agreement to acquire  Massachusetts-based Azuki Systems, Inc., a provider of TV Anywhere delivery platforms for service providers, content owners and broadcasters.

Azuki Systems extends Ericsson's leading TV and media portfolio which includes the recent addition of Mediaroom from Microsoft. Through the acquisition, Ericsson will accelerate the availability of new and compelling viewing experiences across a variety of devices and screens. In addition, Ericsson will gain additional key functionality related to the deployment of TV Anywhere services, including adaptive bit rate and content protection technologies. In addition, the acquisition brings a team of highly skilled software engineers from Azuki Systems.

Per Borgklint, Senior Vice President and Head of Business Unit Support Solutions at Ericsson said, "We are executing on our TV&Media strategy and Azuki adds key technologies and capabilities to extend our market leadership position. Traditional TV is shifting rapidly towards TV Anywhere. Azuki Systems further positions Ericsson to help customers deliver on the Networked Society's global demand for customized and personalized media experiences that include content on any screen, any time across any network."

Cheng Wu, CEO and co-founder of Azuki Systems, said: "Service providers, content owners and broadcasters face a range of challenges as they race to make content available on any device. Through worldwide deployments of our proven next generation video delivery solution, we have helped accelerate deployment and monetization of TV Anywhere services. Continuing this work as part of Ericsson will ensure that customers globally will have the most advanced support as they aim to deliver the best services for their subscribers."

Azuki Systems was founded in 2008 and is based in Acton, MA. Its next-generation TV Anywhere solution combines the power of over-the-top video with the highest quality of user experience, personalization, content protection, scalability and reliability. It also enables multiple monetization options, beyond portals and authentication services. Its customers are cable operators, IPTV providers, mobile network operators and content owners. The company has 49 employees.

The acquisition is expected to close before the end of February, 2014, subject to customary closing conditions.  Azuki Systems will be incorporated into Business Unit Support Solutions.

NOTES TO EDITORS

To learn more about Ericsson's Television and media management capabilities, visit: http://www.ericsson.com/us/ourportfolio/telecom-operators/television-and-media-management.

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Ericsson is a world-leading provider of communications technology and services. We are enabling the Networked Society with efficient real-time solutions that allow us all to study, work and live our lives more freely, in sustainable societies around the world.

Our offering comprises services, software and infrastructure within Information and Communications Technology for telecom operators and other industries. Today 40 percent of the world's mobile traffic goes through Ericsson networks and we support customers' networks servicing more than 2.5 billion subscriptions. 

We are more than 110,000 people working with customers in more than 180 countries. Founded in 1876, Ericsson is headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden. In 2012 the company's net sales were SEK 227.8 billion (USD 33.8 billion). Ericsson is listed on NASDAQ OMX, Stockholm and NASDAQ, New York stock exchanges.

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