Saffron Digital
End-to-end DRM video solutions for carriers, MSOs, OEMs and retailers.
| Date | Investors | Amount | Round |
|---|---|---|---|
| investor | €0.0 | round | |
| investor | €0.0 | round | |
| N/A | €0.0 | round | |
* | N/A | Acquisition | |
| Total Funding | 000k | ||
Saffron Digital, founded in London in 2006, established itself as a key provider of multi-platform digital video services before its acquisition and subsequent integration into larger media technology firms. The company specialized in removing the complexity of managing and delivering premium digital video, offering solutions for subscription video on demand (SVOD), electronic sell-through (EST), and ad-supported models (AVOD).
The firm's core offering was the 'Stage' platform, an end-to-end online video solution designed to launch multi-platform over-the-top (OTT) services. This platform was modular, providing clients with everything from content preparation and management to storefront services and secure players. This flexibility allowed it to serve as either a comprehensive SaaS-based solution or as individual modules to supplement a client's existing infrastructure. Key clients included major names in media and telecommunications such as ITV, Sky, NBC Universal, HTC, and T-Mobile, showcasing the platform's capability to handle high-profile content delivery across 26 countries and in 14 languages.
Saffron Digital's journey includes significant milestones, starting with a seed funding round of $3 million in 2007 from investors including Beringea. A pivotal moment came in February 2011 when smartphone manufacturer HTC acquired the company for approximately $48 million (£30 million). This move was aimed at bolstering HTC's capabilities in delivering optimized multimedia content. Saffron Digital continued to operate with its management team, expanding its global reach. Later, in 2016, the company was acquired by NeuLion, an OTT solutions provider, to combine Saffron's expertise in VOD entertainment with NeuLion's strength in live sports streaming, creating a unified platform for diverse content rights holders.
Keywords: video delivery platform, OTT services, VOD, SVOD, video content management, digital media delivery, NeuLion, HTC acquisition, multi-platform video, Stage platform, electronic sell through, secure video streaming, BackStage CMS, digital locker, premium video services, media technology, video transcoding, DRM encryption, mobile video delivery, content monetization