Earlier today it was announced on an Israeli Web site, The Marker, that Samsung had purchased the start-up for approximately US$30 million. A Samsung spokesperson would only confirm that they had acquired the assets and the employees, but would not reveal the price paid.
Samsung has acquired key talent and assets from Boxee,” the spokeswoman said in a statement. “This will help us continue to improve the overall user experience across our connected devices.”
Samsung Electronics is heavily into TVs, smart TVs that is, with internet connectivity and having popular “Apps” on them such as Facebook, Pandora, BBC, Hulu, Netflix, etc. The software used on their TVs has been criticized for being awkward or difficult to use.
That is where Boxee could come in to help – they have long been a hot start-up at the Consumer Electronic Show (CES). Originally, it offered computer software for watching digital video, but has since started selling a set-top box that runs its own software. It is not clear what Samsung intends to continue to sell Boxee’s own products or will stop to concentrate on strictly on Samsung’s Smart TV.
Source : Tech Crunch