Cisco, Motorola Vetting VOD

Cisco and Motorola may be looking to move deeper into the cable and digital video market through acquisitions

Alan Breznick, Principal Analyst, Heavy Reading

July 13, 2006

2 Min Read
Light Reading logo in a gray background | Light Reading

Cisco Systems and Motorola are looking to move deeper into the cable and digital video market through acquisitions in the video-on-demand (VOD) space, analysts and other sources say.

On the heels of last month's Cable-Tec Expo in Denver, where rumors flew wildly on the tradeshow floor about numerous possible deals, three potential hookups have emerged as the most likely to happen, sources believe. The consensus view is that Motorola is sniffing out Broadbus Technologies, and Cisco is seeking to scoop up Arroyo Video Solutions, while a smaller player, Arris, is considering a buyout of Concurrent Computer.

As might be expected, representatives of Motorola, Cisco, and Arris all declined comment on their companies' purported purchase plans. Broadbus, Arroyo, and Concurrent all declined comment as well.

Several industry experts see a Motorola/Broadbus marriage happening because Motorola, like Cisco, could use a VOD server vendor to round out its video offerings. It's also thought that Motorola, which has been rumored to be eyeing BigBand Networks as well, would be more comfortable buying another hardware-centric firm.

Some market analysts view a Cisco alliance with Arroyo as logical because Arroyo is much more of a software play. It's believed that Cisco, fresh from its $7 billion acquisition of Scientific-Atlanta, is looking to add software capabilities to its roster instead of more gear.

Cable tech analysts and VOD market watchers believe that all these possible deals and more may well be in the works this summer as the big cable and telecom equipment suppliers seek to fill the remaining gaps in their portfolios. While the cable industry's two largest equipment suppliers, Cisco and Motorola, have most of the puzzle pieces in place, neither has a VOD server in its product line.

Read the complete story at Cable Digital News.

— Alan Breznick, Site Editor, Cable Digital News

About the Author

Alan Breznick

Principal Analyst, Heavy Reading

Alan Breznick is a business editor and research analyst who has tracked the cable, broadband and video markets like an over-bred bloodhound for more than 20 years.

As a senior analyst at Light Reading's research arm, Heavy Reading, for six years, Alan authored numerous reports, columns, white papers and case studies, moderated dozens of webinars, and organized and hosted more than 15 -- count 'em --regional conferences on cable, broadband and IPTV technology topics. And all this while maintaining a summer job as an ostrich wrangler.

Before that, he was the founding editor of Light Reading Cable, transforming a monthly newsletter into a daily website. Prior to joining Light Reading, Alan was a broadband analyst for Kinetic Strategies and a contributing analyst for One Touch Intelligence.

He is based in the Toronto area, though is New York born and bred. Just ask, and he will take you on a power-walking tour of Manhattan, pointing out the tourist hotspots and the places that make up his personal timeline: The bench where he smoked his first pipe; the alley where he won his first fist fight. That kind of thing.

Subscribe and receive the latest news from the industry.
Join 62,000+ members. Yes it's completely free.

You May Also Like