Zappware and iWedia to combine as Kudelski sells out

Digital TV technology outfits Zappware and iWedia are to combine as the Zappware Entertainment Group International (ZEGI) following Nagra-owner Kudelski’s sale of its 40% stake in iWedia to Zappware owner Reinhart Interactive TV.

ZEGI will have its head offices in Zurich, Switzerland.

Reinhart Interactive TV/Zappware was recently spun-out of NASDAQ-listed tech outfit NextPlay Technologies, which held a 51% stake in the TV tech group, through the sale of its stake along with its ownership of travel outfit Nextrip, to Vancouver-based esports tournament organiser TGS Esports.

Zappware said that the combination represented one of the largest TV deployment footprints in the world servicing up to 50 million households. The companies’s joint customer base includes A1, Amplia/TSST, Bouygues Telecom, Deutsche Telekom, KDDI, NTT DoCoMo, Orange, Reliance Jio, Swisscom, SKY, Telus, Une and Unity Media.

iWedia CEO Hans-Jürgen Désor will report directly to the executive directors Ives Decraene and Patrick Vos of ZEGI. IWedia said that its teams will remain committed to a continuation of existing projects and partnerships.

“Zappware has been at the forefront of digital TV for 20 years now. By adding iWedia, we extend our product portfolio and greatly strengthen our customer reach and delivery capabilities globally. We are also looking for further M&A targets,” says Ives Decraene, executive director of ZEGI.

“iWedia has served major tier 1 telecom operators for more than 10 years and all our customers can be assured a continuation of our services. By joining forces with Zappware, we can now offer our customers a much more comprehensive portfolio of products including the ability to add award-winning user interface and tools, e-gaming and advertising. Our team of 250 engineers can provide the scale to accelerate the growth of the new entity in and beyond the TV space,” said iWedia’s Désor.