• by Karlene Lukovitz  @KLmarketdaily, March 4, 2020

AT&T is selling video distribution subsidiary Quickplay to Toronto-based Firstlight Media.

Terms of the sale were not disclosed.

Firstlight, which is backed by Highview Capital, operates a proprietary platform that employs artificial intelligence to drive user engagement and monetization for OTT video providers and content owners.

Firstlight and Quickplay will merge, and Firstlight founder and CEO André Christensen will become CEO of the combined business, which will operate under the Firstlight name.

Christensen previously served as Quickplay’s chief operating officer and head of product development for AT&T.

The acquisition is intended to grow Firstlight’s customer base and better monetize its platform by adding Quickplay’s managed solutions for distributing video to IP-connected devices.

The plan calls for partnering with TV providers, media companies, premium cable networks, sports leagues, independent studios and niche players to optimize each step of the delivery process, including collection, management, distribution, video consumption and user engagement.

The combination of Quickplay’s content delivery capabilities and Firstlight’s AI-driven personalization and engagement software will offer media companies a one-stop solution for OTT premium video delivery that delivers a “seamless” viewing experience for consumers, Christianson said in a statement.