AVI-SPL Boosts Video Production Capabilities, Acquires VideoLink

By acquiring VideoLink and its ReadyCam video production offering, AVI-SPL aggressively enters the video content creation business.

Tom LeBlanc

AVI-SPL is in the video content creation business.

Tampa, Fla.-based AVI-SPL, North America’s largest AV integration firm with over $600 million in annual revenue, says it has entered an agreement to acquire video services provider VideoLink.

In acquiring the Boston-based company with six Northeast locations, AVI-SPL enhances or brings several video services in-house including video production and content creation.

As organizations across all verticals increasingly use video for internal and external communications, most integration firms have largely left the production of those videos to others. By doing so it’s been argued that firms are leaving on the table an opportunity to address their critical needs and be their customers’ soup-to-nuts video services providers.

Related: Video Content Creation—It’s Not Quick, It’s Not Easy, But It Will Win Over Customers

For its part, AVI-SPL’s aggressive growth over the past few years has been driven by video-centric projects. Being able to help customers with the creation of that video in addition to the distribution and display of it is likely to punctuate that growth while strengthening customer relationships.

Key components of VideoLink’s offerings that AVI-SPL views applicable for integration customers are its patented ReadyCam video studio and patent-pending EnhancedIP transmission network.

ReadyCam is essentially a customized production studio created by VideoLink for customers’ specific spaces and purposes. It provides customers with cameras, production technology, lighting and everything needed to create videos in their spaces without need for expertise. Production is handled remotely as a service by VideoLink.

Here’s more on VideoLink’s ReadyCam:

EnhancedIP transmission network, meanwhile, is a managed IP video transmission service with a cloud-based user interface. According to VideoLink’s site, it allows clients to book and manage transmission feeds and monitor real-time statistical data.

Here’s more on VideoLink’s EnhancedIP transmission network:

Founded over 20 years ago by by Doug Weisman and Gina Chudnow, VideoLink is known for providing broadcast quality production solutions to simplify live, on-air appearances for top cable and network television organizations, according to an AVI-SPL press release.

VideoLink’s clients also include Fortune 500 and enterprise companies as well as institutions seeking a wide variety of video services to achieve their marketing and communications goals.

That’s where AVI-SPL sees demand among its customers. From the press release:

With a rising number of millennial workers triggering digital workplace transformation worldwide, AVI-SPL’s one-stop-shop provides top technology solutions to support the vast needs of its customer. The acquisition will expand AVI-SPL’s leading enterprise video platforms and continues its enrichment of technology solutions offerings.

“Recognizing the growing demand for video among global enterprise companies and institutions, strengthening our leading broadcast capabilities to further support our customers’ workplace transformation needs became a top priority,” said AVI-SPL CEO John Zettel. “We are thrilled to combine AVI-SPL’s and VideoLink’s best-in-class broadcasting technology, and bring high-quality video and production to our customers.”

Examples of ReadyCam applications for non-broadcast customers:

VideoLink’s production and transmission network provide AVI-SPL with new managed services to offer its customers.

With VideoLink’s team continuing to be led by current president and CEO Richard Silton who has joined AVI-SPL, the integration firm intends to bring these services to its customers across all markets that are creating, distributing, managing and displaying content.

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“Combining with AVI-SPL brings tremendous benefits to our customers and our employees, and will rapidly accelerate growth for VideoLink,” says Silton in the press release. 

“Our products and services are highly complementary, and we are excited to now have the access to the resources and market presence that AVI-SPL has built.”

AVI-SPL isn’t the only integration firm positioning itself to solve customers’ content creation needs. Most notably, Diversified, which acquired Technical Innovation in 2016 to become the second largest integration firm in North America, brings deeply rooted broadcast capabilities to its customers across all markets.

The acquisition of VideoLink, therefore, helps AVI-SPL stack up against one of its top competitors’ core strengths.

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