AT&T acquires Net video provider Quickplay

AT&T has bolstered its streaming video prowess with the acquisition of TV tech company Quickplay Media.

The Toronto-headquartered Quickplay has been a partner with AT&T — delivering TV Everywhere programming to subscribers of its U-Verse fiber-delivered pay-TV service — as well as other companies such as Verizon Wireless, Samsung and Sony Pictures.

AT&T said that Quickplay will help deliver upcoming DirecTV subscription streaming video services that it plans to introduce later this year. “Our strategy is to deliver video content however, whenever and wherever,” said AT&T Entertainment Group CEO John Stankey in a statement announcing the deal.

Quickplay's video distribution platform will allow AT&T "to host and distribute all forms of video traffic," he said. "We intend to scale and operate an industry-leading video distribution platform, and viewers will get the high-quality online video viewing experience they desire."

AT&T is purchasing Quickplay from Chicago-based private equity firm Madison Dearborn Partners. The companies did not disclose financial terms for the deal, which they expect to close in mid-2016.

“We’ve spent more than a decade developing an advanced technology and service platform that can deliver premium video content to any device and over any network," said Quickplay CEO and founder Wayne Purboo in a statement. "With AT&T, we’ll have the resources we need to further scale, grow the business and continuously enhance that platform."

AT&T plans to keep Quickplay's 350-plus employees and contractors, Stankey said.

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