Why KickApps Joined the KIT Digital Family

Some big news out of KickApps HQ this morning: Effective immediately, we have agreed to merge with KIT Digital, a leading provider of IP-video technology. (You can read the official press release here)

It’s obviously a watershed moment in our history, and our team is really excited about what this new partnership means for the future of our technology.

Here are a few reasons why we’re excited about joining the KIT digital family:

Social And Video Are Intimately Linked

Those who already know KIT digital understand that they’re very good at what they do, and what they do is deliver professional-grade video. While KickApps also has powerful capabilities in this area,  video is only one app in a much broader social CMS platform.

So why this move at this time? Because, simply put. video and social media belong together.

When people watch video content, they expect to be able to comment on it, rate it, embed it on their blogs, share it with their friends and even post their own reaction videos.  However, most video platforms lack a full complement of built-in social features. As a result, social is often either watered down or tacked on to the player experience as an afterthought.

Not with KickApps and KIT digital. KickApps has a wide range of social features built in, and our App Studio allows brands to easily build completely customized, socially-enabled video players. Combined with KIT’s focus on broadcast quality video, we’re confident that we now have the leading solution in the market for enterprise brands.

It’s a Three (and maybe even four) Screen World

KickApps has long been known for building web-based social experiences for our clients, at the domain and out on Facebook and other social sites.  While we have made some strides into mobile devices, powering mobile apps for clients like H&R Block and NBC Local, an undeniable opportunity is emerging across smart phones, tablet PCs, and digital set-top boxes.

KIT Digital’s VX-one platform has already made significant inroads into these new screens. With KickApps positioned as the new presentation layer of the VX-one platform, our clients will be able to build integrated social experiences across all of these different devices that can be managed from a single platform. It’s powerful stuff.

A Global Opportunity Requires a Global Footprint

Social isn’t just a US or UK phenomenon. It’s world wide, spreading rapidly through just about every market you can think of. To service a client base that diverse and spread out, we need to expand.

KIT is based in Prague, and their global footprint is impressive, to say the least.  While KickApps already has some offices overseas, this merger significantly increases our presence and helps us better support our existing global clients.

Thank you to our clients and partners, for everything you’ve done to contribute to the success of the KickApps brand. We can’t wait to show you what we’ve got planned for you next!

We spent our first five years as a scrappy and innovative independent company. They’ve been exciting and rewarding, but we feel ready to take this next step. By joining a global leader, we’re creating the next generation of enterprise social software and socially enabled video. And that’s exciting.