Google Acquires A Video Service Company – Episodic

Google has made another acquisition, this time it’s the video service, Episodic. The company is presumably being drafted to help out with the Google-owned YouTube video service.

Episodic is a San-Francisco-based start-up found by Noam Lovinsky and Matias Cudich. The company describes itself as a “comprehensive platform for broadcasting live and on-demand video to the web or any web-enabled device.” (see video below). The acquisition was announced in a blog post made by Episodic this past week. The company is an online video hosting service and publishing suite, which features the capability to publish live streams and on-demand content. Users also have control over advertisements and ad breaks in their videos, as well as an in-depth analytics tool which provides real-time information on a viewer’s experience. The company also allows users to make money off of their video channels by inserting advertisements or charging viewers for content (via credit card.) The options are available for both those who live stream and those who use on-demand video. Another big important part of this is the fact that the videos are also optimized for viewing on mobile devices (sounds like another strategic acquisition, since the iPad was just released this past weekend.)

For the time being, new account sign-ups have been put on hold, although users do have the option of being contacted when the acquisition has been sorted out. According to Tech Crunch, the service will in fact be “folded into Youtube” and staff members at Episodic will join the YouTube offices this upcoming week.

The whole ordeal could mean one of two things: that Google is either redoing online video OR they are looking to keep to the promise they made to buy one small company each month. Since January 2010, Google has bought the Microsoft Word online component DocVerse, a photo-editing site Picnik, email app maker, reMail, and a social search company Aardvark. Episodic will now be joining that list.

Below is the acquisition announcement Episodic made on their blog:

We are thrilled to announce that Episodic has been acquired by Google. The entire Episodic team is extremely excited about this new partnership and what it means for our customers and the evolution of online video.

The Episodic team will join Google and continue its work to bring a great video experience to the Web, mobile phones and IPTV devices. There will be no interruption in service for existing Episodic customers.

At Episodic, we have always felt that these are the very early days of online video and that there is far more growth to be had. To put it in perspective, our industry is barely 15 years old. We’ve just received our learner’s permit, we still can’t drive without adult supervision and we’re certainly not old enough to buy a drink…legally.

From our earliest discussions with Google, it was clear that the teams shared this belief and together we obviously see huge potential in online video. Our product visions were also complimentary and together we will continue to produce innovative video technology for our customers and their viewers.

Speaking of our fabulous customers, we want to thank you all for your support and your willingness to experiment and sit on the bleeding edge with our team. We can’t wait to show you all what’s coming.