Founded 2014 | ||
Xumo is an over the top content service provider with free content paid for by advertising. Based in Irvine, California, the joint venture of Myspace parent company Viant and Panasonic was started in 2011.
As of 2015, Vizio and Panasonic offered the service. Other manufacturers adding Xumo in 2016 include LG Electronics and Funai. 78 channels were offered as of May 2016, with a total of 100 planned. The primary target audience is millennials who are not satisfied with MVPD offerings.
In February 2016, Time Inc. acquired Viant. The Vanderhook brothers began the company in 1999 as advertisementbanners.com, changing the name to Interactive Media Holdings in 2003 and Viant in 2015.
As of May 2016, according to CEO Colin Petrie-Norris, Xumo can be received on nearly 20 million devices in the United States. Capabilities for iOS and Android are coming soon. Xumo does not require a set-top box or dongle because TVs include it in a manner similar to Roku. Channel Plus from LG Electronics for LG Smart TVs with WebOS uses Xumo to recommend programs and provide advertising sold by Viant on some channels.
Xumo has the capability to learn what users watch, putting frequently viewed channels and programs at the top of lists.