Facebook Acquires QuickFire Networks to Boost Video Delivery

Facebook has acquired video content technology firm QuickFire Networks in a bid to improve the social network’s features and video delivery.

QuickFire Networks’ platform of hardware and software, which includes the use of multiple Intel Core i7 processors and graphics processing units, speeds up the encoding of online video.

Details of the deal were not disclosed, but it is likely that Facebook will integrate QuickFire Networks’ custom platform into its data centers to improve the delivery of video content to millions of daily users.

The idea is that Facebook will be able to reduce buffering without needing to degrade video quality.

Facebook explained in a statement to Mashable that video is an “essential part of the Facebook experience.”

“We are excited to bring QuickFire Networks on board as we continue delivering a high-quality video experience to the 1.3 billion people who use Facebook,” the social network said.

Craig Lee, chief executive of QuickFire Networks, explained on the company’s website why it will be joining Facebook’s corporate fold.

“We’re ready to take the next step in our growth. Facebook has more than 1 billion video views on average every day and we’re thrilled to help deliver high-quality video experiences to all the people who consume video on Facebook,” he said.

“As part of this, some key members of our team will be joining Facebook and we will wind down our business operations.”

The acquisition comes at a time when more social media platforms are pushing to make deeper use of video content.

Facilitating the use of more native video content on its network may put Facebook in more direct competition with YouTube.

ClickZ contacted Facebook for more information on the deal, but the company has yet to reply.

Facebook has been active on the acquisition front over the past 12 months, snapping up a number of company’s including messaging firm WhatsApp for $19 billion.

This article was originally published on V3.