Panasonic Projector & Display Corporation has acquired 100% of the issued shares of UK-based Hive Media Control Ltd. (HIVE). HIVE will continue to operate as a standalone, vendor-neutral business. The acquisition expands Panasonic’s capabilities in media playback and control for immersive and fixed-installation environments, extending its offerings from projection and display hardware into software, workflow, and integrated media-delivery solutions.
Media servers are used in immersive environments and large-scale visual installations to manage playback, synchronization, and control of content across multiple displays and surfaces. HIVE’s flagship BeeBlade platform is based on the Intel Smart Display Module (SDM) standard, enabling direct integration with projectors, direct-view LED display systems, and professional displays.
"This is a strategically important step for Panasonic as we continue to evolve our business beyond a hardware-oriented model toward broader visual solutions and workflow value," said Yousuke Adachi, CEO of Panasonic Projector & Display Corporation. "Under MEVIX, our visual solutions brand, we have been clearly articulating our commitment to contribute to customers across the total workflow, not just at the hardware endpoint. This acquisition is a major step in that direction. HIVE brings proven expertise in media playback and control, and when combined with our projector and display portfolio, we believe it can create meaningful customer value through simpler deployment, greater flexibility and a better end-user experience. At the same time, we fully respect HIVE’s position as a standalone business open to working with the wider market."
"We are inspired and honoured by the opportunity to work with Panasonic, while continuing to grow HIVE as an open and independent ecosystem," said Mark Calvert, Co-Founder and CEO of Hive Media Control Ltd. "This partnership gives us the scale to accelerate our vision while preserving the openness and platform-agnostic approach our customers rely on."
The combination is expected to provide customers with greater deployment flexibility, smaller infrastructure footprint, reduced external devices, simplified cabling, and streamlined installation and operation when HIVE’s media control architecture is used with Panasonic projection and display technologies.
HIVE’s media servers have been deployed in projects including the BBC Earth Experience, the National Museum of Qatar, and Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel exhibition. The company targets immersive attractions, museums, themed environments, and other permanent visual installations.
Panasonic views the media server market as a growth area. Further details on the collaboration will be shared in due course.
