GoTV Acquired by Apps Maker

GoTV Networks, a mobile entertainment company based in Sherman Oaks, has been acquired by Texas-based mobile applications business Phunware. Top executives at GoTV have left the company, and Phunware has no plans to make immediate changes at GoTV’s three locations, said Phunware Chairman and CEO Alan Knitowski. The acquisition brings to the Phunware portfolio high-profile clients such as the National Football League, ESPN, and the Oprah Winfrey Network. Terms of the deal between the two privately held companies were not disclosed. Sophisticated mobile devices give consumers anywhere, anytime access to digital content, so corporate brands and entertainment companies that lack a mobile presence face a strategic liability, said Phunware Chairman and CEO Alan Knitowski. “A few years ago it was more experimental, but there has been a massive shift,” Knitowski said. “It is now critical.” GoTV was founded in 2003, during the infancy stage of mobile entertainment. The company transitioned from content creation to distributing content made by others. As technology advanced and devices could support streaming and live video, GoTV was sought after by large media and entertainment companies looking to enter the mobile space. In a November 2010 interview with the San Fernando Valley Business Journal, GoTV’s then CEO, Thomas Ellsworth, predicted that the company would be acquired by a larger company. Phunware was among a number of companies that were interested in acquiring GoTV, Knitowski said. “When you have representation and they are actively reaching out there are other parties that are going to be interested,” Knitowski said. Siemer & Associates advised GoTV in the acquisition.