Apple has reportedly acquired Matcha.tv, former provider of an iOS app, which served as something of a TV guide for cable, online streaming services and online video stores like iTunes and Amazon.
Matcha.tv was shut down a few months ago, but now VentureBeat reports (citing people with knowledge of the deal) that Apple acquired it. A message on its site says:
Dear users of Matcha, we thank you for using Matcha and hope we were able to improve your TV and movie viewing experience. Unfortunately, from today going forward, this service is no longer available. All personal information collected by Matcha has been deleted. If you have any further questions about your account, please email us at: contact@matcha.tv.
VB shares a generic statement from Apple:
“Apple buys smaller technology companies from time to time, and we generally do not discuss our purpose or plans.”
Apple, of course, is expected to make waves in the TV industry sooner or later, so it’s not hard to see where an acquisition like this would come in handy. It also keeps the app from expanding to rivals like Android.
Nobody seems to know how much Apple might have paid for the company.