Visual content provider Internet Pictures Corp. Wednesday bought imaging
service providers TBI imaging Inc. and Opticom Inc. in stock deals worth $10
million.
iPIX will acquire all of TBI imaging as well as technology from Opticom that helps real estate professionals put content online. The merger is expected to close in the second
quarter of this year.
More and more e-commerce sites have turned to iPIX for visual content
iPIX grabbed the firms to expand its imaging presence in
the real estate sector and to scale turnkey service in other online markets,
such as travel, automotive, insurance, e-tail and auctions.
iPIX’s revamped network will continue to offer the full-service solution
that iPIX currently offers in real estate, but also will enable
iPIX to provide the real estate market with broader imaging offerings, such
as a comprehensive solution for flat images.
TBI imaging captures and processes more than 1.3 million flat images per year for
40 regional metropolitan Multiple Listing Service systems nationwide.
Opticom captures and processes more than 250,000 flat images for two of the
largest regional MLS systems in the country.
The company’s headquarters will remain in Oak Ridge, Tenn., and Palo
Alto, Calif., and include offices in Atlanta, Chicago,
San Jose, Danville, Calif., London, Los Angeles, New York and Tokyo.
“With the most expansive imaging network in the country, we can now better
serve our national and regional partners, all of whom demand broad coverage
by a single imaging company,” said Jim Phillips, chairman and chief
executive officer of iPIX.
infrastructure solutions.
Last week, Auctions.com enlisted iPIX
to offer picture services on its online community. The agreement makes it
easy for consumers to post pictures of their online auction. After an
initial trial period that started in April, use of iPIX’s picture service on
auctions.com had increased more than 200 percent.
