Apple acquires Proximity

Apple has recently acquired Proximity, a company that produces solutions for creative media asset management and production workflow software. A statement on the website says: "We are pleased to announce that all Proximity technology and intellectual property, including artbox workgroup and artbox enterprise, was recently acquired by Apple... We remain a dedicated leading provider of creative media asset management and production workflow software. Our cutting edge production workflow solutions are widely considered the defacto standard for the ingestion, retrieval, browsing, editing, management, cataloging and storage of broadcast rich-media assets. Proximity solutions empower the customer to Protect, leverage and extend media with the best-of-breed equipment available in broadcasting today." The company said that existing Proximity customers with current support contracts will be contacted by Apple with details regarding their specific agreements and support requirements.

The company's artbox software can be use manage graphics assets, providing a single catalog of all graphics, including animated content, throughout the facility by integrating with variety of platforms, such as Avid Deko, Avid iNews, and Adobe. The artbox Newsroom plug-in offers users drag & drop support for selected graphics into a variety of software applications and also all producers to request new content and upon completion offers immediate placement into a workflow.

Proximity was established in 1997 with offices in New York, London and Sydney. Proximity also said it maintains close relationships with virtually all the major vendors in the broadcasting industry, enabling it "to provide comprehensive media asset management solutions across heterogeneous platforms to its customers. Proximity's client base includes 150 broadcasters, including CNN, NBC, ABC, CBS, ESPN, BBC and KBS. In 2002, the New York-based company was awarded a Technology Emmy for its artbox workgroup and artbox enterprise products

by MacNN Staff