Subscription streaming video pioneer Roku on May 11 submitted a $5 million bid for the intellectual assets of bankrupt MobiTV, the Emeryville, Calif.-based company providing software for on-demand programming, live TV, catch-up TV, network DVR and content recommendations without the need of a set-top box, Media Play News reported. On March 1, MobiTV filed for chapter 11 protection, citing $10 million to $50 million in assets and $50 million to $100 million in liabilities. Roku, which co-started the streaming video on-demand (SVOD) market more than 10 years ago with Netflix, joined RPX, a patent license aggregator, in the bid. U.K.-based IPTV software provider Amino joined the companies, contributing another $10 million bid for the “going concern” of the MobiTV business. That consortium was then edged to the sidelines when TiVo Xperi upped its original $13 million bid to $15.5 million, and is now seen as the frontrunner for MobiTV assets — in an auction process that continues today.
