All Media Guide to be acquired by Macrovision, remain in Ann Arbor

California tech giant Macrovision has inked a deal to acquire Ann Arbor’s All Media Guide, but never fear – AMG is staying put, says Michael Buckheim, EVP of Macrovision’s Distribution and Commerce Business Unit.

All Media Guide is a Web-based mammoth database for all things movies, music or video games. In acquiring the company – for a reported $82 mill – Macrovision hopes to get a handle on something you might not have heard of: metadata.

Metadata is the newest marketing tool, the idea that what consumers want is access to a rich depth of data on purchases or potential purchases, like reviews, biographies, art and editorial accompaniment, according to a statement on the Macrovision Web site.

Buckheim wrote in an e-mail that in 2008 the company will unveil an implementation roadmap, adding that “Macrovision plans further invest in the growing part of the AMG business.”

The deal is still subject to some review, but is expected to close by year’s end.

According to the company’s Web site, Macrovision provides distribution, commerce and consumption solutions for software, entertainment and information content to the home video, PC games, music, cable/satellite, consumer software, enterprise software and information publishing industries as well as middleware solutions to enable the development of connected devices.

Source: Michael Buckheim, Macrovision
Writer: Nancy Kaffer