Imagine Communications looks set for a period of consolidation after the manufacturer announced its fourth acquisition in just over a year.

Imagine has been busy bolstering its multiplatform and over-the-top credentials through a series of deals, the most recent of which - an agreement to acquire the assets of California-based RGB Networks - was announced this week.

The transaction for the multiscreen video delivery firm is Imagine’s biggest to date.

Chief executive Charlie Vogt declined to reveal the financial terms of the deal, but said that some 100 employees would join Imagine when it is completed in the next couple of weeks.

They will be joined by staff from the advertising business unit of OpenTV, which Imagine acquired at the end of last year as part of its mission to enhance its suite of TV delivery tools.

Vogt highlighted video packaging, cloud DVR and ad insertion as some of RGB’s “core technology strengths”.

He said: “Combined with our innovation in video playout and distribution, [the deal] enables us to strategically navigate the convergence of IP, mobility and the internet, which has changed the way we consume entertainment and information.”

In April last year, Imagine snapped up IP and file-based media processing systems firm Digital Rapids.

This followed Harris Broadcast’s acquisition of Imagine Communications in December 2013 to strengthen its end-to-end solutions portfolio, particularly its OTT, mobile video and multiscreen capabilities.

Harris then rebranded itself as Imagine Communications in March 2014.

“When I look at our current position, I think we have everything we need based on the technology we think is required and existing road maps; it doesn’t feel like we have any gaps,” said Vogt, although he added there wouldalways be opportunities to find technology that is a natural bolt on to an overall solution”.

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