Samsung Acquires Boxee For $30 Million

In an acquisition reported at around $30 million dollars, Samsung has purchased Boxee, the smart TV provider that looked to blend TV and the web. It might not be the greatest deal for the New York/Tel Aviv startup who raised $26 million in funding to date, but the negotiation has serious implications for the future of Samsung’s TV offerings. For starters, Boxee’s impressive interface will likely serve Samsung well with easier searchability and an open approach to third party developers. Even more interesting is Boxee’s suite of mobile apps which Samsung may borrow from to enhance their mobile integration for their “All-Share” product.  With a slew of leading smartphones, there could be big business in a mobile component that lets users toggle between screens seamlessly–and what’s more are the advertising opportunities for cross-platform targeting. So while the smart TV space is relatively nascent (save for Xbox’s 60 million users), Samsung’s acquisition could make them a leader in the space and enable streaming media in the living room to break into the mainstream.