Wowza Acquires AVA Intellect, Bringing AI and Agent-Based Automation to its Streaming Video Platform

Online video is exploding at an unimaginable rate. Globally, over 90% of internet users watch online videos at least once a month, and more than 50% of video marketers are now using AI tools to create or edit their videos. 

As you might predict, this combination will translate into more videos, more viewers, and faster delivery – especially as AI continues to disrupt production capacity. 

With so much content being created, brands need better tools and easier ways to glean insights from their videos. This is where AI can be a transformative resource.   

To that end, AI agents are becoming commonplace in every corner of the digital stack, bringing a host of possibilities to the table. There is, of course, a lot of hype associated with generative AI features, but there are layers where the agentic promise is tangible – and the platform investment might be paying off in a big way. That’s certainly the case when it comes to scalable automation in tools that amplify the reach of human users and teams. 

Wowza is the latest to join the agentic revolution. A trusted name in video streaming infrastructure for mission-critical applications, the platform provider is bringing intelligent, agent-based capabilities to the forefront with the recent acquisition of AVA Intellect, an AI-native startup specializing in intelligent and embedded agent technology for video platforms.

I’ve been tracking Wowza for a while now (having used it extensively in customer solutions with web and CMS applications), and this acquisition aligns firmly with the company’s commitment to embed AI across the entire video lifecycle – starting with capabilities that drive immediate value for customers. 

According to the company’s press release, this move positions Wowza as the first established video infrastructure software company to introduce intelligent agent technology at the point of configuration and support, providing valuable innovation in a well-established market. 

Building on Wowza’s industry recognition as a reliable infrastructure streaming partner for mission-critical applications at scale, the acquisition of AVA also reinforces its continuous commitment to innovation. This investment will potentially be felt across its customer ecosystem – which includes broadcasters like Astral, higher ed institutions like the University of Maine, globally recognized brands like Macy's, and government agencies like NASA. 

Krish Kumar, CEO of Wowza

“AVA joins Wowza at a pivotal time as we accelerate innovation on the foundation that has made Wowza such a reliable streaming infrastructure partner for so many mission-critical applications,” said Krish Kumar, CEO of Wowza. “We’re integrating AVA Intellect’s agent framework into our platform to deliver video insights and real-time configuration support that adapts to customer needs. It’s a practical step forward in making video delivery more intelligent and responsive."

Evolving video streaming capabilities with Agentic AI

Prior to the acquisition, AVA Intellect positioned itself as an AI platform for seamless enterprise collaboration, combining AI, voice, video, and automation. It offered what it called AI-powered “virtual teammates,” or agents designed to collaborate like real colleagues in a workspace – something we've seen take off recently in the banking and financial industries. 

AVA Intellect dashboard. Source: AVA Intellect website.

With the integration of AVA Intellect, Wowza is trumpeting two major product innovations that could be game changers. First, AVA’s stream intelligence will detect key markers and pull real-time insights directly from video. This could prove decisive from a productivity standpoint, making it even easier to process and manage video content at scale. 

Second, AVA’s AI technology will be leveraged to unlock agent-powered experiences, enhancing every stage of the user journey and bringing more intelligence and automation to Wowza’s video infrastructure. This new agent resource is designed to help Wowza’s customers realize greater value by accelerating their work and exploring solutions more intuitively. 

Taken together, these resources could enhance usability, reduce friction, boost productivity, and elevate the overall streaming experience. Users can even access personalized support on demand, providing an added layer of confidence for enterprise customers. 

Bringing AI leadership into the fold  

As part of the acquisition, AVA’s co-founder Mike Vitale joins Wowza as Head of Intelligence, accelerating Wowza’s shift toward an AI-first product strategy. 

With over twenty years of experience that encompasses enterprise streaming, cloud-native architecture, and AI product development, Vitale brings deep domain experience and a track record of innovation at the intersection of media and machine intelligence.

Mike Vitale, co-founder of AVA Intellect and new Head of Intelligence at Wowza

“What drew me to Wowza was the chance to pair next-gen AI with a platform that already powers some of the most demanding video infrastructure in the world,” said Vitale. “We’re building on that foundation with new intelligence that’s embeddable and aligned with how developers and product teams want to work today - across industries, use cases, and environments.”

Why it matters

In the niche layer of enterprise video infrastructure providers, Wowza has a lot going for it. As a streaming engine, it’s super adaptable and feature-rich. From a performance perspective, it consistently delivers high-quality live and on-demand video (VOD) experiences for a broad range of customers across industries, including media, public safety, healthcare, IoT, and more. It also powers content delivery networks (CDNs), hosting and streaming providers, ISPs, and other service providers with licensed options. 

In my own experiences deploying Wowza, I can tell you that it’s reliable and flexible, making it a solid choice for powering your video workloads. It also sports a bench of developer-centric tools, allowing organizations to build and scale custom video infrastructure based on their needs. This could be anything from live government agency meetings to dedicated brand-focused streaming channels. 

AI is transforming every tool in the digital stack, and we’ve seen a concerted effort by enterprise vendors to weave AI and agentic capabilities throughout their ecosystems. As I said, there’s been a lot of hype with generative AI features, but there are bright spots worth pursuing. That’s certainly been the case for data-focused automation in places like DAMs, CDPs, and other tools where automation and insights can really benefit from the force multiplication of AI and the promise of agent-based functions.

Wowza’s acquisition of AVA is a smart move, and signals the next step in its platform evolution. By injecting AI deeper into the streaming experience, Wowza is investing in a more intelligent and responsive infrastructure that can help customers be more agile while accelerating the deliver of better video experiences – all at scale.

I recommend keeping an eye on these features as they roll out. 

Looking for guidance on Wowza? Talk to an expert.

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