IBM announced this morning it will acquire The Weather Company’s digital assets: including mobile and cloud-based web properties, weather.com, Weather Underground and WSI, which provides forecasts to clients from local TV stations, to commodity traders and to government agencies. The Weather Channel is not part of the deal, but will license weather forecast data and analytics from IBM under a long-term contract.
The TV network will continue to operate as a standalone business, says Dave Shull, CEO of the newly-named Weather Channel Television Network.
“The Weather Channel will continue to be owned and supported by our existing shareholders — Bain Capital, Blackstone and NBCUniversal,” said Shull in a statement. He continues:
Each month, almost half of all American households tune in to The Weather Channel network for coverage of severe weather, daily forecasts, and the science behind the weather. With our world class weather experts and thousands of localized versions of the network, we are uniquely positioned to provide the world’s best storm coverage as a hyper-local streaming service as well. We are continuing to invest in our strategic partnerships with our distributors, advertisers, and emerging technology start-ups.
The Weather Channel operates as a distinct and separate business with its own leadership team, which enables this to be a smooth and seamless transition. We believe a bright future lies ahead for the television business as the most trusted source of weather information.
In anticipation of the split, Shull, a longtime Dish executive joined Weather Co. in May as head of the TV group. David Kenny, CEO of the Weather Company, will join IBM.