Civolution
Civolution was an Eindhoven, Netherlands-based provider of watermarking and fingerprinting-based content identification technology for audio and video, serving media and entertainment customers across audience measurement, broadcast monitoring, and content protection. The company was wound down through three business-unit divestitures between 2014 and 2016.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2008
- HeadquartersEindhoven, Netherlands
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Civolution does
Civolution was a Netherlands-based (Eindhoven) content identification solutions company specializing in watermarking and fingerprinting technologies for audio and video. Founded in October 2008 as a spin-off of Royal Philips Electronics and backed by Amsterdam-based venture firm Prime Ventures, the company built a portfolio of solutions organized into three business units: NexTracker/SyncNow (audio watermarking for audience measurement and second-screen synchronization), Teletrax (television broadcast monitoring networks for TV analytics and TV-synchronized digital advertising), and NexGuard (forensic watermarking for pre-release, digital cinema, pay-TV and streaming). The company won two Technology & Engineering Emmy Awards, in January 2016 for steganographic audio/video technologies and in January 2018 for video identification technology.
The company was effectively wound down through a sequence of three business-unit divestitures between 2014 and 2016. WPP's Kantar Media acquired the audio watermarking and SyncNow business in December 2014; 4C Insights acquired Teletrax in July 2015 (now part of Kinetiq); and Kudelski Group acquired NexGuard forensic watermarking in July 2016. The firm's operating status is recorded as 'acquired,' with current headcount of 1-10 employees reflecting a residual entity rather than active operations. Disclosed leadership includes a CFO (Stefan Wiezer) and senior VPs spanning business development and the two main technical pillars (watermarking, fingerprinting/monitoring), but revenue, pricing, and named customer data are not publicly disclosed.
Civolution firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Civolution
- Legal name
- Civolution
- Website
- https://civolution.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2008
- Operating status
- Acquired
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Civolution was an Eindhoven, Netherlands-based provider of watermarking and fingerprinting-based content identification technology for audio and video, serving media and entertainment customers across audience measurement, broadcast monitoring, and content protection. The company was wound down through three business-unit divestitures between 2014 and 2016.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Civolution industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Digital Watermarking Technology
- NAICS
- Postproduction Services and Other Motion Picture and Video Industries (51219), Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (5162)
- SIC
- Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Distribution (7822)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Leak Detection & Source Attribution (Fingerprint Matching, Subscriber/Partner Tracing) (MPAHAMAE)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Content Identification & Matching (Fingerprinting, ID Resolution) (MPAHALAE), Content Authenticity, Watermarking & Deepfake Detection (HDAAAKAK)
Keywords
Where Civolution is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Eindhoven
- HQ country
- Netherlands
- HQ region
- Europe
Markets served
Civolution business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations
Civolution product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Civolution developed and sold watermarking and fingerprinting-based content identification solutions for audio and video media. The company's portfolio spanned audio watermarking for audience measurement, second-screen synchronization, television broadcast monitoring, and forensic watermarking for content tracking across pre-release, digital cinema, pay TV, and streaming channels.
Product overview
Civolution was a content identification solutions company specializing in watermarking and fingerprinting technologies. Originally formed as a spin-off of Royal Philips Electronics in October 2008, the company developed a portfolio of content identification solutions organized into three business units: NexTracker and SyncNow (audio watermarking and second screen synchronization), Teletrax (television broadcast monitoring), and NexGuard (forensic watermarking). All three business units were divested separately between 2014 and 2016 to Kantar Media, 4C Insights, and Kudelski Group respectively.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- NexTracker
Companies that use Civolution
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Civolution technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
Civolution partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Royal Philips ElectronicscoreCivolution was formed in October 2008 as a spin-off of Royal Philips Electronics
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves10 records
Expansion highlights2 records
Civolution competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- NexGuard (Kudelski Group): Civolution's former forensic watermarking business unit, now operating inside the Kudelski Group; offers the most directly comparable content tracking and forensic watermarking portfolio to what Civolution built.
- Digimarc: Established commercial digital watermarking vendor spanning media, product packaging, and brand protection — directly comparable in core watermarking/fingerprinting capability and B2B licensing model.
- Audible Magic: Independent audio fingerprinting and content identification provider serving music rights holders, broadcasters, and streaming platforms — a direct analog to Civolution's audio watermarking and audience measurement business.
- Gracenote (Nielsen): Major content identification and metadata provider for music and video, with fingerprinting technology deployed across streaming and broadcast — overlapping audience measurement and content recognition capabilities.
- Vobile: Video content identification and fingerprinting specialist serving film/TV studios and streaming platforms for rights, monetization, and piracy detection — direct overlap with Civolution's NexGuard and broadcast monitoring offerings.
- Verimatrix: Content security and DRM vendor with forensic watermarking capabilities for video distribution — comparable technology stack targeting pay TV, streaming, and digital cinema customers.
- Synamedia: Video distribution and content security provider with watermarking and anti-piracy solutions for broadcasters, pay TV operators, and streaming platforms — competes for the same Media & Entertainment customer set.
- Irdeto: Content security vendor offering watermarking, DRM, and anti-piracy for premium video — direct competitor in pay TV and streaming content protection.
Broad incumbents
- Kantar Media: Acquired Civolution's audio watermarking and second-screen synchronization business (NexTracker, SyncNow) in December 2014; operates the legacy Civolution tech as part of a broader audience measurement and analytics portfolio.
Others
- INA (Institut National de l'Audiovisuel): French audiovisual institute that developed Content ID-style audio watermarking and fingerprinting for broadcast monitoring; thematically related R&D and deployment peer for watermarking-based audience measurement.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Civolution social profiles
Digital presenceCivolution financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Civolution leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Civolution funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Civolution M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Civolution
What does Civolution do?
Civolution developed and sold watermarking and fingerprinting-based content identification solutions for audio and video media. The company's portfolio spanned audio watermarking for audience measurement, second-screen synchronization, television broadcast monitoring, and forensic watermarking for content tracking across pre-release, digital cinema, pay TV, and streaming channels.
Is Civolution a public or private company?
Civolution is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently acquired.
When was Civolution founded?
Civolution was founded in 2008. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Civolution based?
Civolution is headquartered in Eindhoven, Netherlands, in the Europe region.
Who are Civolution's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are NexGuard (Kudelski Group), Digimarc, Audible Magic, Gracenote (Nielsen), Vobile, Verimatrix, Synamedia and Irdeto. Kantar Media is listed as a broad incumbent. INA (Institut National de l'Audiovisuel) is listed as an others.
Does Civolution have an API?
No public API is recorded for Civolution.
What industry is Civolution in?
Civolution's product category is Digital Watermarking Technology. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAHAMAE, Leak Detection & Source Attribution (Fingerprint Matching, Subscriber/Partner Tracing), with a secondary code of MPAHALAE, Content Identification & Matching (Fingerprinting, ID Resolution). Its NAICS code is 51219 and its SIC code is 7822.