Samsung acquires second-screen startup MOVL

Samsung has acquired the second-screen startup company MOVL in a bid to improve its multi-screen mobile and TV apps.

The acquisition happened last month but was not reported until now, with a MOVL spokesperson confirming the move.

“In April 2013, two years after inception, MOVL has officially joined forces with Samsung. We are now a part of Samsung Electronics, and we are excited to combine our multi-screen capabilities with Samsung’s scale and innovation in its device ecosystem.”

MOVL provides apps for TVs by connecting mobile devices with them and has developed a number of second-screen games and apps for connected TVs that allow users to join games and interact with apps running on TVs even when mobile devices aren’t in the same WiFi network.

MOVL has been working with Samsung Electronics for a while already and is expected to help build upon Samsung’s smart TV marketplace, which includes popular games and streaming apps such as Angry Birds and Amazon Prime.