Acquisitions · Imaging
Nikon to buy Hollywood cinema-camera maker RED
- Buyer
- Nikon (Tokyo)
- Target
- RED.com (RED Digital Cinema), Foothill Ranch, California
- Value
- Not disclosed
- Status
- Completed in April 2024.
- Date
- 2024-03-07
Nikon agreed to acquire all membership interests in RED.com, the California maker of professional digital cinema cameras, making it a wholly owned subsidiary. Nikon did not disclose the price. The deal closed on April 8, 2024.
Why it matters
RED gives Nikon an established brand and image-compression technology in professional filmmaking as consumer camera sales shrink, giving it a foothold in a higher-margin segment.
About RED
RED was founded in 2005 by James Jannard, who also founded Oakley. Its cameras run from the original RED ONE 4K to the V-RAPTOR [X], and its own compressed RAW video format won it an Academy Award and made it a favorite on Hollywood sets. Nikon bought the company from Jannard and president Jarred Land.
From rivals to one company
In 2022 RED had sued Nikon, claiming the RAW video in Nikon's Z9 camera infringed RED's compression patents; the case was dropped in 2023. After the deal, Keiji Oishi of Nikon's imaging unit became RED's chief executive, with RED executive Tommy Rios as co-CEO, while Jannard and Land became advisers. RED kept its product lineup, dealers and support policies.
Sources
Kakehashi M&A News home
