LG Electronics is buying a majority interest in TV data and measurement specialist Alphonso, said LG Wednesday. It plans to use Alphonso software and services within its “broad range” of home entertainment products, especially smart TVs. LG is making the investment through its U.S.-based Zenith technology, and Alphonso will continue to operate as an independent business under its current brand and leadership.

Olympus completed the transfer of its imaging business to Japan Industrial Partners, said Olympus Monday. Olympus, which began selling the Semi-Olympus with Zuiko lenses in 1936, said in June it was selling its sagging imaging business after logging operating losses for the past three fiscal years (see 2006250060). It signed a memo of understanding with Japan Industrial Partners to carve out its imaging business to a new company, since named OM Digital Solutions, and to transfer its shares to a fund handled by JIP. OM Digital Solutions will retain Olympus capabilities in research and development, production, sales and marketing. It will license the Olympus brand name, “which is familiar and resonates with customers, for the foreseeable future,” said Shigemi Sugimoto, former Olympus digital imaging head, who was named representative director of OMDS. The company will continue production at the facility in Dong Nai province, Vietnam, where imaging products have been manufactured since 2008, it said. The new company will “continue to launch innovative products in existing business areas such as cameras, audio recorders, and binoculars” and will provide new solutions "as our future product roadmap plans have not changed." OMDS will offer customer support for the imaging and audio products previously manufactured and sold by Olympus. "Services, repairs and warranties will continue, and customers will receive full support for future purchases,” it said. The launch of the new Tokyo-based company, with a market capitalization of $360 million, brings together a more "focused and flexible organizational structure," it said. OMDS employs about 2,000 globally. Olympus, meanwhile, will concentrate on medical and scientific solutions, said CEO Yasuo Takeuchi. It recently bought Veran Medical Technologies.

Quibi didn't comment Monday on a Sunday report that it's in talks to sell its catalog to Roku. The short-form video service shut down in October after six months (see report in this publication, Oct. 23). Roku has been pushing into content with its ad-supported Roku Channel that offers movies and TV shows from others. A deal with Quibi would give Roku exclusive programming. A spokesperson emailed that Roku doesn’t comment on market speculation.

Antitrust authorities cleared the way for investment firm Mithril to buy data analytics software company Palantir Technologies. An FTC early termination notice dated Dec. 23 and released Wednesday ended the Hart-Scott-Rodino waiting period.

Investment firms Searchlight and ForgeLight closed on their buy of a majority of Univision, they said Tuesday. They said ForgeLight founder Wade Davis is now Univision CEO. The deal was announced in February (see 2003030059).

FedEx completed its buy of ShopRunner, an e-commerce platform that connects more than 100 brands and merchants directly with online shoppers (see 2012180022). The purchase, whose completion was announced Monday, will help FedEx “play a larger role in e-commerce,” said Chief Operating Officer Raj Subramaniam. The platform’s data-driven marketing and omnichannel capabilities help brands “acquire high-value customers and accelerate their digital innovation,” said the shipping company. Terms weren't disclosed.

IBM agreed to buy Nordcloud, the Finland-based cloud services provider, in a transaction IBM said would boost its hybrid cloud consulting capability. Analysts estimate the global market for cloud professional services will exceed $200 billion by 2024, said IBM Monday. The deal is expected to close in Q1, it said. Financial terms weren’t disclosed.

Rent-A-Center agreed to buy financial tech company Acima for $1.27 billion in cash and about 10.8 million shares of Rent-A-Center common stock valued at $377 million, it said Sunday. Acima, which operates in over 15,000 retail partner locations and e-commerce platforms, expects 2020 revenue of $1.25 billion. Acima will continue to operate out of Salt Lake City and will incorporate Rent-A-Center's "complementary" Preferred Dynamix platform to create a “frictionless LTO [lease-to-own] experience for consumers and retail partners," said the companies. After closing, the current Acima management team will report to Preferred Dynamix Executive Vice President Jason Hogg. Shares closed 11.4% higher Monday at $39.24.

Viasat is buying RigNet for $222 million in an all-stock transaction, with the deal expected to close mid-2021, said RigNet Monday. It said the deal ties Viasat's satellite connectivity to its managed communications services, with target markets for New Viasat including government, airlines, residential and energy.

Google's proposed acquisition of Fitbit can proceed, with conditions, the European Commission said. There was an investigation of the transaction and the companies' complementary activities, it said Thursday. Fitbit has limited market share in the smartwatch segment in Europe, where there are many larger rivals, such as Apple, Garmin and Samsung, so the acquisition will lead to "very limited horizontal overlaps," the EC said. The probe focused on data collected by Fitbit wearable devices and the interoperability of those devices with Google's Android operating system for smartphones. The EC was concerned Google would acquire Fitbit's database on users' health and fitness, plus the technology to develop a similar database, making it hard for rivals to match Google's services in online search advertising. Other worries were that Google might restrict competitors' access to Fitbit's web application programming interface, to the detriment of European startups in the emerging digital healthcare space, and that Google could put competing makers of wearable wrist devices at a disadvantage by degrading their operability with Android smartphones. Google has offered commitments on advertising, web API access and Android APIs to run for 10 years and be monitored by a trustee to be appointed before the transaction closes, the EC said. "This deal will spur innovation in wearable devices and enable us to build products that help people lead healthier lives," emailed a Google spokesperson. "We understand that regulators wanted to look closely at this transaction, and we have worked constructively with them to resolve their concerns, including the set of legally binding commitments the" EC accepted. The spokesperson cited his company's past "assurances" about the takeover and privacy and working with other stakeholders.