Nikon Corporation yesterday announced the company has entered into an agreement to acquire 100% of cinema film company RED.com, LLC (RED) whereby RED will become a wholly owned subsidiary of Nikon.
RED has been at the forefront of digital cinema cameras since its establishment in 2005 by Jim Jannard, who became a billionaire after selling his first company Oakley sunglasses to then start RED. Over two decades RED has produced industry-defining products such as the original RED ONE 4K to the cutting-edge V-RAPTOR and Komodo cameras with RED’s proprietary RAW compression technology. RED’s contributions to the film industry have not only earned it an Academy Award but have also made it the camera of choice for numerous Hollywood productions, celebrated by directors and cinematographers worldwide for its commitment to innovation and image quality optimized for the highest levels of filmmaking and video production. Famed director Peter Jackson used a prototype RED One camera for his short film “Crossing the Line” in 2007. Jannard stepped away from RED in 2013 and the company has been run with the leadership of Jarred Land and today RED is responsible for filming 25% of the top grossing movies filmed on digital video since 2016.
This agreement was reached with the mutual desire of Nikon and RED merging the strengths of both companies. Nikon’s expertise in product development, exceptional reliability, and know-how in image processing, as well as optical technology and user interface along with RED’s knowledge in cinema cameras, including unique image compression technology and color science, will enable the development of distinctive products in the professional digital cinema camera market.
Nikon will leverage this acquisition to expand the fast-growing professional digital cinema camera market, building on both companies’ business foundations and networks, promising an exciting future of product development that will continue to push the boundaries of what is possible in film and video production.