Celtics co-owner backs TV tech startup SkreensTV

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Courtesy photo/SkreensTV

SkreensTV founder and CEO Marc Todd says people should be able to view as many things on their TV as they want.

David Harris

Tech Editor- Boston Business Journal

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Forget about the days when you needed to flip through channels on your TV to find something you like.

SkreensTV, backed by Boston Celtics co-owner Steve Pagliuca and his wife Judy through their investment firm, wants to make sure those days are most definitely behind you by making a device that lets consumers watch multiple shows and content from various devices on one TV screen. SkreenTV was founded two years ago by Marc Todd, who had been CEO at Mansfield-based video analytics company IneoQuest Technologies for 11 years.

Todd and his team of 20 employees based in Foxborough have developed a piece of hardware — a small, sleek white device that allows other consoles or devices such as Roku, Xbox and Apple TV to plug in and share space on one screen. The device will sell for $499 and will be available via an Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign starting Thursday.

Todd said he and his team developed a special semiconductor to allow the device to run simultaneous programming. All of the components are made in Massachusetts or New Hampshire, he said.

A free app for iOS and Android allows users to create and resize new screens on their TV for new content from multiple devices. Todd said the demographics that SkreensTV is targeting are sports fans and avid gamers who enjoy looking at social media or TV while playing or watching a game.

"We think it's going to bring the family together," he said. "We think people want this control. I think this is an innovative way to bring this together."

The startup is funded with an undisclosed amount of money from Todd himself and the Pagliucas.