Verizon Communications has purchased Yahoo's operating business for 4.83 billion in cash.Yahoo Japan and Yahoo's stake in Alibaba Group Holding are excluded from the deal.Verizon had agreed to raise its bid last week.Believed to be strongly behind the move was Verizon AOL CEO and Chairman Tim Armstrong,who has long sought Yahoo for its digital advertising business-even before the Verizon offer came along.Verizon had made a major transformative move when it purchased AOL last year for 4.4 billion.*
By purchasing the assets,Verizon gains access to Yahoo's advertising technology tools,BrightRoll and Flurry,as well as its email,search and messenger platforms;and content such as Yahoo News and Yahoo Sports.Verizon is looking to enhance its mobile video and advertising portfolios so as to make up for the slowing wireless business now at a saturation point.They also want Yahoo's scale,which will then drive the company's audience from millions to billions.*
The remainder Yahoo will become a publicly traded holding company with a different name.It will keep its Alibaba Group Holding Ltd 15% stake and 35% of Yahoo Japan,plus its convertible notes and some minority investments.The new Yahoo will be permanently structured to hold these legacy assets.Yahoo had been pressured by activist investor Starboard Value LP to jettison the core business.*
On Verizon's side,its head of product innovation and new business,Marni Walden,will become CEO of the combined firm.*
Verizon Communications Inc (VZ),Yahoo Inc (YHOO)
No comments:
Post a Comment