Google has acquired ad optimization firm Admeld for the sum of $400 million, according to a report in AdAge citing “a source close to the deal.” TechCrunch is also reporting it as a done deal. However, other news outlets, including the New York Times, are being more cautious, saying that “the deal has not been completed and could still fall apart.” Presumably all will be revealed in the very near future.
If it does go through, it would expand Google’s advertising business markedly, taking it beyond its usual text ads to those including images and video. “Admeld’s mission is to keep premium publishers on the cutting edge of advertising technology, enabling them to maximize their revenue and sell their inventory smarter and safer,” Admeld says on its website.
Admeld was founded in 2007 and is based in New York City, with other offices in San Francisco, London, Berlin and Toronto. On its website, the company lists current clients as Answers.com, Fox News, IDG TechNetwork, Hearst Television, Discovery, The Weather Channel and “more than 500 others worldwide.”
As pointed out by AdAge, this acquisition would be Google’s 12th since the start of the year. If the California-based search engine giant continues to buy up companies at this rate, it’ll probably own most of the Internet by the end of the decade. Speaking about the company’s recent spending back in April, Google’s chief financial officer Patrick Pichette said, “It’s clear that our past investments have been crucial to our success today – which is why we continue to invest for the long term.”
The Federal Trade Commission will no doubt want to take a close look at any proposed tie-up with Admeld, with Google already occupying a dominant position in the online advertising business. Last year, after months of scrutiny, the regulator gave the green light to Google’s $750 million acquisition of AdMob, a mobile advertising company.
Representatives from both Google and Admeld have so far refused to comment on reports of the takeover.
