Today Microsoft announced the acquisition of ScreenTonic, a European mobile advertising company that delivers location-specific ads to mobile devices. The purchase will tie together Microsoft’s Digital Advertising Solutions and Microsoft’s Windows Live for Mobile. From the press release,
“ScreenTonic’s mobile solutions provide advertisers with a complete range of ad formats, from display to text, as well as ad management and reporting capabilities, while serving the needs of mobile operators and independent publishers equally…The acquisition of ScreenTonic, in addition to Microsoft’s work with industry groups such as the Mobile Marketing Association and the Interactive Advertising Bureau, will be an extension of Microsoft’s commitment to connect advertisers with their target audiences at home, at work and on the go across multiple digital devices such as PCs, Xbox® video game systems and mobile phones.”
The ScreenTonic acquisition, besides giving Microsoft a stake in the European Mobile market, fits with Microsoft’s vision to expand the internet (and advertising) beyond the browser. In March, Microsoft used their Techfest to introduce a number of theoretical products that use search beyond the browser (and in some cases, beyond the computer). Mid-March, Microsoft bought voice recognition software, TellMe Networks, and in April, introduced Silverlight, an variation of Windows Media Player for the browser. ScreenTonic fits into Microsoft’s growing arsenal of applications that use the internet as a thread linking the browser, the desktop and other types of hardware.
Financial details of the acquisition were not disclosed.
