The flurry of activity in the content and messaging space continued last week as Wireless Services Corp. announced the acquisition of Mobile Media North America. Terms of the deal were not announced.
WSC said it plans to merge the operations of the off-deck content provider, into SinglePoint, an aggregation business designed to allow content owners and marketing companies to reach wireless users.
Mobile Media North America has relationships with every Tier 1 carrier, and the company’s content partners include ABC News, The Weather Channel and The New York Times. Its 14 employees will be added to WSC’s current workforce of 75, and the division will operate as SinglePoint.
The move is the latest in a multimillion-dollar scramble as companies position themselves to cash in on mobile content and marketing. Amdocs Ltd. recently shelled out $275 million to purchase Qpass Inc., a Seattle-based developer of cross-platform content marketing and billing technology. And VeriSign Inc. last month agreed to pay $250 million to acquire m-Qube, which powers mobile storefronts and marketing campaigns for media companies and major brands including Sony Pictures, Warner Music Group, Reuters, GQ and Major League Baseball.
The MMNA acquisition pales to some other deals in terms of economics, but it appears WSC will continue to shop for new partners. The company said it is nearing completion of a $30 million to $35 million Series C financing round that it expects to close in the next few weeks.
While much of the recent activity in the space currently centers on monetizing content, investors seem convinced that mobile marketing is smart long-term play.
