Report: Microsoft To Acquire Leading Mobile Ad Network InMobi

According to a report from SeekingAlpha, Microsoft is acquiring mobile ad network InMobi for about $2 billion. The report also stated that even Google and Yahoo were in talks with InMobile, but were not able to reach the deal.

About InMobi,

InMobi enables consumers to discover amazing products through mobile advertising. Through Miip, a revolutionary discovery platform, developers, merchants & brands can engage mobile consumers globally. Recognized by MIT Technology Review as one of the 50 Most Disruptive Companies in the world, InMobi enables over 100 billion discovery sessions on mobile across a billion users every month, becoming the largest discovery platform in the world.

InMobile is still a private company with investments from Sherpalo, SoftBank and Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers. The company was founded in 2007 in India with offices in several countries. When asked for a comment, Microsoft spokesperson declined to comment on rumors. It is hard to believe this report because Microsoft has been scaling down its ad business since the aQuantive debacle. Back in 2013, Microsoft sold its Atlas Advertiser Suite to Facebook. Atlas is a leader in campaign management and measurement for marketers and agencies. Right now, Microsoft Advertising just includes Bing Ads and display advertising using MSN and other Microsoft services and apps. I’m not sure whether Microsoft will be once again jumping into the core advertising business. If Microsoft acquires InMobi, they will be competing against Google’s AdMob, AOL’s Millennial Media, and Facebook Audience Network. What do you think of this new report?