Acquisitions

One of the biggest tech companies in the world, California based Google is buying anti-piracy software firm Widevine. The company has reported this news on its official blog past days. Widevine will extend already huge Google portfolio in online video services, Seattle based company has been developing digital-rights management software and counts more than 250 million Web-connected Tvs and other devices. Software protects video content from unauthorized use, but so far no more details has been known. Google didn't even specify the price for an acquisition, but it raised about $65 million from its investors including Cisco Systems. Although Google is „excited“ t! o include Widevine into its portfolio, it failed in another possible contract. Chicago-based Internet company Groupon Inc has rejected Google's offer for takeover. Google was willing to pay between $5 to 6 billion for Groupon that was valuated for about $1.35 billion in April 2010. Despite the fact Google wanted to pay several times more, Groupon decided to remain independent and do its business without any interferences. Groupon has been very successful company with unique business model based on deal-of-the-day marketing product. Groupon combines local sellers and vendors with internet users who sign down for a discount and wait. If there is enough of potential deal seekers, the deal (means discount) will be available for all who have signed. The discounts are quite massive offering between 50 up to 90 percent reductions. Although Groupon has been growing extremely well in last years, its business strategy is easy to copy and it recent years perhaps hundreds of companies! have appeared using the same model. This situation makes Goog! le's dem and even more interesting, because Google has its own capacity to create rival countercompany or just buy another successful deal-of-the day business.

related story (sgx18728): http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20101204/tc_nm/us_google_widevine...

by Milota Sidorova for Cantell TV (http://cantell.tv)

Cantell TV is the fastest growing provider of digital broadcasting coupled with telecommunications, allowing people to easily control, view, upload and share digital content through proprietary interface coupled with free phone calls. Cantell TV! is committed to delivering infinite choices to your world of entertainment at the tip of your fingers.

If I were one of the most powerful and the richest people in the world, I would probably want to be even bigger, wealthier and stronger. Such a desire has always been and always will be dangerous. There is no surprise that every time someone comes with these intentions, the rest of the world want to stop him. Google, as one of the most spreading companies in the world, is giving people the shivers. Picture of everything possessed by Google creates an idea that we are living in a Google world. And this kind of picture is not very pleasant. That is the reason, why the group of online travel firms urged the US authorities to block Google from purchasing flight information comp! any ITA Software. In their opinion, Goggle will get too much control over the lucrative sector. As ITA Software powers most of travel agencies’ rivals in travel search, there is a threat that Google could manipulate and dominate the online air travel marketplace. The coalition of travel sites and technology companies said: “The end result could be higher travel prices, fewer travel choices for consumers and businesses, and less innovation in online travel search.” But what if the reverse would be true? ITA Software which specializes in organizing airline data, including flight times, availability and prices will simply help Google to provide better results for its users, said Andrew Silverman, a Google senior product manager. As he added: “ITA Software and Google are not competitors so there will not be less choice for consumers.”

related story (sgx18495): http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20101026/tc_afp/usitcompanytrave...

by Barbora Misakova for Cantell TV (http://cantell.tv)

Cantell TV is the fastest growing provider of digital broadcasting coupled with telecommunications, allowing people to easily control, view, upload and share digital content through proprietary interface coupled with free phone calls. Cantell TV is committed to delivering infinite choices to your world of entertainment at the tip of your fingers.

Keby som bola jedným z najvplyvnejších a najbohatších ľudí na svete, určite by som sa s týmto statusom neuspokojila. Chcela by som byť ešte vplyvnejšia, ešte bohatšia, ešte väčšia. Takáto túžba však vždy bola a vždy aj bude veľmi nebezpečná. Niet sa preto čomu čudovať, že ak sa podobné tendencie objavia u niektorého z vyspelých „primátov“, zvyšok komunity začne proti tomu revoltovať. Google, ako jedna z najrýchlejšie sa rozrastajúcich korporácií na sv! ete, naháňa ľuďom strach. Predstava, že všetko patrí jednej spoločnosti – konkrétne spoločnosti Google, vedie postupne k presvedčeniu, že žijeme v Google svete. A takýto obraz (nech už je akokoľvek reálny) nie je práve najmilší. Aj to je dôvodom, prečo skupina internetových cestovných spoločností nalieha na americkú vládu, aby zablokovala spoločnosť Google a jej snahu o odkúpenie leteckej informačnej spoločnosti ITA Software. Podľa nich totiž získa Google príliš veľkú kontrolu nad týmto lukratívnym sektorom. Nakoľko spoločnosť ITA Software spolupracuje s konkurentmi cestovného vyhľadávania mnohých cestovných agentúr, existuje obava, že by spoločnosť Google mohla manipulovať s týmto trhom. Pod&! #318;a koalície cestovných online predajcov a techno! logick&# 253;ch spoločností by „konečným výsledkom mohli byť vyššie ceny, menej možností pre zákazníkov a celkovo menej inovácie v online vyhľadávaní cestovných spojov.“ No čo ak by bol opak pravdou? ITA Software, ktorá sa špecializuje na organizovanie leteckých dát, vrátane času odletov, dostupnosti a cenám jednotlivých letov bude podľa slov vedúceho produkčného manažéra spoločnosti Google, Andrewa Silvermana, jednoducho pomáhať spoločnosti poskytovať svojim používateľom ešte lepšie služby a informácie. Ako dodal: „ITA Software a Google nie sú konkurenti, takže nehrozí žiadne zníženie informovanosti a znevýhodňovanie zákazníkov.“

related story (sgx18499): http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20101026/tc_afp/usitcompanytrave...

by Barbora Misakova for Cantell TV (http://cantell.tv)

Cantell TV is the fastest growing provider of digital broadcasting coupled with telecommunications, allowing people to easily control, view, upload and share digital content through proprietary interface coupled with free phone calls. Cantell TV is committed to delivering infinite choices to your world of entertainment at the tip of your fingers.

As if Microsoft hasn’t been big enough. This public multinational corporation, that develops, manufactures, licenses and supports a wide range of products and services, mostly related to computing, wants to be even stronger. That is the reason why it made another acquisition. As it announced on Wednesday, it bought AVIcode, a Maryland-based company that monitors the performance of online applications and services, is operating since 1998, AVIcode, leading provider of application monitoring solutions, with its award-winning technology and innovative products was designed to protect software investments by simplifying maintenance and troubleshooting. Microsoft said this! Baltimore-based and a privately held company will become wholly-owned subsidiary. Brad Anderson, Microsoft corporate vice president wrote in his blog post, that AVIcode technology will help to provide understanding of an application’s performance and quality and its software has already been integrated into such Microsoft services such as Xbox Live. But what would it mean for Microsoft’s customers? According to Anderson, this acquisition will provide higher quality of services. It will provide “access to a new set of capabilities to help you keep those business-critical datacenter applications and services up and running.” he said. By the words of Mike Curreri, AVIcode chief executive, both firms “share common vision about the evolution of application performance management and monitoring.” As he added with modesty: “With AVIcode technology, thousands of users worldwide have dramatically reduced the time required to diagnose and r! esolve application problems.” If you were interested in ! financia l terms of this transaction, I will have to disappoint you, they were not disclosed!

related story (sgx18351): http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20101006/tc_afp/usitcompanytakeo...

by Barbora Misakova for Cantell TV (http://cantell.tv)

Cantell TV is the fastest growing provider of digital broadcasting coupled with telecommunications, allowing people to easily control, view, upload and share digital content through proprietary interface coupled with free phone calls. Cantell TV is committed to delive! ring infinite choices to your world of entertainment at the tip of your fingers.

Burger King, could be called also Second King, as it is McDonald’s biggest rival, is a global chain of hamburger fast food restaurants. The company began as a franchise restaurant chain in USA in 1953. It took 9 years till the company opened its first restaurant beyond the US border and today it has more than 1,200 restaurants in 76 countries. Most of these restaurants are possessed by private capacities, but 31 percent of Burger King’s outstanding shares are still possessed by consortium of private equity firms: TPG Capital, Bain Capital Partners and Goldman Sachs Funds. But all of them have agreed to tender their stock in the deal offered by 3GCapital. As Bur! ger King Holdings Inc. has announced, it is selling itself to private equity firm in a deal valued at $3.26 billion. Thursday’s offer soared Burger King’s shares to an 18-month high, what represented $24-per-share. During the financial crisis of 2007-2010 the company’s business has declined while McDonald’s has grown. As the economy has been bad for its most important group of customers – young men, Burger King struggled. But the offer from 3G Capital sent Burger King’s shares up more than 15 percent and the offer is a nearly 46 percent premium over the company’s stock price before rumors began circulating about the deal. According to the terms of deal with 3G, Burger King’s Chairman and CEO John Chidsey will become co-chairman of the board. Other co-chairman will be 3G Managing Partner Alex Behring who will together with Chidsey supervise this America’s second-largest hamburger chain.

related story (sgx18! 130): http://www.france24.com/en/20100902-burger-king-sold-private...

by Barbora Misakova for Cantell TV (http://cantell.tv)

Cantell TV is the fastest growing provider of digital broadcasting coupled with telecommunications, allowing people to easily control, view, upload and share digital content through proprietary interface coupled with free phone calls. Cantell TV is committed to delivering infinite choices to your world of entertainment at the tip of your fingers.

When United and Continental Airlines confirmed in May that they have agreed to merge in a share swap deal which will create the world’s largest carrier, no one expected it would take that long. While boards of directors of both companies approved this merge unanimously, they still need approval from shareholders of the two carriers and also US anti-trust authorities. Although EU’s anti-monopoly monitors already approved this merger on Tuesday, there is bigger danger from US authorities’ quarter, as they turned down a United-US Airways deal in 2001. The new merged giant will keep the United name and maintain its headquarters in Chicago. If everything goes w! ell, airline will account for seven percent of global airline capacity, what will bring it ahead of US rival Delta with its six percent. The combined company will also have a 21 percent share of the huge US air market, what represents annual revenues of approximately 29 billion dollars. An unrestricted cash balance of about $4.7 billion is bad neither. Expectations of $1 to $1.2 billion dollars delivered in net annual gains by 2013 are quite brave, as merge is not completely approved. As Glenn Tilton, president and chief executive officer of UAL Corp. said: “This combination will provide strong platform for sustainable, long-term value for shareholders, opportunities for employees, and more and better scheduled service and destinations for customers.” European Commission informed that “the transaction would not significantly impede effective competition” in Europe and both networks are “complementary as they have hubs in different US cities.! 221; The new airline, if US anti-trust authorities agree the m! erger, w ill serve more than 144 million passengers per year with 270 destinations in 59 countries.

related story (sgx17912): http://www.france24.com/en/20100727-eu-approves-worlds-bigge...

by Barbora Misakova for Cantell TV (http://cantell.tv)

Cantell TV is the fastest growing provider of digital broadcasting coupled with telecommunications, allowing people to easily control, view, upload and share digital content through proprietary interface coupled with free phone calls. Cantell TV is committed to delivering infinite choices to your world of entertainment at the tip of your fingers.

Google never ceases to amaze everyone; after all it must keep up its reputation of king Midas of the Internet. After just being caught with its hands in the cookie jar, Google moved on and acquired a corporation that develops real-time voice and video processing software. The attention has been redirected extremely fast, thus shooting two birds with one fire: ending all talks about the data collected by mistake and developing the company’s audio and video Internet branch. Moving forth to the latest topic on Google, it is vital to mention that the Internet is continuously expanding and requires innovation in order! to remain on top of the competition. Therefore, as video and audio communication over the Internet is becoming more and more important for surfers, Google needed something that will help the company to be like usually, one step ahead of the competition (aka Microsoft, Yahoo, etc). Global IP Solutions offers VoIP solutions for real-time communications over IP networks. Among its most famous projects there are the narrowband iLBC and wideband iSAC speech codecs. The customers are service providers, developers and hardware manufacturers which get a premium service in solving real-time audio and video applications impairments. In fact, Google and GIPS are for the time been in talks and the deal has yet to be signed. GIPS shareholders must still approve the offer made by Google: a premium of 142.1% over the market’s share price. The good news is that competition watchdog can rest undisturbed as the deal doesnR! 17;t require its approval-at least that’s what the two c! orporati ons involved in the deal are saying. Stay connected and you might be surprised…

related story (sgx17345): http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20100518/tc_nm/us_globalipsolutio...

by Claudia Sonea for Cantell TV (http://cantell.tv)

Cantell TV is the fastest growing provider of digital broadcasting coupled with telecommunications, allowing people to easily control, view, upload and share digital content through proprietary interface coupled with free phone calls. Cantell TV is committed to delivering infinite choices to your world o! f entertainment at the tip of your fingers.