15 April 2008
Contextual-search company Sphere has been acquired by AOL, for an undisclosed sum.
The deal will help AOL offer more relevant search results and boost the accuracy of ad targeting for its publishing network.
US-based company Sphere uses its contextual technology to make connections between content from blogs, video, media, photos and advertisements. Results are then displayed in a pop-over window or an integrated widget. Publishers can then enhance articles by incorporating related articles and blog posts.
Ron Grant, AOL president and Chief Operations Officer, said:
Our focus at AOL is providing consumers relevant content wherever they are on the Web, and Sphere's capabilities fit in perfectly with this effort. Not only will it let us enhance content on our own sites, it will let us distribute our content across Sphere's growing third-party publisher network. In addition, this acquisition provides AOL with access to advertising inventory across Sphere's network, while growing its reach to content publishers via the widget.
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