In a year that has already been littered with a plethora of mergers and desperately sought buyouts in the mobile space, add another rumor to the pile of yet-to manifest acquisitions, as Microsoft is said to now be in talks with mobile advertising network Millennial Media to acquire the company.
Although rumors of the potential acquisition have only leaked in recent days, Business Insider is reporting that Microsoft may have been in talks with the folks at Millennial for at least eight weeks.
Industry analysts estimate that the mobile ad firm could possibly net as much as $500 million in a deal with Microsoft. For now, no one at Millennial Media – or Microsoft, for that matter – is publicly commenting on the rampant speculation that could ultimately manifest in the public announcement of a done deal in the coming days.
If Microsoft does, in fact, seal the deal, the company will join the stellar likes of Google and Apple, which have also made monumental mobile advertising acquisitions in recent months. Google’s controversial $750 million offer to buy AdMob was followed earlier this year by Apple’s $275 million deal to acquire Quattro Wireless. Apple is now putting their purchase to use in the roll out of Cupertino’s new mobile marketing platform dubbed “iAd.”
While no one is saying the deal is concrete, Microsoft has the money and the need for such an acquisition. And for those very reasons many are expecting a major announcement from Microsoft in the coming days regarding Millennial Media.
At least that’s what the rumor mill is suggesting at this hour…
