BlackBerry is considering spinning off its messaging service into a more independent subsidiary, people familiar with the matter told the Wall Street Journal. The creation of the subsidiary called BBM Inc is part of BlackBerry's earlier announced strategic review, which could include a sale of part or all of the company.
BlackBerry has been shifting executives over to the BBM team and has been working on a number of offerings beyond messaging, including some tools already available to BlackBerry users, like video chatting, the report said. These include the upcoming release of the messaging service for other smartphone platforms such as Android and iOS. It's also planning to introduce the service BBM Channels, a Twitter-like tool meant to allow brands and celebrities to more closely interact with customers and fans. It is also considering making BBM available for desktop computers, one source told the WSJ. BBM has about 60 million monthly active users, according to the company.
