Viber denies takeover talk

News Wireless Global 11 FEB 2014
Viber denies takeover talk
Mobile messaging service Viber has denied reports it's in talks to be acquired by a large Asian rival. Viber CEO Talmon Marco told Israeli paper Globes that he was "unaware of any such talks, and I have no idea where the media found this". According to an earlier report by the Israeli news service Calcalist, the company was in talks to be acquired for USD 300-400 million. Viber, which is based in Cyprus, has a development centre in Israel. Unnamed sources told Globes that Viber hired Goldman Sachs several months ago to seek a buyer for the company at a value of USD 500-600 million, but no taker had been found to date. The sources added that the company is still up for sale. Viber has more than 200 million users in 193 countries. 

Categories:

Mobile

Companies:

Viber

Regions:

Global

Tags:

Unified communications, Messaging, M&A buyouts & divestments

Related Articles

BRAZIL 2 MRT 2014

Viber sees 20% growth per month in Brazil

Messaging app Viber gained 2 million users in Brazil during the month of February, mainly due to a promotion providing free voice calls to landlines, reports Folha de Sao Paulo. The company told the daily that the number of users in Brazil has now reached 12 million, representing a 20 percent increase in the user base in the country. The free calls to landline promotion runs until 10 March and may be extended if the company considers the initiative a success (25% increase in the flow of text messages per we

GLOBAL 14 FEB 2014

Rakuten buys Viber for USD 900 mln

Japanese e-commerce group Rakuten has agreed to buy the mobile messaging service Viber for USD 900 million. Rakuten said the deal supports its expansion in the digital content space, following its acquisitions of Kobo, Wuaki.tv and Viki. Viber's messaging and VoIP services can be offered to the some 225 million customers of Rakuten's other web services, joining its 'Super Points' rewards programmes. Rakuten said it also sees potential to expand Viber's stickers platform and develop it as a gaming service, s

GLOBAL 11 FEB 2014

'Aziatische messagingbedrijven azen op Viber'

Viber Media, het bedrijf achter de messaging app Viber, wordt mogelijk overgenomen door een onbekende Aziatische partij die zelf ook mobile messagingdiensten levert. Dat beweren althans Israëlische media op basis van anonieme bronnen. Hoewel er geen namen worden genoemd, suggereren geruchten dat het zou kunnen gaan om het Chinese Tencent, ontwikkelaar van WeChat of Line Corporation, maker van de messaging app Line. Ook wordt het Zuid-Koreaanse KaKao, het bedrijf achter KakaoTalk, genoemd als koper van Viber

BRAZIL 3 FEB 2014

Viber to open office in Brazil

Internet messaging and communication service Viber will open an office in Brazil as part of its international expansion strategy, said founder Mark Talmo, Folha de Sao Paulo reported. The company, which will open an office in Sao Paulo, expects to hire professionals in the marketing field and increase its number of users in Brazil from the current 10 million.

SAUDI ARABIA 17 DEC 2013

Viber circumvents Saudi CITC ban

The makers of the smartphone application Viber, which lets users send free text messages and photos, appear to have outsmarted the Saudi Communications and Information Technology Commission (CITC), six months after its was blocked from operating in the country, according to Agence France-Presse (AFP). Saudi residents claim they have been able to download Viber onto their phones again in recent days, AFP. Viber said in June that it was working on a way to enable users there to connect to Viber. The company h

GLOBAL 10 DEC 2013

Viber announces global launch of Viber Out service

Viber has released Viber 4.1 for Android and iPhone which includes the full global launch of 'Viber Out', a new feature that allows users to make low-cost calls to any mobile or landline phone number. With the official worldwide launch, Viber Out enables all Viber users to call anyone worldwide at low rates on Android, iPhone and Desktop, coming to Windows Phone in the future. Viber Out credit can be bought with an in-app purchase from the Google Play Store or the Apple App Store, or with a credit card via

GLOBAL 12 NOV 2013

Viber introduces version 4.0 of mobile platform

Viber has released version 4.0 of its platform on iPhone and Android, bringing two new core features including a new Sticker Market and a new Push To Talk feature for instant voice messaging to its mobile platform. The release also provides support for Android tablets and is the first release in which Viber will introduce a monetisation feature. With the new release of Viber Sticker Market, customers can access a larger selection of stickers. The market will also offer exclusive content tied to timely event

Just In

16:42

SLT-Mobitel launches 5G network in Sri Lanka

16:19

Dialog Axiata launches 5G network, connects 1.5 million subscribers

15:56

UK govt to ban AI-enabled nudification apps to protect women, girls

15:42

3 UK launches last-minute Christmas sale

Commentary

13:56

Video market set for slower growth ahead

11:38

Netflix buys Warner Bros to deepen content catalogue

11:11

KPN's mixed performance in Q3 raises questions for strategy day

15:26

Stock markets breaking records but what happened to Odido's IPO plans?

Background

01:04

The week in telecom: Wi-Fi bolt-ons take off to boost broadband growth, video market works on consolidation

01:39

The week in telecom: Netflix wins bidding for Warner Bros, Apple poaches new execs, Samsung debuts trifold

13:51

Proximus vs. Telenet: Proximus performs better in Q3 while Telenet uses up cash

14:16

Proximus Domestic still struggling with low margins

Complete profile

Before downloading the whitepaper, we would like to ask you to complete your profile with company and position. After confirming you will receive the white paper.