Apple buys Quattro

Second mobile advertising network goes for big bucks

So Apple, who were part of the bidding war for AdMob that saw Google reach into it's pocket for $750MM, have just bought Quattro Wireless for $275MM.

I was asked on Twitter earlier "who else might buy an ad network?". Well broadcasters might be a solid bet, but no, you're unlikely to see Microsoft, AOL and Yahoo, the other behemoths of tech M&A, fly in and buy your fledgling mobile advertising business. Why? Because...

...they've all already done so before.

Microsoft bought Screen Tonic in March 2007, AOL bought Third Screen Media about two months later (and all the talent they acquired has now left, which serves them right for forgetting cinema), and Yahoo picked up Actionality three months further on.

Now admittedly, those were all basically boutiques, rather than advertising networks with sizeable reach. And there's still Jumptap, InMobi, Admoda and Millenial to go at in that space. Personally my money's on News Corp, or just maybe Facebook, coming out as the next acquirer in the space. NBC apparently picked up some of the Third Screen talent pool, so perhaps a broadcaster, but who other than News Corp has the same global reach?