Yahoo! buys vid-pusher BrightRoll for $640m

Exclamation mark populariser keen to bump up ad revs

Yahoo! has bought video advertising service BrightRoll for $640m in a bid to become the "biggest video advertising platform" in the US.

The transaction will combine Yahoo!'s desktop and mobile video advertising to "bring substantial value to advertisers on both platforms", apparently.

This year, BrightRoll estimates revenues will be in excess of $100m.

Yahoo! said the move will "dramatically strengthen" its video advertising platform, "making it the largest in the US", apparently.

Chief executive Marissa Mayer said: "Video, along with mobile, social, and native, is driving a surge in digital advertising."

"Here at Yahoo!, video is one of the largest growth opportunities, and BrightRoll is a terrific, strategic and financially compelling fit for our video advertising business," she enthused.

The occasional search engine could certainly do with a shot in the arm, as its third quarter results last month saw it report revenue growth of one per cent, to $1.1bn, compared with the same period last year.

Meyer attributed the increase to the firm's new areas of investment including mobile and video, and this was "despite industry headwinds in some of our large, legacy businesses". ®