New York-based content discovery and native ad platform company Taboola announced that it is acquiring the Start Division of Celltick — which is a global leader in mobile discovery and engagement. And the deal includes the Start and Start Magazine product lines.
After the acquisition is completed, the Start team and technology will be integrated into the Taboola News division. And it will bring personalized and relevant recommendations in the form of premium publisher content on mobile devices. The deal is expected to be closed by the of March.
Taboola News is integrated with several mobile phone manufacturers including ZTE and vivo. And this deal is going to expand Taboola News to support tier 1 mobile operators, devices manufacturers, and app developers. Taboola News also creates an opportunity for OEMs and mobile carriers to bring a feed of personalized information directly into mobile devices — which creates a new revenue stream for them.
“Through the combination of our strategic premium publisher partnerships globally, our data and deep learning technology, we are able to provide users with a highly personalized content experience that can enrich their lives,” said Taboola CEO and founder Adam Singolda. “Celltick’s Start technology has been used by leading mobile carriers and now together we can provide an even more valuable platform for operators globally that can deliver a more engaged and personalized experience for their users and drive incremental ARPU. I am excited to welcome the Celltick team to Taboola.”
Start Magazine and the associated lock screen called Start will provide mobile operators and device manufacturers with a rich medium for understanding and intelligently engaging with the user. And it will also increase retention by providing targeted promotions. Every month, more than 20 million users turn on their devices enabled with Start and 25 million more users are also exposed to Start Magazine content.
“Our team has developed world-class products that have been adopted by 50 mobile operators and device manufacturers around the world that are being used by tens of millions of users every month,” added Celltick CEO and co-founder Ronen Daniel. “We have reached a point that requires substantial investment to take the product to the next level and I trust that thanks to the deal with Taboola, the products will continue to grow and prosper for the benefit of our customers and the team.”
Taboola enables more than 1.4 billion people to discover interesting content. And Taboola’s discovery platform creates new monetization and engagement opportunities for digital properties and it is powered by Deep Learning, artificial intelligence, and a large dataset. There are a number of digital properties that have long term and exclusive relationships with Taboola including CNBC, USA Today, NBC News, Nikkei, USA Today, Microsoft, Business Insider, Huffington Post, The Independent, BILD, and Le Figaro.
This is not Taboola’s first acquisition. Taboola also acquired and Commerce Sciences in 2017, ConverMedia in 2016, and Perfect Marketing in 2014, according to Adweek.
