Yahoo Acquires Maktoob
After signing a ten year deal with Microsoft search Bing, today Yahoo has agreed to acquire Maktoob.com, the leading online community in the Arab world with more than 16.5 million people unique users. This will be Yahoo!’s biggest geographic expansion in years.
Soon Arabic versions of Yahoo! Mail, Messenger, Search, and the homepage and then eventually local versions of properties like News, Sports, and Finance will be available to Arab users.
“This acquisition will accelerate Yahoo!’s strategy of expanding in high-growth emerging markets where we believe Yahoo! has unparalleled opportunity to become the destination of choice for consumers,” said Yahoo! chief executive officer Carol Bartz. “Access to information and communications tools can positively impact people’s lives in many ways, and with the acquisition of Maktoob.com and our investment in the region, the Arab world will soon get a Yahoo! experience in Arabic with relevant local language content, programming and services.”
