News Corporation shells out $188M for piece of Jamba
Apparently, we're in the wrong business. Media powerhouse News Corporation has agreed to purchase a controlling interest in ringtone guru Jamba for $188 -- yes, $188 million from current owner VeriSign. The resulting joint venture will be folded into News' Fox Mobile Entertainment group, creating a terrifyingly large mobile media behemoth from whose gravity no one will be able to escape. Alright, maybe that's a little alarmist, but it does seem plausible that some extraordinarily high percentage of all ringtones purchased in the future across the globe will ultimately come from Jamba (or its American subsidiary, Jamster). If there's one positive note to come out of this monopol... er, agreement, it's that Jamba will soon be offering The Simpsons Mobile, a themed store offering wallpaper, ringtones, screensavers, and video from the popular show. Now if we can only hook ourselves up without getting duped by a free ringtone scheme, we'll be good to go.
[Via MobileTracker]
