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Jamba becomes Fox Mobile Group after News Corporation purchase
Two years ago, News Corporation shelled out some serious greenbacks for a slice of Jamba. Now, the monolithic company has paid an additional $200 million for the remaining 49% stake in the ringtone guru. Moving forward, Jamba will be continued under a different name -- Fox Mobile Group -- which will be comprised of three distinct operating business units. The Fox Mobile Distribution unit will assume responsibility for global distribution of mobile content, while Fox Mobile Entertainment focuses on licensing content on behalf of Fox Entertainment Group, and Fox Mobile Studios houses creative and technology talents / assets that develop original mobile content. Potentially more pertinent is that the newly formed FMG will launch a new US brand in Q1 2009, which will reportedly focus on "cross-platform content and simple pricing plans."[Via mocoNews]
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]
