Yahoo! eyes Tumblr? 10 buys of once-iconic Internet firm

Moneycontrol Bureau

The online space is abuzz with talks of the erstwhile internet behemoth, now struggling Yahoo! gearing up for a "special announcement" Monday said to be a USD 1.1 billion deal to take over popular blogging platform Tumblr.

If true, the acquisition would be CEO Marissa Mayer's largest deal since taking the helm of the once-iconic Internet company in July 2012. Tumblr is likely to give Yahoo a younger user base that would bolster the older website's "cool factor", the technology blog AllThingsD cited the sources as saying.

Mayer, who spent 13 years at Google Inc, is trying to revitalize a former Internet powerhouse that in recent years has struggled with declining business. On its home page, Tumblr says it hosts 108 million blogs, with 50.7 billion posts between them.

Here are Yahoo! 10 big acquisitions over the years:

• Broacast.com USD 7.6 billion, 1999
• Geocities USD 4.9 billion, 1999.
• Overture Services USD 2.06 billion, 2003.
• Tumblr USD 1.1 billion, 2013.
• Right Media USD 750 million, 2007.
• Kelkoo USD 696 million, 2004.
• eGroups USD 568 million, 2000.
• Hotjobs USD 554 million, 2002.
• Zimbra USD 386 million, 2007
• Blue Lithium USD 333 million, 2007.

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