As it looks to boost its mobile offering, Yahoo has acquired self-destructing messaging app, Blink, poaching the entire team behind the product.
In a statement on its website on Tuesday, Blink said the small team of seven built the mobile app because they believe “everyone should be free to show the same honesty and spontaneity in their online conversations as they can in person. We look forward to the possibilities that will come from bringing the Blink vision to Yahoo.”
It has been widely reported that Yahoo, which has purchased around 40 start-ups in the last two years, will shut the app down entirely so the Blink team can work on Yahoo products.
After a slide in advertising revenues and the subsequent sacking of chief operating officer, Henrique de Castro, in January, Yahoo has been looking to mobile to boost advertising revenues.
A whole range of new products were announced at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas after Yahoo’s share of worldwide digital ad revenues dropped from 3.4% in 2012 to 2.9% in 2013.
Display advertising revenue, which accounts for approximately 40% of Yahoo’s sales, declined -7% to £257 million.
In a similar move, Facebook purchased WhatsApp for £11 billion earlier this year.
The mobile messaging service – which has approximately 450 million users every month and one million new registered users per day – comes as the world’s largest social network looks for ways to boost its popularity, especially among younger audiences.
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