Microsoft Buying Rapt

 By: Mitra Hooman (3/17/2008) 

Microsoft Corp. plans to acquire Rapt Inc., a provider of advertising yield management solutions for digital media publishers.  Microsoft intends to use Rapt’s technology and its information and advisory services offerings as new components in the Atlas Publisher Suite, part of Microsoft’s Advertiser and Publisher Solutions Group.  This, the two companies claim, will result in an “integrated publisher sales workflow solution. This solution will improve upon the existing industry offerings for publishers' sales teams.” By using “existing pricing analytics, inventory management and business intelligence products on top of Atlas’ ad serving platform.”

Rapt’s technology includes its Price Director , Inventory Manager , and Business Advisor.  Its services include Advisory Services direct at best-practice yield strategy and operations; Rapt’s Information Services offers “insight into supply, demand, and value dynamics across the digital media industry. 

According to Rapt’s Founder President and CEO Tom Chavez, Rapt’s client base already includes half of America’s top 25 publishers such as CNET Networks, Dow Jones & Company, Expedia, Fox Interactive Media, Microsoft, MTV Networks, NBC Universal, The New York Times Company, Reuters, and USA TODAY.

Brian McAndrews, senior vice president of the Advertiser and Publisher Solutions Group at Microsoft, said in the statement announcing the acquisition, “Online publishers have a complex array of needs, and they require more attentive and sophisticated partners to help them solve these challenges.  With this acquisition, we are uniquely positioned to help publishers succeed on all fronts. Our end-to-end solution will include workflow tools, ad package and delivery, turnkey distribution, content partnerships, and yield management and optimization."

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