Mobile and social app publisher Cellfish announced it had acquired digital advertising platform ToneMedia today. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, however.
Cellfish works in a number of different areas, but is mostly known for Bandsintown, a concert discovery app for music fans on Facebook, iOS and Android. The company has also partnered with Universal Music and now creates interactive home screen apps for a number of high-profile artists including Justin Bieber, Rihanna and Deadmau5.
The company also develops custom apps for a number of featured partners in other industries, however, including Fox, Marvel and the NBA.
ToneMedia, meanwhile, is an advertising platform that connects marketers with consumers through music and online lyric sites. The company operates through a number of outlets – over 50 content publishers in total – and offers large corporations premium advert spots based on consumers’ tastes and buying behavior.
The company now claims to have a global reach of 120 million music fans every month, of which 55 million are in the United States alone.
ToneMedia will now become the advertising division of Cellfish, however. Val Katayev will remain as ToneMedia’s CEO and report directly to Fabrice Sergent, CEO and founder of Cellfish.
“By marrying our extensive reach with Cellfish’s publishing expertise across mobile and social, we are excited to create stronger offerings for brands, promoters and all advertisers looking to engage their consumers in an accountable and meaningful way, leveraging the power of music,” Katayev said in a statement.
Cellfish has already acquired two companies since it was founded in 2004. The company snapped up mobile app publisher Airborne Mobile in October 2010, before buying Bandsintown in September 2011.
ToneMedia’s expertise in the music industry should give Cellfish some additional know-how regarding its numerous custom home screens offered through Universal Music, as well as the ongoing development of its own service Bandsintown.
“Cellfish has built its reputation on publishing innovative mobile and social apps for sports, music and entertainment fans,” Sergent added. “Our revenues have primarily been generated from selling content, and with the addition of ToneMedia, we gain the scale and content distribution capabilities to monetize through advertising.”
Image Credit: David Ramos/Getty Images
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