Rumor: Alibaba, Sina Microblog Close to Inking Deal

Tencent Tech, 4/27/13

A number of sources have informed Tencent Tech that Chinese e-commerce conglomerate Alibaba Group is in the end stages of talks to acquire a share in Chinese internet company Sina's (Nasdaq: SINA) Weibo microblogging platform. The sources say a public announcement will be forthcoming in the near future.

A source close to the deal said that the key disagreement between Alibaba and Sina had centered on Alibaba's desire to acquire Sina Weibo outright, as opposed to Sina's desire to bring Alibaba on as a strategic investor and to cooperate with Alibaba at the service level.

Editor's Note: For more information on this topic, please see "Update: Sina Retracts Denial of Alibaba Investment Rumor," MD 12/28/12 and "Update: Alibaba, Baidu Rumored to Invest in Sina Microblog," MD 1/15/13 issues.

Keywords: e-commerce Internet investment Baidu Sina strategic investor microblogging Alibaba Group

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