Rumor: Baidu to Acquire UC Mobile

IT xinwen, 6/14/12

According to an informed industry source, Chinese online search firm Baidu (Nasdaq: BIDU) will acquire mobile browser developer UC Mobile, in a move to increase its mobile internet traffic. Hao123, Baidu's PC online web directory site, has lost increasing market share to Chinese online security software developer Qihoo 360's (NYSE: QIHU) Hao.360.cn, while Baidu currently has no share of the mobile browser market: conditions that, comparatively speaking, make Baidu most in need of UC at this time. According to Baidu Mobile's (m.baidu.com) data analytics, in Q1 through Q4 of 2011, UC Mobile's UCWeb mobile browser accounted for 33.2% of total third-party browser page views, while Tencent's Mobile QQ Browser accounted for 14.8% and Norwegian browser developer Opera accounted for 1.0%, indicating that over 30% of traffic for m.baidu.com is derived from UC. Unofficial reports put this number even higher, at approximately 70%.

Keywords: wireless Baidu BIDU mobile browser UC Mobile UCWEB M&A

Feedback

Sending

Disclaimer

The information contained in this newsletter is based upon sources that Marbridge Consulting believes to be reliable, and we have made every effort to translate the original articles or article excerpts as faithfully as possible. However, Marbridge Consulting makes no warranty of and assumes no legal responsibility for the accuracy of either the original source material or the English language translations.

Marbridge Daily