Thursday, June 8, 2006

Adware Makers Merge

Bellevue, Washington-based 180solutions and Tel Aviv, Israel-based Hotbar, two makers of adware modules, are merging. The two firms said that they will rename themselves Zango, and provide free music, games, videos, and tools. No terms were disclosed, however the Israeli business publication Globes reported that the deal was believed to be worth 52 million NIS (roughly 11.6M in US dollars). The two play in the controversial adware market, where users download and install free applications, which then present advertising to those users. Both 180solutions and Hotbar have been under fire from the government and advertisers for the way their tools are installed and distributed.