News Corporation in talks to buy internet search firm Blinkx

by Jennifer Whitehead, Brand Republic 16-Aug-05, 11:00

LONDON - Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation is in talks to buy internet search firm Blinkx as part of moves to massively boost its online presence with a string of acquisitions.

According to reports, talks between the two companies are at an early stage. The news comes in the week following Murdoch's announcement that News Corp was prepared to spend up to $2bn (£1.1bn) on internet acquisitions, as it seeks to rival established internet companies such as Yahoo!.

Blinkx started out as a desktop search company, but also offers a television search service, allowing internet users to search for video on the internet.

The San Francisco-based company was founded by Suranga Chandratillake, a graduate of Cambridge University, and Mark Opzoomer, who was previously European managing director of Yahoo!.

News Corp has already been on an internet acquisition spree this year, snapping up companies including Intermix Media, which owns Myspace.com, Realestate.com.au and the online sports company Scout Media.

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