Microsoft Intends to Acquire Musiwave
Acquisition of
Musiwave would build on Microsoft’s commitment to deliver Connected
Entertainment vision to consumers.
REDMOND, Wash. — Nov.
12, 2007 — Microsoft Corp. today announced it has entered into an
exclusivity agreement around its intention to acquire Musiwave SA, an Openwave
company and a leading provider of mobile music entertainment services to
operators and media companies. The acquisition would bring Musiwave’s
relationships with music labels, device makers and mobile operators that
deliver digital entertainment to consumers, together with Microsoft’s Connected
Entertainment technologies and services, including Windows Mobile, Zune, MSN
and Windows Live. Should the transaction proceed, Musiwave would continue to
operate out of its current headquarters in Paris.
“Microsoft and Musiwave share the same philosophy in working
with hardware and mobile operator partners to deliver great experiences for
mobile device users,” said Pieter Knook, senior vice president of the Mobile
Communications Business at Microsoft. “Bringing Musiwave on board would provide
an opportunity for Microsoft to explore new areas in the mobile space
previously untapped, and to showcase the power of software plus services. This
contemplated acquisition reflects Microsoft’s recognition of the software and technology
expertise in Europe.”
“Musiwave would bring key assets to us as we continue to
bring our vision of Connected Entertainment to life,” said J Allard, corporate
vice president in charge of music at Microsoft. “Its software expertise and
extensive relationships with operators and music companies would help us take
our products and services to the next level, giving people access to whatever
entertainment content they want, whenever and however they want it.”
Today, Microsoft mobile technology runs on a variety of
mobile platforms, featured on more than 140 mobile phones made by 50
handset-makers, sold by more than 160 mobile operators around the world.
Demand for Mobile Music Services Drives Innovation
Today, the mobile music device market is growing at a rapid
rate. According to technology research firm Ovum, 1,106 million mobile music
phones will be shipped worldwide in 2010. Mobile operators are continually
looking for ways to deliver digital entertainment to their customers, and have
looked to companies such as Musiwave to deliver music services that help
provide the necessary infrastructure. As a provider of white-label music
solutions to mobile operators in Europe, Musiwave has helped to bring a rich
selection of millions of ringtones, full-track downloads and music videos to
consumers.
Musiwave also has a rich history of working with a wide
variety of device-makers, across a diverse group of software platforms that
produce music and data-capable mobile devices. Today, software developed by
Musiwave can be found on most handsets available in Europe.
About Musiwave
Musiwave, an Openwave company (Openwave Systems Inc. NASDAQ:
OPWV), is a leading provider of mobile music entertainment solutions, including
software, marketing and content management, to operators and media companies
worldwide. For more information, please visit www.musiwave.net.
