Tango,
the popular mobile messaging app, said Tuesday it has struck deals with
media companies including AOL and Vevo to distribute content in a new
effort to differentiate itself in the hotly contested mobile messaging
sector.
Tango
said its 200 million users worldwide will be able to browse new
"Channels" for entertainment, news, sports and other categories to
discover articles, videos and songs. Content providers so far include
music streaming service Spotify, AOL properties including the Huffington
Post and Dailymotion, the video repository.
For
Tango, the media partnerships are critical for its ambitions to become
an online media hub - and a differentiating feature from other messaging
services such as WhatsApp, the startup acquired by Facebook Inc in a
$19 billion deal this year.
WhatsApp,
for instance, has focused exclusively on improving its text-based
messaging service, while China's Tencent Holdings service WeChat touts
the games it offers.
Tango
co-founder Eric Setton said having unique and rich content would
provide a unique draw for users. At the same time, Tango's messaging
service provided the ideal platform to distribute content for media
companies, he argued.
"People
realize that less and less time is spent on Web browsers, and all of
the rest of the time is in apps," Setton said in an interview. "We have a
role to play here, in the distribution of content and the discovery of
content because content producers need a way to get into bigger and
bigger apps."
Facebook's
WhatsApp acquisition in February - the largest in history for a
venture-backed company - cast a spotlight squarely on the promise and
potential value of mobile messaging apps.
Tokyo-based
Line Corp, one of Asia's fastest growing messaging services, is
considering an initial public offering this year, according to media
reports.
Tango
has been watched closely in Silicon Valley circles particularly after
it received an investment exceeding $200 million from Alibaba Group
Holding Ltd in March, effectively cementing its ties to the Chinese
e-commerce giant.
Posted by : Gizmeon
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