Microsoft acquires ad solutions provider Rapt

Microsoft announced it will acquire digital media advertising yield management solutions provider Rapt. Financial terms were not disclosed. Microsoft will integrate Rapt's technology platform and information and advisory services offerings into its Atlas Publisher Suite, part of the software giant's Advertiser and Publisher Solutions Group; according to Microsoft, Rapt's addition promises publishers integrated asset and inventory management, forecasting, yield and sales management, and ad delivery and operations. Rapt clients include Dow Jones & Company, MTV Networks, NBC Universal, Fox Interactive Media and The New York Times Company. "Online publishers have a complex array of needs, and they require more attentive and sophisticated partners to help them solve these challenges," said Microsoft Advertiser and Publisher Solutions Group senior vice president Brian McAndrews in a prepared statement. "With this acquisition, we are uniquely positioned to help publishers succeed on all fronts. Our end-to-end solution will include workflow tools, ad package and delivery, turnkey distribution, content partnerships and yield management and optimization."

For more on the Rapt acquisition:
- read this release [1]

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