Web services firm AOL has announced it has acquired Sphere Source, a provider of contextual tools that offer publishers content related to their news.Under the terms of the arrangement, Sphere will operate as a wholly-owned subsidiary of AOL and will form part of its programming division.
Founded in September 2005 and based in San Francisco, Sphere provides a service that connects mainstream and conversational media, such as blogs, videos and photos.
The contextual results it produces are displayed in a pop-up window or an integrated widget that allows publishers to enhance their articles by incorporating related stories and blog posts.
Prior to purchasing Sphere, AOL had partnered with the company on AOL News and the myAOL service Mgnet.
Commenting on the new deal, Ron Grant, president and chief operating officer of AOL, stated: "Our focus at AOL is providing consumers [with] relevant content wherever they are on the web and Sphere's capabilities fit in perfectly with this effort.
"Not only will it let us enhance content on our own sites, it will let us distribute our content across Sphere's growing third-party publisher network."
Meanwhile, Tony Conrad, chief executive officer of Sphere, added that his firm is "delighted" to be joining forces with AOL.
He went on to say that AOL's properties and platforms will provide Sphere with the opportunity to reach publishing and news environments across the internet.
