Yahoo to acquire online publisher Associated Content

Yahoo Inc. has agreed to acquire Associated Content Inc, an online publisher and distributor of original content, the merger of which, Carol Bartz, CEO, Yahoo! Inc said will be ''game changer.''

Based in Denver, Colorado, Associated Content allows anyone to publish their content like news, opinion pieces, reviews, interviews, distributes that content through its website and content partners and pays them depending on how often their article is viewed.

Associated has about 380,000 contributors and in addition to articles, it has categories for video, audio and slide shows.

Tim Armstrong, former head of advertising for Google in North America and a board member of Associated, was accused by some marketing professionals in 2008 for its tactics to gain revenue by ensuring keyword placement in articles. Armstrong's presence in the board is also helping the company.

Sunnyvale, California-based Yahoo said that this strategic move extends its ability to provide high quality, personally relevant content for the benefit of more than 600 million users as well as tens of thousands of advertisers.

''Combining our world-class editorial team with Associated Content's makes this a game-changer," said Carol Bartz. "Together, we'll create more content around what we know our users care about, and open up new and creative avenues for advertisers to engage with consumers across our network. These are important aspects of building engaging consumer experiences on Yahoo!, and one of the reasons why we're one of the most visited destinations online."