In a rather surprising move, Yahoo announced that it intends to acquire Arab site Maktoob. This is the first time that Yahoo is acquiring an online property in a localized language. While this move may sound viable especially since Maktoob.com is the Arab region’s largest online community, internet penetration in the region has not yet been fully realized.
Looking into Maktoob’s current condition, it would seem that Maktoob is really a viable acquisition. But being an Arab-localized online community one can’t help but wonder why Yahoo wants to acquire Maktoob.
The official Yahoo corporate blog Yodel Anecdotal explains the reason for the planned acquisition as follows:
“The deal is part of Yahoo! broader strategy to grow our international business, particularly in emerging markets…Our acquisition of Maktoob represents the kind of investment we’re making to cater to the needs of these promising regions.”
The acquisition is scheduled to take place in Q4 at a still undisclose amount. Once Maktoob becomes its property, Yahoo is planning to roll out Arabic versions of its various web products and services including Yahoo! Mail, Messenger, Search and of course the newly revamped Yahoo Home Page.
