eBay To Acquire Skype
[Update: eBay has posted on its web site the presentation (PDF) used in its investor call earlier this morning.]
eBay has announced an agreement to acquire Skype Technologies SA for $2.6 billion plus additional performance-based compensation.
The acquisition will strengthen eBay's global marketplace and payments platform, while opening several new lines of business and creating significant new monetization opportunities for the company. The deal also represents a major opportunity for Skype to advance its leadership in Internet voice communications and offer people worldwide new ways to communicate in a global online era. Skype, eBay and PayPal will create an unparalleled ecommerce and communications engine for buyers and sellers around the world.In its press release eBay said the acquisition will be dilutive to earnings for the next year, reaching breakeven on a pro forma (but not GAAP basis) in the fourth quarter of 2006.PayPal and Skype also make a powerful combination. For example, a PayPal wallet associated with each Skype account could make it much easier for users to pay for Skype fee-based services, adding to the number of PayPal accounts and increasing payment volume.
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