Opera obtains Bemobi to bring monetization services for Android Apps

Opera Software has announced its acquisition of Bemobi, a subscription-based mobile-app-discovery service in Latin America.

The combination of Bemobi’s industry-leading service with Opera’s global footprint, existing carrier and handset manufacturer relationships and app-distribution capabilities, allows Opera to bring innovative app-discovery and monetization services across the globe and position Opera as the global leader in this space.

Bemobi offers a unique, one of a kind, “Netflix-style” subscription service for premium Android apps. Working with mobile operators, Bemobi’s proprietary app-wrapping technology allows smartphone owners access to unlimited use of premium mobile apps for a small weekly fee. Users pay for this service through their mobile operator billing systems, making the service highly effective in emerging markets, where credit-card and debit-card penetration is low.

“Opera has expanded rapidly in the mobile-app ecosystem, and our goal is to innovate within this space in a manner that benefits everyone. Bemobi is a natural fit for Opera in this direction. This acquisition brings an added dimension to our app-discovery services, with a new monetization model that has proven to work well in our core markets,” said Lars Boilesen, CEO, Opera Software...Read more