NYT: Google said yesterday that it would spend up to $1.24 billion to buy dMarc Broadcasting, whose software can allow marketers to send advertisements directly to local radio stations.
It is the most tangible indication yet of Google’s stated ambition to extend its Web-based network, which sells advertisements on thousands of online sites, to other forms of media as well.
Google agreed to pay $102 million in cash for the privately held dMarc, with additional payments of as much as $1.14 billion over three years, depending on how well the company meets certain performance targets.
The Internet search giant has been testing systems that place advertisements in newspapers and magazines, and it has talked of selling ads for television broadcasters as well.
It plans to integrate dMarc into its existing advertising system so that its 400,000 advertisers will be able to place radio ads in addition to those that appear on Google search results pages and the other Web sites where it sells ads.
