The document provides a market analysis of the instant messaging application market. It summarizes that global mobile messaging traffic is forecasted to nearly double between 2012 and 2017, driven primarily by growth in over-the-top instant messaging services. Major players in the instant messaging market are described, and it is noted that over $300 million has been invested in instant messaging startups since 2003. Acquisition and IPO exit opportunities in the instant messaging market are also reviewed.
Facebook’s $19 billion purchase of WhatsApp solidified 2014 as a breakthrough year for messaging apps, but what role can brands and media owners play in the conversation? The answer lies in understanding a fragmented industry landscape dominated by a few key players with strikingly different philosophies, product offerings, and geographic and demographic strongholds. If you think apps are just a cheaper way to text, you’re missing their potential: they’re content portals enabling 1:1 interaction with friends and fans.
After extensive research and first-hand experience launching a One Direction campaign on Kik, the IPG Lab has produced a comprehensive white paper to help marketers navigate the evolving messaging space. In this report, they’ll explore how the battle for messaging app dominance is likely to unfold, and take a closer look at the ecosystem, case studies, and best practices to understand what brands and media owners need to know to succeed in this new frontier of social media.
For more news about emerging media and technology head over to www.ipglab.com.
Echelon 2013: The Future of Mobile in Asia by Thomas Claytone27
With the phenomenal growth Facebook and Twitter followed by that of Line, KaKaoTalk, Viber, Whatsapp, and WeChat across the region, where does this all end up?
Feature phones still dominate most Asia countries, but for how long?
What does the future state look like?
Thomas Clayton – President & CEO, Bubble Motion
Evolution of Mobile Messaging: The Next Web Conference Europe 2015Nexmo
Chris Moore is head of Nexmo's Chat App API business, where he leads global strategy and partnerships with the global messaging apps. In this presentation, Chris will discuss the future of A2P (Application-to-person) messaging, the decline of P2P (Person-to-person) messaging, and how messaging apps will soon be avenues for brands to reach customers.
Did you know that mobile messenger apps such as WhatsApp & LINE are projected to account for 75 percent of all mobile messaging traffic, ahead of SMS or mobile email in 2018? 'The Rise of Asia's Mobile Messengers' our report with Jana mobile offers insight on how to engage with the New Connected Consumer - who are accessing internet via mobile & account for over 40 per cent of the world's internet users.
Some of the key topics covered by this report
Why should CMOs care about mobile messengers?
What do you need to know about mobile messengers?
What does it mean for brands?
Key Takeaways and;
The Future of Mobile Messengers
To learn more about how your brand can stay relevant with the evolving connected consumer, connect with us @msl_group
2015 YEAR IN REVIEW: MOBILE. The most important deals, releases, figures, moments and trends of the passing year. By Monika from mobee dick. Enjoy and have a great 2016!
Facebook’s $19 billion purchase of WhatsApp solidified 2014 as a breakthrough year for messaging apps, but what role can brands and media owners play in the conversation? The answer lies in understanding a fragmented industry landscape dominated by a few key players with strikingly different philosophies, product offerings, and geographic and demographic strongholds. If you think apps are just a cheaper way to text, you’re missing their potential: they’re content portals enabling 1:1 interaction with friends and fans.
After extensive research and first-hand experience launching a One Direction campaign on Kik, the IPG Lab has produced a comprehensive white paper to help marketers navigate the evolving messaging space. In this report, they’ll explore how the battle for messaging app dominance is likely to unfold, and take a closer look at the ecosystem, case studies, and best practices to understand what brands and media owners need to know to succeed in this new frontier of social media.
For more news about emerging media and technology head over to www.ipglab.com.
Echelon 2013: The Future of Mobile in Asia by Thomas Claytone27
With the phenomenal growth Facebook and Twitter followed by that of Line, KaKaoTalk, Viber, Whatsapp, and WeChat across the region, where does this all end up?
Feature phones still dominate most Asia countries, but for how long?
What does the future state look like?
Thomas Clayton – President & CEO, Bubble Motion
Evolution of Mobile Messaging: The Next Web Conference Europe 2015Nexmo
Chris Moore is head of Nexmo's Chat App API business, where he leads global strategy and partnerships with the global messaging apps. In this presentation, Chris will discuss the future of A2P (Application-to-person) messaging, the decline of P2P (Person-to-person) messaging, and how messaging apps will soon be avenues for brands to reach customers.
Did you know that mobile messenger apps such as WhatsApp & LINE are projected to account for 75 percent of all mobile messaging traffic, ahead of SMS or mobile email in 2018? 'The Rise of Asia's Mobile Messengers' our report with Jana mobile offers insight on how to engage with the New Connected Consumer - who are accessing internet via mobile & account for over 40 per cent of the world's internet users.
Some of the key topics covered by this report
Why should CMOs care about mobile messengers?
What do you need to know about mobile messengers?
What does it mean for brands?
Key Takeaways and;
The Future of Mobile Messengers
To learn more about how your brand can stay relevant with the evolving connected consumer, connect with us @msl_group
2015 YEAR IN REVIEW: MOBILE. The most important deals, releases, figures, moments and trends of the passing year. By Monika from mobee dick. Enjoy and have a great 2016!
Presented at International Telecoms Week, 24th June 2019, Atlanta. New forecasts from Mobilesquared show RCS growth will accelerate to add 1.15 billion users and achieve scale by end 2020, with hockey stick P2A revenue growth predicted for 2022
1) Was Facebook’s decision to buy WhatsApp based on sound strategy?
2) What are the risks involved in Facebook’s strategy of acquiring WhatsApp?
3) Should Facebook, alternatively, have entered into a strategic alliance with WhatsApp rather than acquiring it?
From Google’s armada of giant balloons in the stratosphere to Facebook’s Internet.org project, massive efforts are underway to break down the world’s connectivity barriers. In a matter of years, three BILLION people will be experiencing a socially connected, mobile-friendly internet for the first time, driving transformation from politics to pop culture. This panel is about what happens next.
2016 YEAR IN REVIEW: MOBILE. The most important deals, releases, figures, moments and trends of the passing year. By Monika from Mobee Dick. Enjoy and have a great 2017!
What it Takes to Win in the Chinese App Marketdigitalinasia
China is a growing smartphone market that no mobile player can ignore and much has been written about the mobile app marketing opportunities in China. InMobi recently concluded a research survey to understand consumer behavior in China around app usage & discovery and compared the results with the US market.
Presented at International Telecoms Week, 24th June 2019, Atlanta. New forecasts from Mobilesquared show RCS growth will accelerate to add 1.15 billion users and achieve scale by end 2020, with hockey stick P2A revenue growth predicted for 2022
1) Was Facebook’s decision to buy WhatsApp based on sound strategy?
2) What are the risks involved in Facebook’s strategy of acquiring WhatsApp?
3) Should Facebook, alternatively, have entered into a strategic alliance with WhatsApp rather than acquiring it?
From Google’s armada of giant balloons in the stratosphere to Facebook’s Internet.org project, massive efforts are underway to break down the world’s connectivity barriers. In a matter of years, three BILLION people will be experiencing a socially connected, mobile-friendly internet for the first time, driving transformation from politics to pop culture. This panel is about what happens next.
2016 YEAR IN REVIEW: MOBILE. The most important deals, releases, figures, moments and trends of the passing year. By Monika from Mobee Dick. Enjoy and have a great 2017!
What it Takes to Win in the Chinese App Marketdigitalinasia
China is a growing smartphone market that no mobile player can ignore and much has been written about the mobile app marketing opportunities in China. InMobi recently concluded a research survey to understand consumer behavior in China around app usage & discovery and compared the results with the US market.
OLMA Next presents this Company Review for Tencent, one of a number of high performing stocks on the American, European and Asian markets.
This report is intended to provide readers with sufficient data and insight to gain a thorough understanding of the big picture behind the world’s fourth largest Internet services company.
The report also highlights the vision of Tencent CEO Ma Huateng, that has made Tencent the most valuable company in Asia, beating Alibaba and Samsung, and one of the top ten in the world by market capitalisation. Tencent achievements rely on a wide and efficient diversification of its products and services through a coherent set of portals and platforms. Together, they have become a solid multi-platform digital ecosystem, with a market leading position in each of their sectors.
2014 Tech M&A Monthly - Top 10 Tech TrendsCorum Group
This March, we're introducing a new resource for technology firms, both buyers and potential sellers, seeking to gain an insight into the forces driving the current market: the Corum Top Ten Disruptive Technology Trends. The Trends are a distillation of the daily discussions with strategic and financial buyers internationally about the needs and opportunities they see in their market, as well as the thousands of hours of research put in by our research team for our clients and educational events, and exposure to tens of thousands of software firms globally through our hundreds of conferences and educational outreach. Not to mention the very concrete feedback we get on the technology market, in the form of sales of technology companies. Tune in to Tech M&A Monthly for a look at the trends that are building the future.
What apps people are downloading is an important metric if you want to know what's going on in the world. Facebook experienced a more than 25% decline in 2022, TikTok continued to dominate, and CapCut, a formerly obscure video editing application, entered the top four most downloaded apps globally. It's hardly surprising that it's created by TikTok's parent firm and that influencers prefer to use it to make, you guessed it, TikTok videos.
The telecommunications industry has changed radically in the past 10 years as data-hungry customers with smart devices consume ever more bandwidth. While many players are diversifying their revenue streams, ensuring that new services deliver healthy margins remains challenging. At the same time, over-the-top (OTT) players are also expanding the scope of their offerings, disrupting different industry verticals in the process. We will try to discuss below points :
Accelerate your Kubernetes clusters with Varnish CachingThijs Feryn
A presentation about the usage and availability of Varnish on Kubernetes. This talk explores the capabilities of Varnish caching and shows how to use the Varnish Helm chart to deploy it to Kubernetes.
This presentation was delivered at K8SUG Singapore. See https://feryn.eu/presentations/accelerate-your-kubernetes-clusters-with-varnish-caching-k8sug-singapore-28-2024 for more details.
LF Energy Webinar: Electrical Grid Modelling and Simulation Through PowSyBl -...DanBrown980551
Do you want to learn how to model and simulate an electrical network from scratch in under an hour?
Then welcome to this PowSyBl workshop, hosted by Rte, the French Transmission System Operator (TSO)!
During the webinar, you will discover the PowSyBl ecosystem as well as handle and study an electrical network through an interactive Python notebook.
PowSyBl is an open source project hosted by LF Energy, which offers a comprehensive set of features for electrical grid modelling and simulation. Among other advanced features, PowSyBl provides:
- A fully editable and extendable library for grid component modelling;
- Visualization tools to display your network;
- Grid simulation tools, such as power flows, security analyses (with or without remedial actions) and sensitivity analyses;
The framework is mostly written in Java, with a Python binding so that Python developers can access PowSyBl functionalities as well.
What you will learn during the webinar:
- For beginners: discover PowSyBl's functionalities through a quick general presentation and the notebook, without needing any expert coding skills;
- For advanced developers: master the skills to efficiently apply PowSyBl functionalities to your real-world scenarios.
Essentials of Automations: Optimizing FME Workflows with ParametersSafe Software
Are you looking to streamline your workflows and boost your projects’ efficiency? Do you find yourself searching for ways to add flexibility and control over your FME workflows? If so, you’re in the right place.
Join us for an insightful dive into the world of FME parameters, a critical element in optimizing workflow efficiency. This webinar marks the beginning of our three-part “Essentials of Automation” series. This first webinar is designed to equip you with the knowledge and skills to utilize parameters effectively: enhancing the flexibility, maintainability, and user control of your FME projects.
Here’s what you’ll gain:
- Essentials of FME Parameters: Understand the pivotal role of parameters, including Reader/Writer, Transformer, User, and FME Flow categories. Discover how they are the key to unlocking automation and optimization within your workflows.
- Practical Applications in FME Form: Delve into key user parameter types including choice, connections, and file URLs. Allow users to control how a workflow runs, making your workflows more reusable. Learn to import values and deliver the best user experience for your workflows while enhancing accuracy.
- Optimization Strategies in FME Flow: Explore the creation and strategic deployment of parameters in FME Flow, including the use of deployment and geometry parameters, to maximize workflow efficiency.
- Pro Tips for Success: Gain insights on parameterizing connections and leveraging new features like Conditional Visibility for clarity and simplicity.
We’ll wrap up with a glimpse into future webinars, followed by a Q&A session to address your specific questions surrounding this topic.
Don’t miss this opportunity to elevate your FME expertise and drive your projects to new heights of efficiency.
Epistemic Interaction - tuning interfaces to provide information for AI supportAlan Dix
Paper presented at SYNERGY workshop at AVI 2024, Genoa, Italy. 3rd June 2024
https://alandix.com/academic/papers/synergy2024-epistemic/
As machine learning integrates deeper into human-computer interactions, the concept of epistemic interaction emerges, aiming to refine these interactions to enhance system adaptability. This approach encourages minor, intentional adjustments in user behaviour to enrich the data available for system learning. This paper introduces epistemic interaction within the context of human-system communication, illustrating how deliberate interaction design can improve system understanding and adaptation. Through concrete examples, we demonstrate the potential of epistemic interaction to significantly advance human-computer interaction by leveraging intuitive human communication strategies to inform system design and functionality, offering a novel pathway for enriching user-system engagements.
UiPath Test Automation using UiPath Test Suite series, part 3DianaGray10
Welcome to UiPath Test Automation using UiPath Test Suite series part 3. In this session, we will cover desktop automation along with UI automation.
Topics covered:
UI automation Introduction,
UI automation Sample
Desktop automation flow
Pradeep Chinnala, Senior Consultant Automation Developer @WonderBotz and UiPath MVP
Deepak Rai, Automation Practice Lead, Boundaryless Group and UiPath MVP
Transcript: Selling digital books in 2024: Insights from industry leaders - T...BookNet Canada
The publishing industry has been selling digital audiobooks and ebooks for over a decade and has found its groove. What’s changed? What has stayed the same? Where do we go from here? Join a group of leading sales peers from across the industry for a conversation about the lessons learned since the popularization of digital books, best practices, digital book supply chain management, and more.
Link to video recording: https://bnctechforum.ca/sessions/selling-digital-books-in-2024-insights-from-industry-leaders/
Presented by BookNet Canada on May 28, 2024, with support from the Department of Canadian Heritage.
Generating a custom Ruby SDK for your web service or Rails API using Smithyg2nightmarescribd
Have you ever wanted a Ruby client API to communicate with your web service? Smithy is a protocol-agnostic language for defining services and SDKs. Smithy Ruby is an implementation of Smithy that generates a Ruby SDK using a Smithy model. In this talk, we will explore Smithy and Smithy Ruby to learn how to generate custom feature-rich SDKs that can communicate with any web service, such as a Rails JSON API.
Slack (or Teams) Automation for Bonterra Impact Management (fka Social Soluti...Jeffrey Haguewood
Sidekick Solutions uses Bonterra Impact Management (fka Social Solutions Apricot) and automation solutions to integrate data for business workflows.
We believe integration and automation are essential to user experience and the promise of efficient work through technology. Automation is the critical ingredient to realizing that full vision. We develop integration products and services for Bonterra Case Management software to support the deployment of automations for a variety of use cases.
This video focuses on the notifications, alerts, and approval requests using Slack for Bonterra Impact Management. The solutions covered in this webinar can also be deployed for Microsoft Teams.
Interested in deploying notification automations for Bonterra Impact Management? Contact us at sales@sidekicksolutionsllc.com to discuss next steps.
UiPath Test Automation using UiPath Test Suite series, part 4DianaGray10
Welcome to UiPath Test Automation using UiPath Test Suite series part 4. In this session, we will cover Test Manager overview along with SAP heatmap.
The UiPath Test Manager overview with SAP heatmap webinar offers a concise yet comprehensive exploration of the role of a Test Manager within SAP environments, coupled with the utilization of heatmaps for effective testing strategies.
Participants will gain insights into the responsibilities, challenges, and best practices associated with test management in SAP projects. Additionally, the webinar delves into the significance of heatmaps as a visual aid for identifying testing priorities, areas of risk, and resource allocation within SAP landscapes. Through this session, attendees can expect to enhance their understanding of test management principles while learning practical approaches to optimize testing processes in SAP environments using heatmap visualization techniques
What will you get from this session?
1. Insights into SAP testing best practices
2. Heatmap utilization for testing
3. Optimization of testing processes
4. Demo
Topics covered:
Execution from the test manager
Orchestrator execution result
Defect reporting
SAP heatmap example with demo
Speaker:
Deepak Rai, Automation Practice Lead, Boundaryless Group and UiPath MVP
Elevating Tactical DDD Patterns Through Object CalisthenicsDorra BARTAGUIZ
After immersing yourself in the blue book and its red counterpart, attending DDD-focused conferences, and applying tactical patterns, you're left with a crucial question: How do I ensure my design is effective? Tactical patterns within Domain-Driven Design (DDD) serve as guiding principles for creating clear and manageable domain models. However, achieving success with these patterns requires additional guidance. Interestingly, we've observed that a set of constraints initially designed for training purposes remarkably aligns with effective pattern implementation, offering a more ‘mechanical’ approach. Let's explore together how Object Calisthenics can elevate the design of your tactical DDD patterns, offering concrete help for those venturing into DDD for the first time!
Neuro-symbolic is not enough, we need neuro-*semantic*Frank van Harmelen
Neuro-symbolic (NeSy) AI is on the rise. However, simply machine learning on just any symbolic structure is not sufficient to really harvest the gains of NeSy. These will only be gained when the symbolic structures have an actual semantics. I give an operational definition of semantics as “predictable inference”.
All of this illustrated with link prediction over knowledge graphs, but the argument is general.
Smart TV Buyer Insights Survey 2024 by 91mobiles.pdf91mobiles
91mobiles recently conducted a Smart TV Buyer Insights Survey in which we asked over 3,000 respondents about the TV they own, aspects they look at on a new TV, and their TV buying preferences.
DevOps and Testing slides at DASA ConnectKari Kakkonen
My and Rik Marselis slides at 30.5.2024 DASA Connect conference. We discuss about what is testing, then what is agile testing and finally what is Testing in DevOps. Finally we had lovely workshop with the participants trying to find out different ways to think about quality and testing in different parts of the DevOps infinity loop.
3. Market overview (1/2)
The mobile instant messaging market is considerably
increasing. UK based institute Juniper Research recently
forecasts that global mobile messaging traffic will reach
28.2 trillion annually by 2017, nearly double the 14.7 trillion
messages which will be sent this year, 2012. Mobile
messages comprise SMS, MMS, IM, Email, RCS/RCS-e and
Social Media messages.
Global growth in total traffic will be primarily driven by the
use of over-the-top (OTT) instant messaging services, which
will comprise over 25% of all traffic annually in five years’
time according to Juniper’s analysts. Besides, the firm
forecasted in 2011 that mobile IM will triple exceeding 1.3
billion users by 2016 . On his side, The Radicati Group, a
California-based IT research firm estimated that there was
2.4 billion IM accounts in 2010 worldwide, rising to 3.5
billion by 2014.
OTT instant messaging services have developed themselves
thanks to smartphones’ ascension. They permit users to
send messages for free using mobile operators internet
connection (Wifi, 3G, 4G) and push notifications. This new
way to communicate is growing strongly from several years
which indicates that social messaging is not a short-term
trend, but a shift in communication patterns. In August
2012, WhatsApp announced it is handling 10 billion
messages a day.
Increase in global mobile messaging traffic
between 2012 and 2017 (in billions)
30
28,2
25
20
15
14,7
10
5
0
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
Source : Juniper Research
3
4. Market overview (1/2)
VoIP Minutes of Use p.a. (Excluding WiFi) (m) via 3G
Users Using Applications Split by 8 Key Regions
2010‐2015
3G VoIP Application Revenue (m) Split by 8 Key Regions
2010-2015
Juniper Research forecasts a worldwide increase in mobile
VoIP application minutes via 3G from 343 millions 2010 to
just over 30 billions 2015, centupling in just 5 years.
Furthermore, Juniper Research estimates that the number
of mobile VoIP minutes carried on 3G and 4G network will
rise from 15 billion minutes in 2010 to 470.6 billion by
2015.
In parallel, the expected revenue from mobile VoIP via
applications will increase from $20.5 million to $1.25
billion.
Finally, global mobile OTT communication market will
reach 45$bn in 2016.
Mobile OTT communication ($bn)
45
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
2012
CAGR
130%
2013F
2014F
2015F
2016F
Sources: Juniper, Frost and Sullivan, Portio Research, Arthur D. Little analysis
4
5. Major actors (1/4)
Logo
Description
Positionning
Active Users
in 2012 (mm)
Business
Model
AOL, inc.
AOL launched AIM on February 2006.
Pure player / Instant
messenger
195
Advertising
Apple, Inc. (iMessage)
Apple launched Facetime in Octuber 2010 and
iMessage in October 2011.
Handset vendors
instant messenger
140
-
Baidu
Baidu Hi was launched on February 2008
IM / Search engine
-
-
60
The BBM Music Premium is
available for a monthly
subscription of $4.99, social
games
-
-
IM multiplatform
33
Advertising
Social Network
instant messenger
425 (mobile
users
worldwide)
-
Company
Blackberry, Inc.
Cisco Jabber
(Cisco, Inc)
eBuddy B.V.
Country
Some of the features of BBM include groups, bar-code
scanning, lists, shared calendars, BBM Music and
Handset vendors
integration with apps and games using the BBM
instant messenger
social platform.
Jabber was founded in 2000 as a non profit
Pure player / Instant
organization. The company was acquired by Cisco in
messenger
2008.
eBuddyB.V. was founded in 2003 and is based in
Amsterdam, the Netherlands with additional
locations in London and San Francisco
Facebook lanched Messenger App. In August 2010.
Facebook Messenger
FBCIM allows you to use Facebook Chat without the
need to be connected on Facebook.
Fringland Ltd.
Fringland Ltd. was founded in 2005 and is based in
Tel-Aviv, Israel.
IM multiplatform
-
Advertising + Paying regular
phone calls worldwide
Gadu-Gadu
The company was founded in 2000 and is based in
Warsaw, Poland
Pure player / Instant
messenger
15
-
5
6. Major actors (2/4)
Google, Inc.
Google talk was launched on August 2005
IM / Search engine
-
-
groupme
As of August,
GroupMe was founded in 2010 and is based in New Pure player / Instant 2011, GroupMe
York
messenger
delivers in
excess of 100
ICQ LLC.
The company was founded in 1996 and is based in
Tel Aviv, Israel.
Pure player / Instant
messenger
42
Free daily-limited SMS
sending, resumable file
transfers, greeting cards,
multiplayer games
imo.im
Imo Chat was founded in 2007 and is based in Palo
Alto, California.
IM multiplatform
7
-
Kakao Corporation
(Kakaotalk)
Kakotalk was founded in 2006 and is based in Seoul
Pure player / Instant
messenger
66
Advertising, Digital items,
and game center
Kik Interactive, Inc.
Kik Interactive, Inc. was founded in 2009 and is
based in Waterloo, Canada.
Pure player / Instant
messenger
30
-
LiveProfile
The company was founded in 2007 and is based in
New York.
Pure player / Instant
messenger
-
-
Meebo
The company was incorporated in 2005 and is
headquartered in Mountain View, California.
IM multiplatform
-
-
MySpace
Myspace developed MySpaceIM in 2006 as an
addition to its social platform
Social Network
instant messenger
-
-
NHN Corporation
(KOSE:A035420)
Created in 1999, NHN Corporation operates Internet
search portals primarily in South Korea and Japan.
LINE was launched on June 2011.
Instant messenger /
Gamers community
40 (25mm in
Japan)
Advertising, Digital items,
and game center
-
6
7. Major actors (3/4)
Nimbuzz
Pinger
Nimbuzz B.V. was founded in 2006 and is based in
New Delhi, Indi
IM multiplatform
Pinger was incorporated in 2005 and is based in San Pure player / Instant
Jose, California.
messenger
220
Advertising, Freemium model,
agreement on revenue
sharing with IM companies.
-
Advertising
Pinterest
-
Social Network
instant messenger
10
-
Samsung Electronics
ChatOn was introduced by Samsung Electronics in
September 2011
Handset vendors
instant messenger
-
-
Shape.AG was founded in 1999 and is based in
Stuttgart, Germany
IM multiplatform
-
Freemium : IM+ 3.0 Lite, a
free ad-based version and
IM+ pro for 8.99€
600 (not only
mobile)
Paying regular phone calls
worldwide
11
-
200
-
1
-
110
Freemium : Gold & Silver
versions, social game, virtual
goods
Shape.AG
Skype (Microsoft)
Startphone Limited
(Hyves)
Tencent (WeChat)
TextMe
textPlus, Inc.
The company was incorporated in 2004 and is based Pure player / Instant
in Palo Alto, California.
messenger
Hyves was in 2010 still the most popular social
network in Holand with 10.6 million Hyves users and
Social Network
a 68% penetration. As of November 12, 2010,
instant messenger
Startphone Limited operates as a subsidiary of
Telegraaf Media Groep.
Tencent is a leading Chinese internet company.
WeChat was initially launched as Weixin in China in Pure player / Instant
January 2011. The app has recently been launched in
messenger
Thailand.
San Francisco based TextMe was originally launched
Pure player / Instant
in March 2011 as a free, texting-only application for
messenger
Ipod
The company was formerly known as GOGII, Inc.
Pure player / Instant
textPlus, Inc. was founded in 2007 and is based in
messenger
Marina del Rey, California.
7
8. Major actors (4/4)
Touch
Touch was primarly known as PinchChat
Pure player / Instant
messenger
13
-
Twitter
-
Social Network
instant messenger
-
-
Valve Corporation operates as an entertainment
software and technology company. The company was Instant messenger /
founded in 1996 and is based in Bellevue,
Gamers community
Washington.
54
-
Valve Corporation
Viber
Viber was launched in 2010
Pure player / Instant
messenger
100
-
VKONTAKTE
VKONTAKTE is the first russian social network.
Social Network
instant messenger
-
-
100
$0,99 for the app and a
subscription of $1,99 per
year
Whatsapp
WhatsApp funded was founded in 2009 and is based Pure player / Instant
in Santa Clara, California.
messenger
Windows Live
(Microsoft, Inc.)
Windows Live Hotmail App.
Pure player / Instant
messenger
-
-
Yahoo!, inc.
Yahoo! Messenger was originally launched under the
name Yahoo! Pager on March 9, 1998.
IM / Search engine
-
Advertising
Yandex
Yandex, the first russian search engine, launched an
IM platform on August 2008.
IM / Search engine
-
-
400
-
YY
YY Inc., through its subsidiaries, operates an online Pure player / Instant
social platform in the People’s Republic of China.
messenger
Sources : OTT companies websites, blogs, Wikipedia, Press releases
8
9. Fundraising & private placements (1/3)
From 2003 more than $300mn have been leveraged by
over-the-top (OTT) instant messaging services providers.
These start-ups have interested institutional and corporate
funds. Thus, Jabber was funded by France Telecom, Intel
and Webb interactive Services before being sold to Cisco in
2008. KakaoTalk was funded by WeMade Entertainment
Co., a South Korean online game developer and Tencent
which develop QQ IM, the leading instant messaging
service in China. More recently the company has been
funded by Yahoo! following the signing of a partnership
between the two structures concerning the Japanese
market.
Private Equity firms invested large amounts in several
rounds. For example, Mangrove Capital Partners
participated in 5 funding rounds for Nimbuzz and Kleiner,
Perkins, Caufield & Byers and Matrix Partners supported
textPlus during 3 rounds.
This shows that they have a huge interest and that they
trust in the long-term development of the sector.
9
10. Fundraising & private placements (2/3)
Target
Closed Date
may-24-2011
Fringland Ltd.
(Fring)
apr-30-2009
nov-27-2008
aug-09-2007
jan-04-2011
GroupMe Inc.
aug-25-2010
Investors
Size ($mm)
North Bridge Venture Partners; Pitango Venture Capital; Veritas
Venture Partners
North Bridge Venture Partners; Pitango Venture Capital; VenFin DD
Holdings Limited; Veritas Venture Partners
-
10,0
-
North Bridge Venture Partners; Pitango Venture Capital; VenFin DD
Holdings Limited; Veritas Venture Partners
Betaworks; First Round Capital; General Catalyst Partners; Khosla
Ventures; Lerer Ventures; SV Angel
Betaworks; First Round Capital; Lerer Ventures; SV Angel
10,6
0,9
ICQ Ltd.
1996
IM+ (SHAPE.AG)
Feb-13-2012
Finam Global
Jabber, Inc.
mar-19-2003
France Telecom Technologies Investissements SA; Intel Capital; Webb
Interactive Services Inc. (OTCPK:WEBB)
oct-15-2012
Yahoo Japan Corporation (TSE:4689)
apr-15-2012
Tencent Holdings Ltd., Investment Arm; WeMade Entertainment Co.,
Ltd. (KOSE:A112040)
81,1
aug-26-2011
CyberAgent Ventures, Inc.; DCM; Korea Investment Partners Co. Ltd.;
Maverick Capital, Ltd.; WeMade Entertainment Co., Ltd.
19,2
Kakao
Corporation
Shalom Management
12,0
10
7,2
-
Kik Interactive,
Inc.
mar-07-2011
RRE Ventures LLC; Spark Capital; Union Square Ventures
LiveProfile Inc.
apr-01-2011
Lightspeed Venture Partners
8,0
1,1
Source : Capital IQ, MergerMarket
10
11. Fundraising & private placements (3/3)
Target
Closed Date
déc-20-2010
Meebo, Inc.
avr-30-2008
Investors
Size ($mm)
Draper Fisher Jurvetson; JAFCO Ventures; Khosla Ventures; Sequoia
Capital; Time Warner Investments
Draper Fisher Jurvetson; JAFCO Ventures; KTB Ventures; Sequoia
Capital; Time Warner Investments
27,5
25,0
janv-18-2007
3,5
Mangrove Capital Partners
mai-18-2010
Myriad International Holdings B.V.
12,4
juil-01-2008
Mangrove Capital Partners; MIH Holdings Ltd.
15,0
juin-18-2007
Holtzbrinck Ventures Gmbh; Mangrove Capital Partners; MIH Holdings
Ltd.
10,0
août-29-2006
Mangrove Capital Partners
-
2005
Startphone
Limited (Hyves)
Sequoia Capital
déc-31-2011
Pinger, Inc.
9,0
déc-19-2005
Nimbuzz B.V.
Draper Fisher Jurvetson; Sequoia Capital
Mangrove Capital Partners
-
févr-23-2012
T-Venture Holding GmbH
7,5
déc-06-2006
DAG Ventures, LLC; Kleiner, Perkins, Caufield & Byers
8,0
-
Van den Ende & Deitmers Venture Capital Partners Buyer Funds:
Crossmedia Fund
GRP Partners; Kleiner, Perkins, Caufield & Byers; Matrix Partners; The
Raine Group LLC
18,0
janv-31-2011
GRP Partners; Kleiner, Perkins, Caufield & Byers; Matrix Partners
15,0
déc-09-2009
Kleiner, Perkins, Caufield & Byers; Matrix Partners
8,2
avr-08-2011
Sequoia Capital
8,0
Jan-2008
oct-16-2012
textPlus, Inc.
WhatsApp Inc.
-
Source : Capital IQ, MergerMarket
11
12. Exit opportunities (1/2)
There are some good exit opportunities. Most of leading internet,
telecom and handset vendors are present on the market and do not
hesitate to spend hundreds of millions dollars to acquire leading
independent actors.
Note that ICQ has been acquired by AOL in 1998 for $407mm and
sold ten years later for less than the half to Digital Sky Technologies
Limited, the largest Internet company in the Russian-speaking and
Eastern European markets.
There is no multiple, EBIT or revenue available on major databases
(Capital IQ, MergerMarket, etc.)
12
13. Exit opportunities (2/2)
Closed date
Transaction Type
Target
Buyer
Size ($mm)
Nov-21-2012
IPO
YY, Inc.
-
-
June-04-2012
Acquisition
Meebo, Inc.
Google Inc. (NasdaqGS:GOOG)
-
Augt-21-2011
Acquisition
GroupMe Inc.
Skype, Inc.
80
Nov-12-2010
Acquisition
Startphone Limited (Hyves)
Telegraaf Media Groep NV
(ENXTAM:TMG)
60,69
May-08-2011
Acquisition
Skype, Inc.
Microsoft
8 500
July-08-2010
Acquisition
ICQ LLC (AOL Inc.)
Digital Sky Technologies Limited
(DST)
187,5
Oct-31-2008
Acquisition
Jabber, Inc.
Cisco Systems, Inc.
(NasdaqGS:CSCO)
-
Dec-18-2007
Acquisition
Gadu-Gadu S.A.
Naspers Ltd. (JSE:NPN)
155
Aug-30-2005
Acquisition
Teleo, Inc
Microsoft
-
June-05-1998
Acquisition
Mirabilis Ltd. (nka: ICQ Ltd.)
AOL Inc. (NYSE:AOL)
407
1997
Acquisition
MSN Messenger
Microsoft
400
Source : Capital IQ, MergerMarket
13
14. Telcos’ response (1/2)
As we seen in the first part, the messaging industry is
approaching a watershed moment. Ovum firm believes that
global SMS revenues will plateau in 2014, meaning that
operators need to implement a strategy now so that they
can to cope with the subsequent decline in revenues.
OTT companies became a real threat for operators. $14bn
(11%) have been lost in SMS revenues to OTT players in
2011. In the report Counteracting the Social Messaging
Threat, Ovum firm estimated that social messaging services
would cost telecom operators $23,2bn in SMS revenues in
2012 (18,1% of 2011 revenues) and $54bn by 2016 (42,2%
of 2011 revenues).
Global mobile traffic revenue 2011 ($bn)
620; 58%
128; 12%
Sms
Data
Voice
315; 30%
initiative to deploy inter-operator RCS services. The GSMA
(RCS project association) aims to provide customers with
instant messaging or chat, live video sharing and file
transfer across any device, on any network, with anyone in
their mobile address book. It will permit operators to face
OTT competitors that cannot offer a global solution.
Mobilization is global and the project is now supported by
many major industry actors including operators such as
AT&T, China Mobile, Orange Telefonica, Vodafone and
Deutsche Telekom and handset vendors such as HTC, LG,
Nokia and Samsung.
The solution is now available under the consumer brand
Joyn. It has been launched this semester in Spain by
Orange, Telefonica and Vodafone, in Germany by Vodafone
and in the USA by MetroPCS.
In addition, operators in France, Italy and Korea have
committed to commercial launches. Deutsche Telekom
announced it will start supporting Joyn in Germany from
December this year and Orange will begin to deploy Joyn in
France from June 2013.
Source : Juniper Research
In 2007, a group a group of leading telecom operators have
formed the Rich Communication Suite (RCS), a global
14
15. Telcos’ response (2/2)
Telefonica was the first operator to declare war on OTT
services providers with the application TU Me. The app is
free to download and allows users to send texts and
pictures, make calls by using their data allowance.
Services which offer similar functions, such as Skype, often
need Wi-Fi to make it work and, while Wi-Fi is an option
here, the 3G connection enables users to be a lot more
mobile when communicating on the move.
Orange has maybe find a solution, with Libon’s freemium
business model. There is a free version and a paid version
without advertising, automatically renewed because of 2.69
euros per month (charged to iTunes account, so Apple
keeps 30%), with more features including 1 hour of calls to
30 international destinations.
The challenge will be to convince users to abandon services
they are accustomed to using and move to a paid solution.
Telefonica has been fallowed by other operators like TMobile with Bobsled, a similar application that also offer
free voice calls within Facebook.
Orange Telecom have just launched Libon, a mobile
application which allows users to send messages, chat and
call in voice over IP, 3G or WiFi, including in countries where
it does not have its own mobile network. (This service is
available in 80 country whereas Orange is operator in only
33 of them).
Operators become OTT themselves. Their services compete
directly with OTT companies like Whatsapp but operators
will need to identify new revenues because even if voice
calling and text messaging are still growing, the revenues
and margins are in decline.
15