Cheetah Buys News Republic for $57m

News RepublicChinese app developer Cheetah Mobile has acquired news aggregator News Republic for $57m (£43m) At first glance, the acquisition looks a slightly odd one – to date, Cheetah has been best known for utility and productivity apps such as Clean Master, Battery Doctor and CM Launcher, for Android phones.

News Republic is a Flipboard style news aggregator app where the user can customise the news they want to receive on their phones. The company works with around 1,650 media partners globally, delivering their content direct to users within the app.

But Cheetah is seeking to move beyond utility into the world of content, and seen in this light, the acquisition makes more sense, alongside its Live.me video broadcasting app and its casual mobile games portfolio, including titles such as Piano Tiles and Rolling Sky.

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