Yahoo: Right back at you, Google

In an unsurprising countermove to Google’s recent acquisition of DoubleClick for $3,1 billion, Yahoo announced today that it was acquiring the remaining 80% share of RightMedia (the advertising network that it already owns 20% of) for $68 million.

Yahoo hopes to leverage RightMedia’s arch-product, RMX Direct, to attract publishers with more streamlined and efficient advertising pricing than its rivals. The acquisition will see increased liquidity in the existing Exchange marketplace, hopefully growing opportunities for advertisers, publishers and other industry role players. RMX Direct also features the MediaGuard system that prevents ad malware from infecting member computers and installing popups, spyware and unwanted ActiveX installs, based on predefined filtering criteria.

The RMX Direct product was officially launched as a beta product in September 2006. It replaced the previous clunkier version that had been running since April 2005.

Like the assertions made by DoubleClick after the Google acquisition, RightMedia states emphatically in its blog that “the acquisition will in no way afford Yahoo! any unfair advantage in the Exchange.”

Read more at the RightMedia blog.

Tony Lopes is a freelance writer living in Johannesburg, South Africa. Visit his site at www.hotcopy.co.za.