Google to Acquire GIF Platform Tenor

Alphabet's Google said on Tuesday it would acquire GIF platform Tenor to help enhance search and sharing of animated images.

Google did not disclose the purchase price but said in a blog post that Tenor will continue to operate as a separate brand.

"With their deep library of content, Tenor surfaces the right GIFs in the moment so you can find the one that matches your mood. Tenor will help us do this more effectively in Google Images as well as other products that use GIFs, like Gboard," said Cathy Edwards, Director of Engineering at Google Images, in the blog post.

"Tenor will continue to operate as a separate brand, and we're looking forward to investing in their technology and relationships with content and API partners," she added.

Tenor said in a separate blog post that it had over 300 million users in 2017 and crossed 12 billion search requests per month this year.

The GIF Keyboard maker added its founders David McIntosh, Erick Hachenburg and Frank Nawabi will continue to lead the company.

"Today, we're announcing Tenor has been acquired by Google to help us execute on our mission to help all three billion mobile users find the perfect way to visually express themselves," McIntosh, Tenor CEO, said in the blog post.

"The acquisition will enable us to accelerate improvements to Tenor's service for our users, API partners, content partners, and advertisers," he added.

© Thomson Reuters 2018