Rakuten bolsters ebooks by gobbling up distributor OverDrive

Rakuten is trying to inject some black ink into its struggling ebook business with the acquisition of OverDrive Holdings, one of the largest providers of ebooks for rent to libraries and schools.The Japan-based e-commerce giant will gain about 21 million users in the US$410 million deal as well as a digital distribution platform with over 2.5 million titles and relationships with thousands of publishers, libraries and schools.Cleveland, Ohio-based OverDrive makes rental ebooks available as Web apps or e-reader files. While content on OverDrive’s lending-focused marketplace is available on multiple platforms including Kindle from Rakuten rival Amazon.com, the move could boost the profile of Kobo, Rakuten’s small e-reader company.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here Continue reading at 'PC World'

[ PC World | 2015-03-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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