Sohu, Sogou and Tencent Jointly Announce Strategic Cooperation
Beijing/Shenzhen, September 16, 2013 - Sohu.com Inc. (“Sohu”, NASDAQ: SOHU), Sogou Inc. (”Sogou”) and Tencent Holdings Limited (“Tencent”, SEHK: 00700) jointly announced today the establishment of a strategic cooperation that will reinforce and strengthen Sogou as a leader in the large and fast-growing China market for search and internet services, particularly for the mobile platform.
To implement this strategic cooperation, Tencent has invested a net amount of US$448 million in cash in Sogou and merged its Soso search related businesses and certain other assets with Sogou. Immediately after the transaction, Tencent holds 36.5% of Sogou’s equity capital on a fully-diluted basis, which could further increase to approximately 40% in the near future. Sohu, together with its affiliates, remains the controlling shareholder of Sogou, which will continue to operate independently as a subsidiary of Sohu.
Tencent and Sogou have agreed to jointly develop, cross-promote and integrate their respective products and services, while collaborating in areas of search technology, user insights and data sharing. Sogou’s leading products, including Sogou Pinyin and Sogou Search, will have direct access to the vast user base of Tencent’s online and mobile social communities.
The transaction signed and closed simultaneously on September 16, 2013. Credit Suisse acted as financial advisor to Sohu. Goldman Sachs acted as financial advisor to Tencent.
Tencent and Sogou have agreed to jointly develop, cross-promote and integrate their respective products and services, while collaborating in areas of search technology, user insights and data sharing. Sogou’s leading products, including Sogou Pinyin and Sogou Search, will have direct access to the vast user base of Tencent’s online and mobile social communities.
The transaction signed and closed simultaneously on September 16, 2013. Credit Suisse acted as financial advisor to Sohu. Goldman Sachs acted as financial advisor to Tencent.
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