SingTel in advanced talks to buy US-based ad firm Kontera

Southeast Asia’s largest telecoms group Singapore Telecom (SingTel) is reported to be in advanced talks to acquire the US-based digital advertising company Kontera for USD160 million, the Wall Street Journal reports. Sources close to the talks suggest that a deal may be reached within the next few days, although equally, the discussions could still fail. Kontera, which booked annual revenue of around USD50 million in 2011, tracks content on social media sites. It was founded in 2000 by its chief executive Yoav Shaham and chief operating officer Assaf Henkin. Based in San Francisco, Kontera provides an advertisement platform for websites that hyperlinks words to external content. SingTel and Kontera declined to comment on the rumour.