• by Ben Frederick  @mp_benfred, August 19, 2016

Cheetah Mobile, a Chinese software company, announced its recent acquisition of News Republic, a mobile news service that aggregates content from leading newspapers around the world.

The $57 million purchase raised some eyebrows a few weeks ago, as it’s Cheetah’s first foray into a content product, though they have forayed into casual gaming and live video broadcasting through acquisitions.

“News Republic helps revamp Cheetah Mobile’s content product strategy, supporting our strategic focus on providing richer and more personalized content to our global users,” says Sheng Fu, CEO of Cheetah Mobile. He added the alliance will provide "a strong entry point for us into the world of global news providers.”

Cheetah’s strategy involves copyrighted content, ranking algorithm and personalization technology, distribution channels and promotion resources, and local news operation expertise. What all that means isn’t entirely clear, but its likely Cheetah will implement an aggressive ad strategy on News Republic’s platform.

Cheetah Mobile currently commands about 600 million monthly active users, which will be a huge signal boost to News Republic.

News Republic publishes the news in 37 languages and 40 distinct country editions. The News Republic app is available on Android and iOS and preloaded on certain popular smartphone brands.