• by Joe Mandese  @mp_joemandese, September 16, 2015

News Corp. this morning said it agreed to acquire Unruly, a so-called “social video” platform launched in 2006 to help brands distribute, track and analyze the performance of branded video content online and via mobile media.

News Corp. is paying $90 million -- plus as much as $86 million more based on future performance -- for the social video ad platform, which News Corp. CEO Robert Thomson described as a “feisty and creative company with a startup sensibility that fits perfectly with our own approach to developing businesses in the digital age.”

News Corp. said Unruly will continue to operate as an independent unit, but other News Corp. units will begin to offer its products to their advertising and agency clients over the next several months.

“This will mean a significant increase in premium video and mobile inventory, a stronger content marketing offering and, ultimately, improved returns for News Corp's advertisers,” the company said in a statement, noting that Unruly’s platform has attracted top-tier advertisers, including such brands as adidas, Dove, T-Mobile, Evian and Renault.

The deal is expected to be completed by the end of this month.