Last spring, Microsoft and bookseller Barnes and Noble announced plans to form a new company that would consist of Barnes and Noble's Nook eReader and tablet business and its college book business. Today, the two companies said that partnership is now completed.
Barnes and Noble's press release said that its new subsidiary will now officially be known as NOOK Media LLC. Microsoft will invest $300 million in NOOK Media. The press release said, "Microsoft and Barnes & Noble’s strategic partnership in NOOK Media LLC will enable the companies to advance world-class digital reading experiences to the hundreds of millions of customers they jointly serve."
One of the first ventures of NOOK Media will be the official Nook eReader app for Windows 8, which should be made available on the Windows Store sometime before Windows 8 itself launches on October 26th.
It's possible that NOOK Media could be spun off into its own separate company, but at the moment, it is still officially a part of Barnes and Noble. The press release states, "There can be no assurance that the review will result in a strategic separation or the creation of a stand-alone public company. Barnes & Noble does not intend to comment further regarding the review unless and until a decision is made."
Source: Barnes and Noble | Image via Barnes and Noble
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