Who is the target of BAT's next wave of encirclement?

Yi Yi

"Companies that do not spend money are not good companies."

In China, BAT (Baidu, Ali, Tencent) will translate this sentence most vividly. Incomplete statistics, the first half of this year, Ali has spent more than 30 billion yuan, Tencent also spent at least 15 billion yuan last year spent more than 20 billion yuan Baidu although the first half of this year slightly quiet, but also said early this year " Increase investment ", is ready to go.

The two years of mergers and acquisitions, but also to the Big Three basically completed the layout in the field of mobile Internet. Next, the Big Three, already well-established on handsets, may extend the acquisition beyond the broader "entrance" to homes.

Pattern gradually

Compared to last year, the first half of this year, the M & A strategy began some changes, the purpose is also more clear.

Ali and UC's hand in hand, may be the ultimate hand in the field of mobile Internet before Ali listing. This transaction and last year's Baidu 91 mobile phone assistant entered the transaction, two times to refresh the Chinese Internet M & A records, but also clearly shows that the face of WeChat, mobile Internet "ticket" is still Baidu and Ali are most concerned about.

Before Tencent WeChat thriving, Baidu 91 acquisition in the assistant, with "mobile search + map LBS + App distribution" to compete with it. Ali several days to spend heavily to promote the "dealings" failed, the forces in the mobile Internet has been relatively weak. After owning UC, Ali finally has a mobile Internet heavy weapon. UC browser + Alipay wallet + high Germany map, making Ali also formed a strategic depth mobile Internet.

In contrast, Tencent, which holds "heavy arms" in WeChat, is more concerned with how to build a broad ecosystem around WeChat. To this end, Tencent changed its past to absolute holding as the goal of the investment, but a large number of shares, or even "dowry dowry" approach to complete the layout.

Not long ago, Tencent CEO Liu Chih-ping told this reporter that Tencent is most concerned about the establishment of social services in the relationship between people and businesses, people and services; Tencent in the entire field of O2O see; "In the O2O ecosystem , Tencent's investment attitude is open, in the potential areas of cooperation with capable people; do not have to do within the Tencent, the future will introduce external forces.

Just six months, Tencent has built a WeChat as the center, the public comment, Jingdong, 58 city, Leju, South China City and the same network and other life services for the radiation of the ecological environment. With Tencent Technology Center former director Cheng Lingfeng's words, Tencent seems to have a sudden "federal" shelf. "The main ship is surrounded by a group of independent ships that are coordinated with each other."

Home or into the next point of contention

The first half of this year, together with the acquisition of the Big Three has aroused the attention of many people, that is, 360 and LeTV scandal. Which, perhaps, shows that smart home will become the focus of the next round of Internet companies "enclosure."

In fact, there are already three layouts in this area. Especially with the "living room" most relevant video, games and other entertainment areas, all three have formed a great strength. Baidu's Ai Qi Yi and PPS after the merger, the formation of the search portal, copyright resources and distribution channels covering the entire process; and Ali is through the strong stake in Youku potatoes involved in the video industry, and through the number of media, investment in culture in China, to build A cover culture of hardware and software and content resources; at the same time, Tencent games and Tencent video also self-contained system.

However, to enter the living room, BAT biggest rival is not each other, but millet, music, and foreign giants. Currently, millet boxes, music TV, and one after another of the "smart TV" products, is working to transform people's traditional living room. In the meantime, companies such as Apple, Google and Samsung have set about building their own ecosystems in this area. In June of this year, Apple debuted the smart home management application HomeKit at the Worldwide Developers Conference and released the first list of partners. The Chinese home appliance giant Haier is on the top of the list. And Google is throwing billions of dollars in this area to buy.

The 2013 China Smart Home Industry Research Report released by the IoT Trade and Applications Promotion Association shows that in the next three years, the growth rate of China's smart home market will continue to increase, reaching 29.17% by 2016. By 2017, China The market size of the smart home industry will reach 8.0 billion yuan.

The BAT, the market size is only one aspect, behind the smart home "entrance" is its concern. For example, the linkage between smart refrigerators and e-commerce, which can sense the internal food stock, is a "closed loop" industry full of imagination. Perhaps, BAT has not delayed the shots, is waiting for the best shot, once a "killer" application to promote smart home really started, BAT's big money will hit this area.

BAT

January 15

Tencent to 15 billion US dollars acquisition of 9% stake in South China City, to build online and offline integrated commerce and trade layout

February 18

With the same network Tencent and other three agencies a total of 500 million US dollars investment

February 19

Tencent injection of public comment, accounting for 20% of shares, improve the offline business layout

March 10

Tencent paid 214 million US dollars, 15% stake in Jingdong, strong involvement in the field of e-commerce

March 11

Ali 6.2 billion shares in China 60% stake in culture

March 31

Ali 53.7 billion Hong Kong dollars investment Yintai business

April 2

Ali 33 billion acquisition of Hang Seng Electronics

April 8

Ma Yun and Shi Yuzhu joined hands to spend 6.537 billion yuan, the acquisition of 20% stake in the number of media

April 11

Ma Yun 1.35 billion US dollars wholly-owned acquisition of Germany map, to strengthen O2O layout

April 28

Ali joint Yunfeng Fund, to 1.22 billion US dollars Youku potatoes, stake of 18.5%

June 11

UC "fully integrated" Ali, Ali's UC mobile business group.