Facebook buys GIF service GIPHY and will integrate it with Instagram

Facebook has acquired GIPHY, the GIF-making and sharing service. Although full details have not been officially revealed, the deal is estimated to have cost the social networking giant in the region of $400 million.

The main plan for Facebook is to integrate GIPHY into Instagram, but there will also be further integration into other Facebook services such as WhatsApp and Messenger.

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In a blog post about integration GIPHY into the Instagram team, Facebook says: "A lot of people in our community already know and love GIPHY. In fact, 50 percent of GIPHY's traffic comes from the Facebook family of apps, half of that from Instagram alone. By bringing Instagram and GIPHY together, we can make it easier for people to find the perfect GIFs and stickers in Stories and Direct. Both our services are big supporters of the creator and artist community, and that will continue. Together, we can make it easier for anyone to create and share their work with the world".

The company goes on to say that third parties will still be able to access and use the GIPHY libraries following the acquisition:

We've used GIPHY's API for years, not just in Instagram, but in the Facebook app, Messenger and WhatsApp. GIPHY will continue to operate its library (including its global content collection), and we're looking forward to investing further in its technology and relationships with content and API partners. People will still be able to upload GIFs; developers and API partners will continue to have the same access to GIPHY's APIs; and GIPHY's creative community will still be able to create great content.

Given the concern the Federal Trade Commission has already expressed about Facebook's dominance of the social networking arena, the deal is likely to raise a few eyebrows.

Image credit: II.studio / Shutterstock