AOL Europe has announced today the acquisition of goviral, the video distribution network that distributes video content across the Internet for world top brands (such as ike, LG, Unilever, Paramount, Nokia, Hyundai/Kia, Audi, Nintendo and Gucci), media agencies, creative agencies and content producers. The transaction if worth $74.1 million, out of which $22.6 million will be paid over a two-years period, after the completion of the acquisition.

AOL has been very busy expanding through a number of verticals (currently more than 18,000 publishers across 24 verticals and over 60 million video views monthly) and acquisitions lately, most notably through acquisitions of StudioNow, 5min Media, TechCrunch, Thing Labs, Pictela and about.me. The acquisition of Pictela might be seen from an advertising point of view, as Pictela is an award-winning global technology platform for serving and dispensing high- definition brand content across online marketing and social media.  With all these acquisitions, AOL is trying to make up for some of the lost ground over the years.

AOL sees goviral as offering cost effective solutions to publishers and advertisers, and, according to Kate Burns, SVP, AOL Europe, goviral is the most suitable partner in creating premium content “and engaging advertising with highly targeted distribution at scale.”  goviral, on the other hand, sees AOL as a visionary in terms of shifting dynamics of the Internet, and as the perfect opportunity for international growth.

“We simply believe and have experienced that good content is a key driver to reach and engage audiences globally,” says René Rechtman, CEO, goviral. “Working with a strong global brand such as AOL we are able to bridge the best of both worlds; scale and quality content that has relevance and resonance for users, advertisers and publishers.”

AOL has made big hires in the last couple of months, such as Jeff Bronikowski, former Yahoo SVP, after having launched a refreshed homepage offering new features on news and entertainment.