Cheetah Mobile to accelerate move into content after News Republic acquisition

China's Cheetah Mobile, considered the world's leading mobile security and utility app developer, is preparing to accelerate its transition into a viable content-focused business, following a US 57 million purchase of media app operator News Republic in the second quarter. "This is a huge step for us," chief technology officer Charles Fan Chenggong told the South China Morning Post. "We can potentially reshape the news industry by introducing a strong, artificial intelligence-driven, personal news delivery service." The acquisition marks the most-ambitious bet to date by the New York-traded Cheetah Mobile, amid its recent struggle to boost advertising income. Analysts at the Blue Lotus Research Institute in Hong Kong said Cheetah had good "synergy" with News Republic, which works with more than 1,650 media partners.