BBM Inc.: BlackBerry Considering Spinning Off Messenger into a Subsidiary

According to a report by the Wall Street Journal, BlackBerry is considering spinning off its messaging service into its own semi-independent unit, according to unnamed sources close to the company. The spin-off subsidiary would be called BBM Inc., and would operate with more independence from BlackBerry.

This move could be the first in a new push by BlackBerry to position itself for a potential sale down the road. The possible BBM subsidiary is rumored to be taking on executives and working on new offerings to boost its services and expand BBM's user-base.

According to the Wall Street Journal, the BBM app has about 60 million users, while competitors, such as start-up WhatsApp, are doing much better. WhatsApp, for example, has 300 million active users. Chief Executive Thorsten Heins said that BlackBerry was planning on expanding the BBM service to other smartphones in an app form. Here's the splash page of BlackBerry Messenger's website.

The company is also going to make BBM for desktop computers, according to WSJ's unnamed sources. BlackBerry is not confirming any of this, except for the already-public iPhone and Android BBM detail: "We have announced our plans to offer this trusted mobile messaging service to iPhone and Android users sometime this summer," said a BlackBerry spokeswoman, "We have made no further announcements."

BlackBerry Ltd, formerly called Research in Motion, has been struggling to find its way in the marketplace since the emergence of the iPhone and Android competitors. Having changed its name and introduced the BlackBerry Z10 and BlackBerry Q10 flagships - along with the BlackBerry 10 operating system - the company has been hoping its revamp would bring more success. However, BlackBerry's sales have not taken off and rumor has it that the company is looking for a buyer. Spinning off and focusing on the BlackBerry Messenger may be a move to bolster the value of BlackBerry Ltd ahead of a sale.