<\/p>\n
Google offers what it says will be a final carrot to shareholders at On2, a video compression company it wants to buy: It’s adding $26.5 million to its original offer of $106.5 million for the company.<\/p>\n
That’s a 20 percent premium over the price Google (GOOG) originally announced it was paying<\/a> for On2 in August, and Google says that’s the best it can do. Each On2 shareholder will get $0.15 in cash for each one of their shares, in addition to the $0.60 worth of Google Class A offered in the original deal.<\/p>\n Will that appease On2’s dissident investors<\/a>, who think the company should be worth closer to $6 a share<\/a>? We’ll know by February 17, when they put the deal to a vote.<\/p>\n Google, of course, could easily pay much more to get the angry On2 contingent to shut up. And at this point you have to wonder if the headaches associated with the deal are worth it — Google, remember, is worth $192 billion.<\/p>\n But Google is in the midst of a lengthy shopping spree. And it certainly doesn’t want to revisit the price of each purchase it makes. Presumably that’s why it’s playing hardball, or close to it, on this one.<\/p>\n Buy This Item: [Click here to buy this item]<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n