Groupon, just discovered by Canadian publishers, said to be bought by Google

[This post has been updated]Just as magazine publishers in Canada have cottoned onto the joys of couponing, the company that provides the service, Groupon, has beenhas been reported to have been purchased by Google for a reported $2.5 billion.

Recently B. C. Business and This magazine both did one-day subscription offers, apparently very successfully, using the online couponing service's huge databases. Other magazine are following suit.[e.g. Ski Canada just did it today.]

There was a recent article on e-Media Vitals that examined some ways publishers are catching on to e-coupons as a tool for audience building.