WebProNews

Early Monday, we reported that MySpace intended to acquire iLike.  This afternoon, during a press conference call, MySpace's CEO, Owen Van Natta, confirmed the deal and discussed a few details.

The call marked the first time Van Natta's made a public statement since becoming CEO, and parts of it were very much scripted and by-the-numbers.  Take, for example, what Van Natta cited as the first of three reasons MySpace acquired iLike: a "relentless pursuit of innovation."

But reason number two - a "shared belief in open content distribution" - made for a more original sound bite.  And although the third reason (an interest in bringing world-class talent into all areas of MySpace) was basically a compliment aimed at iLike's team, it led to the interesting remark that we should "expect to see continued news about great talent coming to MySpace."

As for some other facts, Van Natta emphasized that MySpace Inc. is making this acquisition separate from MySpace Music, while saying that "MySpace Music has been doing extremely well" and will be around for "years and years to come."

He also, with respect to any complications that could result from iLike's ties to Facebook, said he thinks social networks will be "thrilled" that MySpace is "going to be making iLike an even richer experience within their environment."

Finally, we should report that Van Natta did not disclose any terms of the deal.