Publisher the Financial Times (FT) has acquired web app developer Assanka, the company behind its HTML5 app for tablet users (pictured).

According to a memo republished by mocoNews, the FT said that in addition to its web app, Assanka contributed to the creation of its native app for Android devices. The company will form part of the FT Technology Group, “while retaining its independence and the culture that has made them so successful to date.”

Assanka will also help with the creation of mobile and web apps across Pearson, the FT’s parent company.

The FT’s adoption of HTML5 for mobile devices was widely seen as a way for it to deliver content to iPad users without the need to split revenue with Apple – which is mandatory for native apps sold via the App Store. In the five months after its launch, the publication signed up 1 million users for the app, generating 20 percent of the page views on FT.com.