Miami (NBp) - Merger mania in corporate America has been going strong in the past few years, and now three entertainment powerhouses have agreed to a $1.2 billion merger.

Officially, the merger is billed as an acquisition, with teen heartthrobs the Backstreet Boys (BSB) purchasing their main competition: 98 Degrees and N' Sync. The new conglomerate will be called Backstreet N'98 Sync (BSN98S).

"We believe that this merger is in the best interests of all of the stockholders of the Backstreet Boys, 98 Degrees and N' Sync," proclaimed BSB member Brian Littrell.

Music industry insiders think that the merger will help the group stay ahead of newcomers like Ricky Martin.

The merger does have its detractors, however. "It's a well known fact that people have a hard time remembering groups of things that are larger than 7 items," explains psychologist Earl Hacker. "This group's got 14 guys! No teenage girl will be able to remember them all. Besides, who has room on their wall for 14 separate posters?"

Teenager Rachel Hunley responded to the news by screaming and then fainting. Insiders report that she may have called all of her friends as soon as she came to. NBp was unable to get a coherent comment from Hunley or her associates, however.