Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

Justin Timberlake, Ad Group Buy MySpace for $35M

News Corp takes massive loss on social networking also-ran

By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff

Posted Jun 30, 2011 4:06 AM CDT | Updated Jun 30, 2011 6:00 AM CDT

(Newser) – The hottest website of 2006 now belongs in part to one of that year's hottest stars. Justin Timberlake has teamed up with digital advertising agency Specific Media to take MySpace off the hands of Rupert Murdoch's News Corp, reports the Telegraph. Insiders say the fallen giant of social networks, which News Corp purchased for $580 million in 2005, was sold for just $35 million, most of that in Specific Media stock.

Since the buy, News Corp has lost a total of $1.4 billion on the business segment that houses MySpace, and analysts say walking away was the right move, AP notes. The site, whose own founders no longer use it, will be revitalized with a focus on music, its new owners say. "There's a need for a place where fans can go to interact with their favorite entertainers, listen to music, watch videos, share and discover cool stuff and just connect," said Timberlake, who played Napster co-founder Sean Parker in The Social Network. "MySpace has the potential to be that place."

Justin Timberlake played Napster co-founder Sean Parker in The Social Network.
Justin Timberlake played Napster co-founder Sean Parker in "The Social Network."   (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

I think we were blown away that we were able to get someone like Justin to be so excited about what we were doing. - Specific Media CEO
Tim Vanderhook

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
My TakeCLICK BELOW TO VOTE
19%
58%
1%
13%
0%
9%
To report an error on this story, notify our editors.
COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 16 comments
Rational.-Anarchist
Jun 30, 2011 2:47 PM CDT
I wonder how much more it has lost in the last 2 hours? Dump your stock while you can, take your cash, and head to the nearest casino. The odds are probably better!
Odaecom
Jun 30, 2011 12:41 PM CDT
That's not a bad price to pay for all the data the site contains, it still has users that need to be served ads.
theoPhobia
Jun 30, 2011 12:36 PM CDT
So JT et al. wants to take all 10 customer's from Apple's Ping... 
 

NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS
Other Sites We Like:   24/7 Wall St.   |   BuzzFeed   |   Cracked   |   Timelines   |   POPSUGAR Tech   |   Business Insider   |   HuffPost Entertainment   |   NewsOne