The parent of the struggling Internet giant says AOL needs a partner
New York Times Mar 12, 08 1:08 PM CDT
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AOL’s efforts at launching an Internet ad-sales business—dubbed Platform A—continue to stumble, the New York Times reports. Parent Time Warner Monday fired another exec and yesterday said it’s willing to combine AOL with another company to jump-start the moribund division it’s already spent $1 billion on. Ex-AOLers say the one-time Internet giant is self-destructing.
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Regulators cite Yahoo, AOL, and Microsoft as 'credible' competitors
Associated Press Mar 11, 08 4:25 PM CDT
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Google acquired ad tracker DoubleClick today after EU regulators approved the $3.1 billion deal, the AP reports. Antitrust officials dismissed concerns about competition, saying Microsoft, Yahoo, and AOL also provide “credible” online ad services. The ruling ducked questions of how private data will be handled, an issue that riles privacy advocates on both sides of the pond.
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Downturn worse than expected by Rupe, who won't fight for Yahoo
Reuters Mar 11, 08 4:35 AM CDT
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The last month has made media boss Rupert Murdoch "a lot more pessimistic" about the outlook for the US economy, Reuters reports. Ad revenue is below expectations at his TV stations and newspapers and he expects "a temporary downturn for a year or so" at Dow Jones, the News Corp. boss told a media conference yesterday. It's the strongest public statement yet among top media leaders concerning fears about a pending advertising recession.
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Company says it's part of a plan to reduce accidental ad traffic
MarketWatch Mar 11, 08 1:52 AM CDT
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Google's share price took a big hit after quarterly results released last week showed the number of paid-for-clicks on advertising flattening out, but the company says the fall is actually good news, MarketWatch reports. Google bosses say the drop is all part of their plan to improve the quality of service by reducing the number of unintentional clicks.
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Biggest companies gather data on the average user hundreds of times a month
New York Times Mar 10, 08 12:30 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Long gone are the days of Internet anonymity. Big Web companies know all about you, says a study commissioned by the New York Times . The Internet giants track users’ behavior across sites, gathering details on a typical person several hundred times a month. That information lets them target content and—most lucratively—advertising, leaving traditional media companies in the dust.
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Ballmer says Google's Internet-ad dominance won't last
Seattle Times Mar 7, 08 10:39 AM CST
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Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer did an animated, sometimes antic, on-stage interview yesterday at Mix, Microsoft’s annual conference for web developers, emphasizing that he has every intention of taking some of Google's advertising business and using Yahoo to do it, the Seattle Times reports. "Advertising on the Internet is a big thing, and will be the next super-big thing," he said. "Search ... at least today and for the foreseeable future, it is the killer application for online advertising."
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Its shares off 40% since November,
'the shine is off' search behemoth
Los Angeles Times Mar 5, 08 6:48 PM CST
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After a hitting record high in November, Google shares have fallen 40%, reports the Los Angeles Times. Investors are concerned that a downturn in consumer spending could slow Google's growth—previously thought to be recession-proof. "Now the shine is off Google, whether deservedly or not," one media analyst said of the pioneering search giant.
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May postpone meeting to pursue talks with Microsoft, AOL
New York Times Mar 5, 08 9:13 AM CST
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Yahoo may postpone its annual meeting to delay a proxy battle with Microsoft, reports the New York Times . The move would temporarily fend off a hostile takeover bid by the computer giant, and buy Yahoo some time to weigh its options, including a negotiated deal with Microsoft and a merger or joint venture with Time Warner’s AOL. Microsoft’s bid currently is worth $41.2 billion.
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Firm is attempting to stake a claim in mobile internet software before Google
Reuters Mar 4, 08 3:25 PM CST
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Yahoo, keeping up its relentless pace of product launches, announced the debut of a Web bookmarking service for cell phones intended to help users organize their mobile Internet experience, Reuters reports. Called OnePlace, the tool allows users to mark not just individual sites but a collection of 'smart' content feeds providing updates tailored to the nature of a user’s favorite topics.
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Company tries more cooperative approach to lure Yahoo execs
San Jose Mercury News Mar 2, 08 8:18 AM CST
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Yahoo executives, take note: Microsoft is trying to shed its bully reputation in Silicon Valley in favor of a kinder, gentler, hands-off approach to the smaller start-ups it acquires, the San Jose Mercury News says. Company officials want it known that this isn’t your older brother’s Microsoft—the one that suffocated Netscape, intimidated venture capitalists, and allegedly swiped competitors’ ideas.
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Many also hold Microsoft stock and could lose money
MarketWatch Feb 27, 08 9:24 PM CST
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A new Microsoft bid to take over Yahoo will do little to quash Yahoo holders' worries— primarily because many of them have greater holdings in Microsoft itself, reports MarketWatch. Eighteen of Yahoo's top shareholders—comprising 42% of its shares—have greater investments in the software Goliath "and could likely be hurt by a higher offer," says analyst David Hilal.
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Value of Asian partnerships could justify higher valuation from Microsoft
Wall Street Journal Feb 27, 08 8:37 AM CST
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A revised Microsoft b