Murdoch | Internet Marketing Blog

UK online ad spend to hit £2bn this year

The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) has predicted that UK online ad spend will overtake national newspaper advertising by the end of 2006, after reporting that the web’s share of the ad market reached double figures in H1.

by Richard Maven 04 October 2006 08:28am 0 comments

News Corp targets graduates with Milkround purchase

News Corp has continued its internet shopping spree with the purchase of UK graduate recruitment site Milkround.com.

by Richard Maven 03 October 2006 08:36am 0 comments

Operators in talks over ‘Mobile Bebo’

Bebo is in discussions with mobile operators over the launch of a range of text messaging services in the first quarter of next year.

The companies plan to use SMS to extend Bebo’s functionality onto mobiles, unlike the WAP-based services being developed by some of its rivals.

by Richard Maven 29 September 2006 12:56pm 1 comment

Myspace value "could rise to $15bn"

Myspace could be worth $15bn within three years, according to one Wall Street analyst.

In a research note quoted by Reuters, RBC Capital analyst Jordan Rohan said he had come out of a meeting with Fox Interactive enthused about the site’s experienced management, "massive" global appeal and potential to become "an intellectual property distribution powerhouse".

by Richard Maven 28 September 2006 10:18am 1 comment

Yahoo! reportedly close to Facebook deal

Speculation is growing that Yahoo! is close to a $1bn deal for social networking site Facebook.

The Wall Street Journal reports that Facebook is in "serious discussions" to sell itself to the search engine and portal, following months of reported takeover bids from big media players.

by Richard Maven 22 September 2006 10:04am 0 comments

Orange pulls out of bidding for AOL UK

Mobile operator Orange has pulled out of the bidding for AOL’s UK internet access unit, according to a report in The Times .

The move will see BSkyB and Carphone Warehouse going head to head for the division, the newspaper said.

by Richard Maven 21 September 2006 09:18am 0 comments

Web venture aims to shake up film distribution

The makers of Scenes of A Sexual Nature, out in November, are not just hoping it’s a hit in the box office – they are also testing a new online distribution model which they say could help independent and low-budget films.

Ed Blum, the film’s director, and Suran Goonatilake, the investor behind Blum’s production firm Tinpanfilms, hope the system will reduce distributors’ control and give private investors more of a say in how movies are marketed and where revenues end up.

by Richard Maven 20 September 2006 13:22pm 1 comment

Old media get act together on the web

Traditional media companies are increasing their share of online advertising budgets at the expense of big internet players such as Yahoo! and Google, according to research by New York-based private equity firm Veronis Suhler Stevenson (VSS).

by Richard Maven 14 September 2006 14:39pm 0 comments

Digital music battle heats up

eMusic has announced plans to launch in all 25 EU countries in a bid to become Europe’s number two music downloading site behind iTunes.

by Richard Maven 12 September 2006 15:25pm 0 comments

Sky to stream Champions League matches

Sky Sports has announced its digital Champions League plans ahead of tonight’s group games, including live online coverage of matches for the first time.

by Richard Maven 12 September 2006 15:15pm 1 comment