Fox Interactive Media (FIM), the online arm of News Corp has plans to become a full service online advertising agency that provides advertising to non-News Corp sites.
FIM President Peter Levinsohn told the audience at the Reuters Media Summit today that the advertising network is already in discussion with other News Corp sites for ad sales and that an expansion outside News Corp could come as soon as the first half of 2008, according to Reuters.
Levinsohn said that the service, known internally as “FIM Serve” was originally built to serve advertising on MySpace, which would be presumed to be part of, or the same service announced by MySpace November 4. He also noted that the service focuses on graphical advertising and would not conflict with the Google/ MySpace search listings deal.
It would however see News Corp go head to head with Google presuming that Google’s acquisition of DoubleClick is finalized.
News Corp continues its push towards becoming the major online player behind Google; the company’s purchase of MySpace for $580 million in 2005 turned out to be the bargain of the century, particularly now that Facebook has been valued at $15 billion. News has purchased a range of online properties including IGN, Flecktor, Photobucket and Rotten Tomatoes amongst others, and was rumored by TechCrunch UK November 22 to be in talks to acquire business social networking site LinkedIn. That list excludes the already enormous traffic captured by News Corp’s online destinations of its vast media empire which will shortly include the Dow Jones company and the Wall Street Journal. We are not that far away from waking up and possibly seeing a world online where the competition is no longer Google vs Yahoo, but Google vs News Corp. Others have failed in challenging Google but so far News has bought wisely and in areas where it believes it can add value and provide synergies across existing properties, and its size and scope may well see it passing Yahoo shortly as Google’s main competition.
Wasn’t it Google who started to track individuals’ preferences to target them with advertisements? What’s really going to be interesting to observe in the next few years is the Gphone makes all media more ubiquitous, and how that ubiquity will impact company profits. That can benefit both consumers and investors. The NewsVisual article on Google’s Open Handset Alliance implies that it’s really personal connections among business leaders that determine future success in the competitive marketplace. But consumers can also benefit from the new products those alliances spawn.
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“expansion outside News Corp could come as soon as the first half of 2008″
That could be a defining moment in online advertising, if they target Google adsense partners.
Facebook obviously failed in doing so with their launch of Social Ads, but I have a feeling Murdoch’s empire can come up something worthwhile.
Aren’t you guys forgetting the real Google challenger?
Anyone who has been following ol’ Rupert for awhile could have seen this coming.
Its good to see Techcrunch point out again that Myspace was a bargin purchase by News corp (though time will tell of what proportions).
Techcrunch is techie and startup blog, but its still good to remind the thousands of readers who work in or choose to develop startups that the fundamentals of business are still the same. There will always be big businessmen like Rupert Murdoch and Barry Diller prowling around trying to snatch good startups that could potientially become great businesses at the lowest possible price.
Perhaps this is not the fault of startups and their entrepreneurs, but rather the mindset framed by the industry that the best possible outcome for a startup is to be bought (no matter how cheaply) by a big company.
Either way, it should be known that buisnesses will only come at your door when you actually got something thats worth something, and when they believe they can get it cheap relative to its value. After the 15 billion dollar valuation of Facebook, (thanks to microsoft). I’m sure, there are fewer and fewer supposedly big businessmen knocking on the doors of facebook’s office regarding talks of acquisition.
Just what we need another giant corporation trying to get involved in every faucet of business.
“myspace…..bargain of the century……” haha…haha…well really…
More hype that anything else, but still interesting.
Nice comment Samson…
Very Interesting. I guess, I for one am curious as to, whether the other old school media conglomerates can replicate old Rupert’s strategy….I mean if this story is true…
Then it makes sense that, this strategy by news corp could well herald the start, of the next great land rush…
As in vivendi, and the other chaps, would have to execute something similar in order to maintain, the status quo, share price value…etc…
This is a great news. I am hoping for similar service from MSN which will allow other site owners to add advertising on their site. Yahoo has a service but it has been in “beta” forever and it probably takes an insider to get their advertising on your site. It is always good to have more alternatives than just Google Adsense, ValueClick and DoubleClick etc. Does anyone know if this service would be PPC? CPM or CPA based?
Check out adicate timeads.. Number one ad network in Norway and Sweden in 6 months. Have reached 1 billion ad views monthly allready. 50% growth each quarter.
OMG. Were coving their plans now too. wonderful…
If anyone can challenge Google’s possible dominance of online advertising, then canny Rupert Murdoch your man.
What really bothers me though is all of these big announces from many of the big web players regarding their ‘king of the world’ future revenue earners.
The biggest culprit is of course Google, that never lets a day go by without announcing some great new business venture that they are preparing to launch over the internet.
Just how much of this Google Gossip is actual business fact or PR bull fiction.
Only recently we’ve had OpenSocial, Android, Google Magazine, Google IPTV, Simon Fuller, GDrive, Google Body, YouTube HD and so on.
Is any of these new business ventures really going to generate key new revenues for Google, or is it just PR feeds to try and push the shares towards the magic $1000 mark.
It is about time the market had a total reality check with Google and not get caught up in the hype and spin of their so called ‘future ventures.
Currently Google is a one trick Advertising Pony. Until it proves that it can generate business revenues in other areas, then experienced media and web analysts should stop going Ga Ga over Google.
New business venture should have some strategic alliance rather than it should be a hobby to acquire a branded company.
#4 was not me!
http://fakestev...er.blogspot.com
Did they ever become a full service online advertising agency?
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