Comments on: LiveUniverse Buys Another Loser: Peerflix

By: Complete List of 2008 Web/Tech/Internet Acquisitions » The StartUp Blog at PartnerUp

Wed, 07 Jan 2009 05:06:54 +0000

[...] is a dvd trading company. TechCrunch | [...]

By: jason

jason — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 16:38:27 +0000

Few quick comments:

1) ALL of liveuniver’s sites are tanking in traffic and they’re barely half the size they were 6 months ago
2) 90% of the deals Brad makes are “steals” and buys under $1M
3) They bought and operate a illegal lyrics website and even with existing licensing in place they don’t have it yet. (ethics?)
4) Peerflix = loser because it’s got close to no traffic and getting up in the morning costs more than they generate. I don’t think the term “loser” was used to condensed the company but rather indicate the company’s future, shall we say. Liveuniver’s portfolio holds roughly 15-20 failing companies and adding new “losers” to it.

By: infogirl

infogirl — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 15:58:23 +0000

Yes…

By: Forget eBay. Use Swaptree.

Forget eBay. Use Swaptree. — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 09:19:46 +0000

[...] is a model that was tried and later abandoned by the recently acquired Peerflix. Peerflix was DVD trading only, though, and charged a transaction fee. Swaptree doesn’t [...]

By: Fred

Fred — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 03:48:37 +0000

That’s the thing… they couldn’t and they realized it so the got out of it… FAST.

By: LiveUniverse compra Peerflix

LiveUniverse compra Peerflix — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 20:30:33 +0000

[...] es la última de varias adquisiciones que lleva haciendo la compañía últimamente, y es que la lista es interesante: Revver, [...]

By: scott h.

scott h. — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 15:21:17 +0000

does this mean that i can get the money that peerflix owes me for sending me a broken dvd right before they switched their business model?

By: MicroFace

MicroFace — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 19:27:26 +0000

Well technically Peerflix is a loser. Did their investors make money? Probably a big “No”. Did their employees cash out? Probably a big “No.” It remains to be seen whether it will be a good deal for LiveUniverse or PeerFlix, but the reality is that they tried 2-3 business models and ended up selling the assets for next to nothing, in all likelihood. Until someone with knowledge of the deal can say otherwise, they tried and failed. Nothing wrong with that – it happens all the time.

So what is wrong with calling a spade a spade?

By: Paid Content : LiveUniverse Buys Online Movie Ad Network Peerflix

Paid Content : LiveUniverse Buys Online Movie Ad Network Peerflix — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 08:41:49 +0000

[...] Peerflix received two rounds of funding from Battery Ventures, BV Capital and 3i, with the second round totaling $8 million. LiveUniverse has earlier bought other sites on the cheap including Revver, Pageflakes, Meevee and others. More on the acquisition here. [...]

By: Joe

Joe — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 05:14:37 +0000

Well, if the techcrunch equates peerflix as a loser, then edgeio.com is a LOSER too!

By: Roundup: MyHeritage raises funding, news feed psychology, Bell drops “basic research,” and more » VentureBeat

Mon, 08 Sep 2008 01:45:42 +0000

[...] Universe buys DVD-sharing service turned ad network Peerflix — Terms aren’t being [...]

By: Once Burned

Once Burned — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 23:21:03 +0000

Why so down on Brad? Because he’s a dishonest double-dealing bottom-feeder as anyone who has been involved in any of his deals will tell you. He’s trying to take credit for MySpace which he had nothing to do with.

His last company did the same thing he’s doing now, buying struggling companies and trying to make a frankenstein monster out of them. It didn’t work that time and landed Brad in legal troubles. Of course, he got wealthy and the people he bought out got burned. Caveat Emptor.

By: Kate Johnson

Kate Johnson — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 08:40:59 +0000

Is livevideo.com also owned by LiveUniverse? I thought I read about it somewhere…

By: Zach Weisman

Zach Weisman — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 07:55:11 +0000

Netflix is great because they have mastered the fulfillment proceses and are quick and efficient. How can Peerflix do this?

By: jamboree

jamboree — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 22:39:31 +0000

I agree.. labeling a company a ‘loser’ is completely uncalled for. It is perfectly OK to call a company troubled which states its situation, but loser implies that the company has no future and is solidly based on opinion.

The Internet’s poster child Googe was once ‘troubled’ during 2000. It was widely reported that they were running out of cash and their lifeboat – “evil” banner ads were worthless. It was only a STROKE of luck that they ‘borrowed’ GoTo’s (Overture’s) paid search business model which saved their bacon.

Was it prudent to label Google a ‘loser’ in 2000? Don’t think so… but it was clearly in dire straits.

By: MichaelA

MichaelA — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 19:39:17 +0000

The journalism here at Tech Crunch has gone seriously down hill. You guys need to state the facts and leave your personal feelings out of it. A natural progression for some startups is to be acquired by a larger organization, trimming down redundancies, and only keeping those that are abosolutely required to grow and operate the business. Startup CEO’s leaving is part of the game – they’re not interested in being some staff exec dealing with day-to-day operations. Virtually all startups are ‘troubled’ and are either looking for more funding or about to be. And why mock a company that is adujusting their business model – you start a business with a vision, sometimes it isn’t exactly right, you modify it or completely abandon it and start a very different one.

By: Raskin

Raskin — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 18:57:28 +0000

These comment boards are going “Valleywag”…

By: lolhead

lolhead — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 18:25:38 +0000

me too, TC and the whole silicon valley tech crowd suffer from an inner-circle mentality

By: Byrd

Byrd — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 17:30:28 +0000

This is completely true. It’s been verified by many ex-insiders. There is effectively no management left at LU to build a business.

By: Frank

Frank — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 16:57:47 +0000

LU acquires companies but can not operate them. Pageflakes, Meevee, Jangl are all effectively dead, staff long gone, and their bills unpaid and headed for court.

By: mooga

mooga — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 16:14:06 +0000

you are right. mint is completely business-model free

By: Chris

Chris — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 15:52:49 +0000

You all should probably know that Mike Arrington/TC dislikes Brad because Brad won’t include him in the loop. He’s also tight with MySpace, cohosting the Batman premier, ect…

TechCrunch, instead of being fair, is being bias and taking sides. That’s hardly what I could call reporting.

By: vista home

vista home — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 13:06:18 +0000

Maybe because he’s so cute!

By: mnvamsi

mnvamsi — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 11:16:59 +0000

They are too fast in acquiring what they wanted.

By: Chris

Chris — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 08:14:55 +0000

Trading stuff is green!!!