Earlier this month News Corp. celebrated the three year anniversary of the acquisition of MySpace. Today, AOL does the same for the Weblogs, Inc. blog network they acquired in October 2005.
Since the acquisition, AOL says, the Weblogs, Inc. blogs (which include Engadget, TMZ, Download Squad, TUAW, Joystiq, Autoblog and others) have seen worldwide unique visitors climb nearly 1000% (122% annually, on average) and page views rise over 1,500% (154% annually, on average), according to August 2008 comScore Media Metrix. In October 2005, the blogs had a U.S. audience of 1.4 million unique visitors and were generating about $6 million in revenue. Today its 13 million uniques and revenues of about $30 million.
In short, it was one of AOL’s better acquisitions.
See the screenshots and Powerpoint presentation below for more details.
Third Anniversary Weblogs Inc _ AOL 11
When you write an entry on a service, it’s good to have at least something linking to the actual site, makes TC reader’s job easier
clicking on the link back to the TC post in 2005 about the acquisition, one can look at the comments and realize how helpful Arrington used to be only 3 short years ago!
Wow! 1000% ? That’s an impressive number!
Your job is to read TC, not to go to the sites mentioned
Yeah reading TC actually is becoming a job.
Congrats to AOL
i never tmz was weblog inc
TMZ had nothing to do with Weblogs Inc.
TMZ runs on the same blog software as Weblogs and AOL is a partner in TMZ.
Yeah that’s the whole point. It was created after, and thus probably shouldn’t be included in the analysis. Great job catching the obvious TechCrunch
$6,000,000 to $30,000,000 in 3 years?
That’s a big number for us start-up guys but I’m suprised AOL is celebrating $30m revenue, period, the growth numbers notwithstanding.
That used to be the clip of their new user signup fees monthly back in the day.
I love WebLogs, Inc. but it’s scary that they are the top tier and ONLY doing $30m.
How do you make $6M with 1.4 million unique?
Easy, by fudging the numbers.
Can anyone work out how its possible? I’m calculating over $300 eCPM!
Yeah doesn’t make sense !
Something doesn’t seem to add up with that math.
If they’re boasting 13 million uniques per month, that’s about 156 million uniques per year. If the blogs bring in $30 million per year in revenue, that means they’re making $5.20 for EACH unique person to visit the blog all year long.
Am I missing something?
13 million US audience per month plus 19 million of worldwide users = 32 million. So they are making not $5.2, but $0,94. And CPM is about $23.5
Correction: I forgot about 12 months
$30 million / 12*(13 million US + 19 million WW) = $0,08 for one unique.
$30 million / 12*(81,000M US + 106,000M WW) = 13,37 CPM
(where M is the numeral of 1000)
i’m not sure you have to add 13+19, “worldwide” could mean “Domestic + international” ?
These people give a lot of fake stats, not referring to TechCrunch
just to make sure their brand stays healthy and they can get more money in from VC’s 
TC hasn’t taken VC and Weblogs Inc. is owned by AOL, so who are you suggesting is trying to “get more money in from VC’s”?
You should really be listening instead of spewing nonsense about a topic with which you are unfamiliar
Right, if you have no idea, better stfu
AOL is in grrrrrr-eat shape… and Weblogs is totally relevant. Too bad you didn’t get $30M for this blog Mike, Techcrunch is going the way of Phoenix real estate…
81 Million PVs per Month by Domestic Visitors x 12 Months = Total PVs a Year by Domestic Visitors.
Divide that number by 1000 to get total CPMs.
Divide 30 million in revenue per year by total CPMs and you get $3.88 CPM rate.
Numbers seem to make sense.
30 million, and you have
I believe you are off by a factor of 10.
81M Monthly PVs * 12 Months / 1000= 972,000 CPM units
$30,000,000/972,000=$30 CPM
I’m very impressed if they are getting a $30 CPM for 81M monthly PVs.
good catch
Interestingly enough, the monetized their PVs farrrrrr better in 2005.
Jeremy Wright should take a lesson from these guys.
Wow. Impressive numbers. And yet lots of bloggers there still make $10 a post. Way to give back, AOL.
What?????
No brilliant insight from the “Locator” dude?
This is getting boring…
Was this post a way for Mike to placate Calacanis for publishing his layoff memo?
I wish they would release their content management system. Jason says it makes Wordpress look like a kiddie CMS
Thats very impressive. AOL definately knew what to do with these properties. And they got rid of the blogs that were not performing – smart.
This is really amazing … Jason will regrate for selling Weblogs Inc..
Nice, but another services incoming…..
comScore does not treat the Blogsmith blogs very well so the reported numbers are actually a fraction of the actual PVs and uniques seen at Weblogs. that is what really accounts for the revenue discrepancy posited above because internal stats more accurately convey to advertisers the real impressions they’re getting, as much as 200% higher than what the comScore stats show in some cases and over 100% in most.
does it not say confidential on the ppt? its mind boggling what gets shared and published with no fear. Such disregard. Unbelievable. And yes timing seems way too funky with Jason’s post etc. Its almost a rythm thing, every quarter you do me, i will do you.
Calacanis sold too early!
clearly engadget alone was worth 25 million
Calcanis is arrogant
monthly uniques is 10x in 3 years, but revenue is only 5x. so that means that prices have been cut in half for their inventory in 3 yrs, or about 20% price decline per year.
looks like a race to the bottom to me.
The question is….. “How much total unique visitors is TechCrunch media getting ?”
Now anybody got an answer.
kinda the best mainstream blogs out there.
Another Jim Bankoff initiative no less. Bankoff was a casualty of the Smithers & Burns take-over.