Bebo (Still) For Sale

Lots of news on Bebo today, which just surpassed Myspace in UK traffic. The Financial Times is reporting that the company is in acquisition talks with Viacom, the owner of MTV and other cable stations. This is the third try for Viacom, which lost out when bidding for both Myspace and Facebook (with Facebook reportedly shunning an offer of at least $750 million).

Bebo seems to be on a roadshow of sorts through the UK, meeting with potential partners and suitors. Founder Michael Birch told the Financial Times that “he was in no hurry to sell – his company was still growing rapidly”. He also mentioned, however, that the previous rumor about BT offering £300 million for Bebo sparked a ton of interest in the company.

Michael, or his VCs, still seems to think that £300 million is way too low and are holding out for more. When asked about a sale, he said “If I sell it, I’d have to start from scratch.” Translation: “Give me a billion dollars please.” :-)