Articles of the Day
MySpace Debuts $3 Million Web Series: Electric Farm’s ‘Afterworld’ - With a $3 million production budget, “Afterworld” marks the most expensive gamble any media company has made on MySpace–instead of charging a licensing fee, producer Electric Farm will get a cut of the ad revenue generated from the show.
Web Analytics Association Sets Measurement Standards - The WAA released 26 standard definitions for Web site traffic measurement and analysis, aimed at eliminating the confusion around the most basic Web analytics terms.
Content Replaces Communications As Primary Web Use - According to the Online Publishers Association, Internet users are spending nearly half their online time visiting content, a 37% increase in share of time from four years ago. The Internet Activity Index, conducted by Nielsen//NetRatings, shows that communications accounted for 46% of consumers’ time online in 2003. A dramatic shift has taken place since then, with consumers now spending 47% of their time with content and only 33% with communication.
Sizing Up Apparel Online - According to “The State of Retailing Online 2007,” a report sponsored by Shop.org and conducted by Forrester Research, US online sales of apparel, footwear and accessories (excluding jewelry) will reach $22.1 billion in 2007, a 21% increase over 2006. Of the three categories, apparel generated the most sales last year at $9.6 billion.
SoundExchange Offers Web Radio Another Reprieve - SoundExchange, the music royalty board set up by the federal government, will limit the fees imposed on Web radio stations that offer more than 100 channels to consumers to $50K per year. Representatives from radio companies agreed this was a positive first step in repairing relations with the royalty overseer. SoundExchange sets the royalty rates that terrestrial and Internet radio companies must pay artists and labels for broadcasting their music.
Eye-Tracking Study: Online Ads Don’t Work - An eye-tracking study from Jakob Nielsen reveals what many marketers have long known: Web users have trained their eyes to move directly towards content, away from ads. As a result, ads need to look more like content, right? Unfortunately you can’t really do that on the Web like you can in say, a print magazine. So what are advertisers to do?
How Microsoft Can Get Better At Search - Paul Bennett analyzes the July U.S. Search Market Share data report from Hitwise, focusing on some steps Microsoft can take to beef up its search offering, as the company gave up 3% of market share year-over-year — directly to Google. Bennett discusses how an oft-rumored merger between Microsoft and Yahoo would have to be structured to make any impact on Google’s search domination (as the two combined would still only have half of Google’s market share), as well as what Satya Nadella, Microsoft’s corporate vice president, has said about “reconceptualizing” the MSN search interface to gain users.
GSI Commerce Inc. (Nasdaq: GSIC) has agreed to acquire Accretive Commerce Inc. - GSI Commerce Inc. (Nasdaq: GSIC) has agreed to acquire Accretive Commerce Inc. (f.k.a. NewRoads), a Huntersville, N.C.-based provider of outsourced ecommerce solutions. Accretive Commerce raised a $76 million venture capital round in 2000 from Accretive Technology Partners and DB Capital. Under the definitive agreement, which has been approved by the board of directors of both companies, GSI will acquire Accretive Commerce for $97.5 million in cash. As of August 4, 2007 (Accretive Commerce 2007 fiscal July end), Accretive Commerce had cash and marketable securities, net of debt, of $6.4 million. On a trailing 12-month basis through June 30, 2007, Accretive Commerce recorded net revenue of $83.6 million, income from operations of $4.9 million and adjusted EBITDA of $6.5 million.
ESPN Acquires Rugby Site Scrum.com - Two months after buying cricket news Cricinfo, ESPN has bought rugby info site Scrum.com, Reuters reported. Scrum.com claims to attract as many as 500,000 visitors each month at the height of the rugby season. ESPN will get an immediate shot in the arm from the purchase as the Rugby World Cup, held every four years, is taking place in France this September and October and is likely to bring significantly more eyeballs to Scrum.com.
AKQA Buys SearchRev; More Deals To Come - The independent digital agency’s CEO Tom Bedecarre says the acquisition is likely the first of many as it plans to create a full suite of services in the areas of search, media and mobile.
DivX Acquires Video Search Startup Veatros For $4.25 Million; Invests $3.5 Million in DeviantArt - DivX (Nadsdaq: DIVX), the video codec firm, has bought Veatros, a Kansas-based startup spun out of University of Kansas. Veatros’s technology is designed to conduct real-time digital video processing and will be used by DivX primarily for producing enhanced video search and discovery services, the company said. The search functionality will be integrated with the DivX Connected platform, for network-based media in the living room.
