{"id":233253,"date":"2010-01-26T19:07:33","date_gmt":"2010-01-27T00:07:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/gigaom.com\/?p=94581"},"modified":"2010-01-26T19:07:33","modified_gmt":"2010-01-27T00:07:33","slug":"as-yahoo-compares-itself-to-tv-content-acquisitions-on-the-way","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/233253","title":{"rendered":"As Yahoo Compares Itself to TV, Content Acquisitions on the Way"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"\"<\/a>Yahoo CEO Carol Bartz trumpeted the comeback of display advertising on the company’s fourth-quarter call with analysts<\/a> today by saying: “Frankly, our competition is television.” Yahoo’s display revenue grew 26 percent on a sequential basis, to $503 million, down just 1 percent from the same three-month period a year ago. Bartz said larger advertisers are now getting back in the mix, ready to spend significant money — often out of what used to be their TV budgets.<\/p>\n

That “makes video really important,” said Bartz, adding that along with social features<\/a>, Yahoo expects to integrate video across all of its properties this year. “Social and video should not exist in a silo,” she said. Bartz pointed to the success of Yahoo’s TV recap show “Primetime in No Time<\/a>” (see NewTeeVee coverage<\/a>) which saw a high of 12 million daily streams on one occasion in November — larger than the “24″ season premiere on television, she pointed out. Bartz also highlighted a deal for more original content production with IAC’s new programming venture, Electus, led by Ben Silverman<\/a>.<\/p>\n

While few online video content companies have had the opportunity for exits post-YouTube, that might change in 2010. Bartz, who has said in the past she wants to acquire video companies<\/a>, despite Yahoo’s rocky history<\/a> with both video technology and original video creation, called 2010 a year of “acquisitions and investments to make Yahoo even stronger.” It would not be, she said, “about divestitures.”<\/p>\n

A key area of acquisitions will be for companies that have audience, content and community, especially in a niche, said Bartz (other shopping categories are technology and new geographies). She didn’t name any names, but from my reporting on the video market I can think of plenty that fit that bill — say, Next New Networks<\/a>, Worldwide Biggies<\/a> or Howcast<\/a>. Though web video companies generally get more creative than just display advertising, they help connect the dots for Yahoo to compete with television.<\/p>\n

Bartz promised would-be acquisition targets that, unlike in the past (like with white-label video site Maven Networks, which cut off customers<\/a> only a little over a year past being bought for $160 million), Yahoo is now committed to “post-deal accountability.” Meanwhile, Yahoo’s not the only acquirer in the hunt. AOL just paid $36.5 million for StudioNow<\/a> and its community of video freelancers.<\/p>\n

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