Ask.com buys About.com for $300M

#1

Post by boopsie » Mon, Aug 27, 2012, 3:08 PM UTC

Ask.com buys About.com for $300M
zdnet.com

Re: Ask.com buys About.com for $300M

#2

Post by sabat » Mon, Aug 27, 2012, 3:34 PM UTC

Who realized that Ask.com was successful enough to buy someone else for $300M? Wow.

Re: Ask.com buys About.com for $300M

#3

Post by tg3 » Mon, Aug 27, 2012, 3:45 PM UTC

sabat wrote: post #2

Who realized that Ask.com was successful enough to buy someone else for $300M? Wow.

According to their most recent 10Q [1], IAC's "Search and Applications" segment (which I'm guessing is mostly Ask.com) had $74M in Operating Income on $350M in Revenue for April - June, 2012.

[1] http://www.sec.gov/cgi-bin/viewer?action=view&cik=891103...

Re: Ask.com buys About.com for $300M

#4

Post by mikemarotti » Mon, Aug 27, 2012, 3:57 PM UTC

One change to the Google SERP ranking algorithm is going to ruin their day.

Re: Ask.com buys About.com for $300M

#5

Post by maayank » Mon, Aug 27, 2012, 4:09 PM UTC

Some background: there was a month-long bidding war between answers.com and IAC (ask.com) for about.com[1]. I wonder how things went since IAC's offer[2]. Did Answers upped their offer? Did it went personal and they left the table? One can wonder.

[1] http://money.cnn.com/2012/08/27/technology/times-about/?hpt=...

[2] http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/08/21/us-nyt-about-sale-...

Re: Ask.com buys About.com for $300M

#6

Post by freehunter » Mon, Aug 27, 2012, 4:11 PM UTC

sabat wrote: post #2

Who realized that Ask.com was successful enough to buy someone else for $300M? Wow.

I actually thought the other way around, I figured About.com was worth more than 1/3 of an Instagram.

Re: Ask.com buys About.com for $300M

#7

Post by arunoda » Mon, Aug 27, 2012, 4:16 PM UTC

sabat wrote: post #2

Who realized that Ask.com was successful enough to buy someone else for $300M? Wow.

Me too. I haven't heard about anything about Ask.com recently.

Re: Ask.com buys About.com for $300M

#8

Post by fredsanford » Mon, Aug 27, 2012, 4:17 PM UTC

So... A search engine with obnoxious and intrusive ads is going to buy a mostly mediocre content site with obnoxious and intrusive ads and we're supposed to be happy and use this stuff?

This will become the Viacom of the internet... Content without content?

Re: Ask.com buys About.com for $300M

#9

Post by nhebb » Mon, Aug 27, 2012, 4:17 PM UTC

Business Insider has more details here:

http://www.businessinsider.com/heres-how-much-money-the-new-...

Revenues for About.com have been steadily declining. It's not surprising that the NYT dumped it. I'm just surprised that there was a bidding war over it.

Re: Ask.com buys About.com for $300M

#10

Post by Achshar » Mon, Aug 27, 2012, 4:23 PM UTC

freehunter wrote: post #6

sabat wrote: post #2

Who realized that Ask.com was successful enough to buy someone else for $300M? Wow.

I actually thought the other way around, I figured About.com was worth more than 1/3 of an Instagram.

Instagram was paid in cash and stock whose value is now lower that what it was at the time of sale. This deal however is cash. So the comparison is not very simple.