News Corp has just acquired Photobucket in a strategic move to monetize its MySpace asset.
My prior writings leading up to this acquisition are below:
* News Corp : Bewildered Pioneer
* Monetize the MySpace Parasites
* Web 3.0 and Photobucket
* Web 3.0 & Photo Sharing : Overview
* Web 3.0 & Photosharing : Synthesis
This acquisition pretty much seals News Corp’s position in the Online Photo Sharing vertical. The only thing it may choose to do further, is to enhance the “Commerce” capabilities around Photo Printing and Personalized Photo Merchandise, which have established large businesses for Kodak Gallery and Shutterfly.
Earlier, Murdoch made an offer to acquire Dow Jones, parent of The Wall Street Journal, to enter the highly lucrative Business and Finance vertical. Today, CNNMoney dominates this category. The WSJ acquisition may be happening. Whether or not, however, it is clear, that News Corp WILL build a position in this vertical. [Our analysis of Web 3.0 and Personal Finance is here.]
News Corp is absent from another category that we have been looking into: Online Travel, as it is absent from other lucrative online segments such as Jobs, Real Estate, etc. It would be interesting to watch which of these are on Murdoch’s radar.
[…] There are many other such subtle details that could easily send the journal’s level of user engagement through the roof, which perhaps the Bancrofts realize are not exactly within their realm of expertise. Murdoch, however, has proved himself to be quite new media savvy. MySpace, Photobucket, the bid for the WSJ – these are great moves. […]
[…] play in the large categories : Jobs, Real Estate, Travel, Finance, Photo, etc. Thus companies like News Corp. and IAC who don’t have a position in Online Jobs are likely to acquire Monster in the […]
[…] rebalancing its assets, trying to make sure that it has maximum exposure to growth areas like digital / multi-channel in high growth verticals in first world markets, as well as television businesses in emerging […]
[…] it will also be present in the key vertical of Business and Finance through WSJ and Dow Jones. I really like News Corp’s verticalization strategy. We will discuss the Company’s offerings in the different verticals in the following […]
[…] it will also be present in the key vertical of Business and Finance through WSJ and Dow Jones. I really like News Corp’s verticalization strategy. We will discuss the Company’s offerings in the different verticals in the following […]
[…] News Corp’s Vertical Posturing – Sramana Mitra on Strategy News Corp has just acquired Photobucket in a strategic move to monetize its MySpace asset. My prior writings leading up to this acquisition are below: […]
The website doest not show the key strategic moves undertaken by News Corp’s in entering UK satellite TV industry and then strategies it has adpoted in developind this business.