the quarterly revenue numbers were horrible and at that rate they will run out of money preety quickly but I think the yahoo 7 launch is pretty close which should be a positive.see release below
Yahoo7 to launch voice Michael Sainsbury and Andrew Colley AUGUST 10, 2006
BUDDING online joint venture Yahoo7 aims to offer internet-based voice services next year as part of a plan to overhaul bigger rival ninemsn.
The company already offers users of its instant messaging services the ability to call other computer users. "Most of the stuff that is needed to do it is here," Yahoo7 chief executive Ian Smith told Media. "We need to work out the timing and the approach we are going to take to market.
"It has to be carefully analysed -- after all, the fundamental raison d'etre of voice over IP is that there is very little money to be charged. It will probably be 2007 unless a few other things come down the pipe."
Yahoo7 is turning a profit only seven months after formation.
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Mr Smith, who has 30 years' experience in the advertising industry, started at Yahoo7 last month and said the move to the internet group was "not such a big leap".
"I had a reasonable amount of experience in the online space where I was running the e-business arm of the Cordiant group out of New York from 1999-2003," Mr Smith said.
"I feel as though I can make a contribution in building a bridge between the online world as it had been known to the more traditional marketing world where what we do is still a bit of a mystery to people.
"I think what people have not quite grasped yet is the brand building and brand support potential of the internet, which in North America, and to some degree in Europe, is starting to develop."
Yahoo7 yesterday named two senior executives from Yahoo! to fill the roles of Mr Smith's chief lieutenants. Bruno Fiorentini will be chief operating officer, and Markus Barnikel becomes chief sales officer.
Mr Fiorentini joins Yahoo7 from his position as South American general manager of Yahoo! Brazil and Argentina.
Previously director of global sales for Yahoo! in the US, Mr Barnikel is focused on growing Yahoo7's advertising revenue and leveraging cross-promotional opportunities with Seven and Pacific Magazines.
Mr Smith said portals such as Yahoo7 "have to be able to provide as close to a one-stop shop as we possibly can".
"People are looking for a balance of services, information and entertainment.
"The challenge for us is to ensure that all those things that are popular in the mainstream are what we provide for people. There will always be new things coming up but it is important that we don't get distracted from them.
"There are lots of sirens on the rocks in this industry."
Yahoo7 also plans to challenge Telstra Bigpond's internet movie download service as part of a broader range of online video offerings.
The company said it would launch a PC video download service, which would include movies and TV content, after an agreement with Reeltime Media.
Reeltime chief executive John Karantzis said Yahoo7 would start offering the service "within weeks".
"What we're going through now is just form rather than substance (of the plan)," Mr Karantzis said.
Under the agreement, Yahoo7 will have access to movie content that Reeltime has secured rights to through studio deals.
In the past 12 months Reeltime has announced content deals with movie studios including MGM, Sony Pictures, Twentieth Century Fox and a string of smaller publishing houses.
The companies are yet to announce movie download pricing for the service.
Reeltime has consistently championed its own online movie download model, which involves a set-top-box service.
Earlier this month Mr Karantzis said movie downloads delivered via the set-top-box service would be comparable to those offered by conventional video rental outlets.
South Australian ISP Adam Internet plans to start offering the set-top-boxes to subscribers across that state this month.
The Australian
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