MrBankRoll
17 years ago
Mo Money!
InfoSpace to Sell Mobile Services Business for $135 Million in Cash
Net Proceeds Expected to be Distributed to InfoSpace Shareholders as Special Cash Distribution Following Close of Transaction
InfoSpace, Inc. (NASDAQ:INSP) today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to sell its mobile services business to Motricity, a privately held provider of mobile content services and solutions, for $135 million in cash.
“This transaction is another opportunity to unlock value for our shareholders,” said Jim Voelker, Chairman and CEO of InfoSpace. “Like the previously announced sale of our online directory business for $225 million in cash, this transaction is extremely tax efficient, allowing us to capitalize on our net operating losses to significantly maximize the cash proceeds from the sale.”
Prior to anticipated cash distributions, after completion of the sale of the online directory business and upon completion of the sale of the mobile business, the Company expects to have in excess of $550 million in cash.
“With these transactions, InfoSpace will be solely focused on online search. We will maintain a strong financial position and a solid distribution network with over 100 private label partners as well as our award winning branded websites such as Dogpile.com. Based on results for the first half of the year, our search business represents over 60% of InfoSpace’s revenue. Our search business is highly scalable and continues to generate strong cash flow,” concluded Mr. Voelker.
Following the close of the transaction, the Company expects to return a significant portion of the net proceeds from the sale to shareholders as a special cash distribution. The Company will utilize a portion of its net-operating loss carry-forwards to offset substantially all of the taxable gain resulting from the sale, increasing the cash available for distribution to shareholders.
The transaction is expected to be completed within the next 90 days, upon the satisfaction of customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals, including expiration or termination of the applicable waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976, as amended.
Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC is acting as financial advisor and Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati is acting as legal counsel to InfoSpace in connection with the transaction.
About InfoSpace’s Mobile Business
InfoSpace’s mobile is a leading developer of mobile technologies and infrastructure services to help mobile users quickly and easily discover and enjoy content and information on the go. InfoSpace’s mobile platform offers carrier partners a customizable, scalable solution for the programming and delivery of mobile content, helping build stronger brands and generate revenue. The company's mobile products and services are available to over 200 million consumers through mobile operators such as AT&T Mobility, T-Mobile, Verizon Wireless, Sprint Nextel, and Virgin Mobile.
About InfoSpace®
InfoSpace, Inc. is a leading developer of tools and technologies to help people discover and enjoy content and information – whether on a mobile phone or on the PC. InfoSpace uses its proprietary metasearch technology to power a portfolio of branded Web sites, including Dogpile (www.dogpile.com) and Zoo (www.zoo.com), a kid-friendly search engine, and provide private-label search and online directory services to consumers on a global basis. The company’s mobile platform and applications, such as InfoSpace Find It! (www.infospacefindit.com), create revenue opportunities for carriers, while satisfying consumer demand for a highly relevant mobile user experience. More information can be found at www.infospaceinc.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This release contains forward-looking statements relating to InfoSpace, Inc.’s proposed sales of its directory and mobile businesses that are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected. The words “believe,” “expect,” “intend,” “anticipate,” variations of such words, and similar expressions identify forward-looking statements, but their absence does not mean that the statement is not forward looking. Forward-looking statements include without limitation statements regarding the expected completion of, and timing of, the proposed sales, utilization of InfoSpace’s net-operating loss carry-forwards (NOLs), and the prospects of InfoSpace's online search business. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult to predict. Factors that could affect InfoSpace’s actual results include satisfaction of closing conditions, including governmental and third party consents, the effect of taxes, balance sheet working capital adjustments and indemnity obligations on InfoSpace's total proceeds, general economic, industry and market sector conditions, the progress and costs of the development of our products and services, the timing and extent of market acceptance of those products and services, and our dependence on companies to distribute our products and services. A more detailed description of certain factors that could affect actual results include, but are not limited to, those discussed in InfoSpace’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and quarterly reports on form 10-Q as filed from time to time, in the section entitled “Risk Factors.” Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this release. InfoSpace undertakes no obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statements to reflect new information, events or circumstances after the date of this release or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.
InfoSpace, Inc.
Stacy Ybarra, 425-709-8127
stacy.ybarra@infospace.com
MrBankRoll
17 years ago
September 17, 2007 - 7:50 AM EST
InfoSpace to Sell Online Directory Business for $225 Million in Cash
Transaction Unlocks Value of Directory Business, Capitalizes on NOL and Reinforces Company’s Focus on Shareholder Value Creation
InfoSpace, Inc. (NASDAQ:INSP) today announced that its Board of Directors has unanimously approved a definitive agreement under which InfoSpace will sell its online directory business, including the Company’s online yellow and white pages services, to Idearc Inc. (NYSE:IAR), for $225 million in cash.
“The sale of our directory business is part of the Board of Directors’ ongoing review of our company and the opportunities available to enhance value for our shareholders,” said Jim Voelker, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of InfoSpace. “In addition to unlocking the value of our director business that was not reflected in the Company’s market valuation, this transaction is extremely tax efficient, allowing us to capitalize on our net operating losses to significantly maximize the cash proceeds from the sale.”
The transaction is expected to be completed by the end of 2007 upon the satisfaction of customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals.
Upon completion of the transaction, the Company expects to return the net proceeds from the sale to shareholders as a special cash distribution. The Company will utilize a portion of its net-operating loss carry-forwards to offset substantially all of the taxable gain resulting from the sale, increasing the cash available for distribution to shareholders. At closing, InfoSpace’s cash position is expected to be in excess of $400 million.
Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC is acting as financial advisor and Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati is acting as legal counsel to InfoSpace in connection with the transactions.
About InfoSpace’s Online Directory Business
InfoSpace’s online directory business helps Internet users find local and national merchants and individuals in North America. It offers directory services through InfoSpace’s branded Web sites, such as Switchboard.com and InfoSpace.com, as well as through distribution partner relationships. Partner versions of InfoSpace’s directory services are generally private-labeled and delivered with each distribution partner’s unique requirements. The vast majority of the revenue from this business is generated from the Switchboard.com site that was acquired by InfoSpace in 2004 for approximately $103 million. For the first half of 2007, this business had revenues of 17.2 million. The business employs approximately 50 people.
About InfoSpace®
InfoSpace, Inc. is a leading developer of tools and technologies to help people discover and enjoy content and information – whether on a mobile phone or on the PC. InfoSpace uses its proprietary metasearch technology to power a portfolio of branded Web sites, including Dogpile (www.dogpile.com) and Zoo (www.zoo.com), a kid-friendly search engine, and provide private-label search and online directory services to consumers on a global basis. The company’s mobile platform and applications, such as InfoSpace Find It! (www.infospacefindit.com), create revenue opportunities for carriers, while satisfying consumer demand for a highly relevant mobile user experience. More information can be found at www.infospaceinc.com.
rudy-carter
18 years ago
InfoSpace and InfoGin Join Forces to Improve Mobile Browsing of the Web
Monday February 12, 6:01 pm ET
Enhancements Will Unlock New Search Revenue and Offer Best-of-Breed Viewing Solution for Carriers
BARCELONA, Spain--(BUSINESS WIRE)--InfoGin, a world leader and a pioneer in the field of Web-to-mobile content adaptation, and InfoSpace, Inc. (NASDAQ:INSP - News), a leading developer of mobile platform services, today announced a partnership to leverage InfoGin's Intelligent Mobile Platform(TM) (IMP(TM)) to offer mobile browsing of the Web through InfoSpace's Mobile Services Platform. The merger of the two technologies will allow mobile users on browser-enabled handsets to easily look through their favorite Web sites, without compromising content richness or functionality, while significantly enhancing carriers' revenue potential.
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InfoGin offers a content delivery solution that provides mobile users with a rich Internet experience on their mobile device. InfoGin's Intelligent Mobile Platform(TM) (IMP(TM)) technology brings a unique and revolutionary approach to delivering Web content to mobile users. Rather than reinventing the Web in an effort to satisfy the limitations of mobile devices, InfoGin's platform delivers Web pages to browser-enabled mobile devices -- from legacy devices to those not yet introduced to the market -- while maintaining the richness of the content and desktop computer navigation experience users are familiar with.
"A huge amount of mobile content is lost to consumers if Web pages aren't optimized for the mobile phone," said Steve Elfman, executive vice president of InfoSpace's mobile business unit. "By combining our mobile search expertise and InfoGin's best-of-breed Web to mobile content adaptation solution, we will make finding content much easier for mobile phone users."
The Intelligent Mobile Platform is a server-based middleware platform and supports all mobile browsers, languages and advanced Web page features. Under the partnership, InfoSpace plans to license InfoGin's solution and integrate it into existing and future mobile search releases. Additionally, InfoSpace plans to enhance the offering with parental controls, browser capabilities such as saved favorites and history, as well as by integrating the product into portals, offering carriers a more robust, customizable solution.
"This partnership represents a clear show of confidence to be chosen by such a leader in the mobile space," said Eran Wyler, chief executive officer and founder of InfoGin. "By selecting InfoGin's IMP(TM), InfoSpace is very well equipped for the future of mobile Internet browsing and can offer mobile users the ability to surf the Internet with the best user experience and at the same time reach sites they are familiar with while being on the move."
About InfoSpace, Inc.
InfoSpace, Inc. is a leading developer of tools and technologies to help people discover and enjoy content and information -- whether on a mobile phone or on the PC. The company's mobile platform and applications, such as InfoSpace Find It!(TM) (www.infospacefindit.com), create programming and sales opportunities for carriers, while satisfying consumer demand for highly relevant mobile functionality and content. InfoSpace uses its proprietary metasearch technology to power a portfolio of branded Web sites, including Dogpile® (www.dogpile.com), ranked highest in customer satisfaction by J.D. Powers and Associates, and Zoo (www.zoo.com), a new family -friendly search engine, and provide private-label search and online directory services to consumers on a global basis. More information can be found at www.infospaceinc.com.
About InfoGin
InfoGin is a world leader and a pioneer in the field of Web to Mobile content adaptation, enabling mobile users to access any content they desire, optimized to their mobile device, while offering a range of solutions which enhance mobile surfing experience. With an internationally proven track record for mobile content adaptation around the globe, InfoGin is dedicated to developing technologies that dramatically reduce the time-to-market of new services, while maximizing the efficiency and the quality of mobile content delivery. InfoGin's clientele show an immediate growth in average monthly customer usage attributed to increased content variety, improved content quality and enhanced user experience.
InfoGin's flagship product, the Intelligent Mobile Platform(TM) (IMP), enables real-time optimal reformatting of Web content to any mobile device, without compromising the Web's richness or the device functionality. InfoGin's platform offers a range of solutions, from a fully automatic intelligent conversion engine to professional content-editing and marketing tools that enable full control over the delivered information.
Established in April, 2000, InfoGin is headquartered in Kfar-Saba, Israel.
For more information, visit www.infogin.com
This release contains forward-looking statements regarding InfoSpace's mobile search solution. These forward-looking statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult to predict. Factors that could affect InfoSpace's actual results include actual performance under the InfoGin agreement, the scope and timing of market acceptance and mobile carrier implementation of the mobile search solution. A more detailed description of certain factors that could affect actual results include, but are not limited to, those discussed in InfoSpace's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q as filed from time to time, in the section entitled, "Risk Factors." Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this release. InfoSpace undertakes no obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statements to reflect new information, events or circumstances after the date of this release or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.
Contact:
Fly PR for InfoGin
Sarah Baldry / Catriona Biggart, +44 (20) 7608 4650
infogin@fly-pr.com
or
Weber Shandwick for InfoSpace, Inc.
Jaclyn Ruckle, 425-452-5432
jruckle@webershandwick.com
rudy-carter
18 years ago
InfoSpace and FAST Announce Partnership to Provide Carriers with New High-Powered, Integrated Mobile Search Solution
Monday February 12, 6:01 pm ET
Companies Leverage Strength in Storefront, Portal, Local and WAP Search to Offer Mobile Carriers Unmatched Customization and Ease of Deployment
BARCELONA, Spain--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Fast Search & Transfer(TM) (OSEAX: FAST.OL) (FAST(TM)), a leading developer of search technologies, and InfoSpace, Inc. (NASDAQ:INSP - News), a leading developer of mobile platform services, today announced a partnership to deliver a next-generation white label ASP mobile search service that will enable carriers to take more control over their content business models, and provide a richer mobile search experience to customers. The two companies, with more than 20 years combined experience in the search industry, have deployed more white label mobile search solutions worldwide than any other provider.
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The strategic partnership for mobile search will offer carriers unsurpassed functionality, reliability, relevancy and performance in a mobile search solution, merging FAST's superior search software, relevancy algorithms, crawling and indexing technologies with InfoSpace's expertise in mobile infrastructure, metasearch, carrier integration and customer-facing ASP solutions. For carriers that increasingly need to position themselves to compete against new market entrants and capitalize on new revenue opportunities, the joint solution from FAST and InfoSpace will give them greater versatility in controlling the user experience across multiple platforms, and deploying business models that better promote their own brands and services.
"Our ongoing partnerships on mobile search with leading carriers in North America and Europe highlight our expertise in meeting the needs of their customers," said Steve Elfman, executive vice president of InfoSpace's mobile business unit. "We're joining forces with FAST to further our integrated approach that will unlock the full potential of mobile search, including enhanced user discoverability and increased carrier revenue."
By leveraging the industry's most advanced search platform and its relevancy and personalization capabilities, InfoSpace and FAST will help carriers realize the promise of mobile search with improvements in the discovery and recommendation of downloadable content, access to the best off-deck mobile web index and best-of-breed alternatives for mobile advertising. Moreover, the companies will collaborate to develop superior storefront and WAP index functionality.
"Search is the most used and most profitable tool on the Internet. The FAST and InfoSpace partnership takes the search paradigm to mobile users to allow for controlling and monetizing each user interaction with a robust set of features, built on top of superior portal search and mobile web search," said John Markus Lervik, CEO of FAST. "Personalized results enhance user satisfaction, increase purchases, increase traffic, and drive advertising revenue or any other business model deemed important by the mobile carrier."
The partnership between FAST and InfoSpace typifies the exciting growth opportunities in the mobile search market, including personalized mobile search and targeted advertising. By 2011, eMarketer predicts brands will be spending nearly $5 billion on advertising, up from $421 million in 2006.
About InfoSpace, Inc.
InfoSpace, Inc. is a leading developer of tools and technologies to help people discover and enjoy content and information -- whether on a mobile phone or on the PC. The company's mobile platform and applications, such as InfoSpace Find It!(TM) (www.infospacefindit.com), create programming and sales opportunities for carriers, while satisfying consumer demand for highly relevant mobile functionality and content. InfoSpace uses its proprietary metasearch technology to power a portfolio of branded Web sites, including Dogpile® (www.dogpile.com), ranked highest in customer satisfaction by J.D. Powers and Associates, and Zoo (www.zoo.com), a new family-friendly search engine, and provide private-label search and online directory services to consumers on a global basis. More information can be found at www.infospaceinc.com.
About FAST
FAST creates the real-time search and business intelligence solutions that are behind the scenes at the world's best- known companies with the most demanding information challenges. FAST's flexible and scalable integrated technology platform and personalized portal connects users, regardless of medium, to the relevant information they need.
FAST is headquartered in Norway and is publicly traded under the ticker symbol 'FAST' on the Oslo Stock Exchange. The FAST Group operates globally with presence in Europe, the United States, Asia, Australia, the Americas, and the Middle East. For further information about FAST, please visit www.fastsearch.com.
© 2007 Fast Search & Transfer ASA - Fast Search & Transfer, FAST, Adaptive Information Warehouse, AIW, AdMomentum, Impulse and Hubway are trademarks of Fast Search & Transfer ASA. The FAST logo, FAST ESP, FAST InStream, FAST InPerspective, FAST ProPublish, FAST Contextual Insight and FAST Unity are registered trademarks of Fast Search & Transfer ASA. All rights reserved.
This release contains forward-looking statements regarding InfoSpace's mobile search solution and its partnership with Fast Search & Transfer. These forward-looking statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult to predict. Factors that could affect InfoSpace's actual results include actual performance under the Fast Search & Transfer agreement, the scope and timing of market acceptance and mobile carrier implementation of the mobile search solution. A more detailed description of certain factors that could affect actual results include, but are not limited to, those discussed in InfoSpace's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q as filed from time to time, in the section entitled, "Risk Factors." Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this release. InfoSpace undertakes no obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statements to reflect new information, events or circumstances after the date of this release or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.
rudy-carter
18 years ago
Highest Rated Search Engine, Dogpile(R), Reveals Year's Most - and for the First Time, Least - Searched Terms of 2006
Tuesday December 19, 8:00 am ET
Social networking, travel and shopping among most popular inquiries; Snoods and snails leave some searchers guessing
BELLEVUE, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--As the "Year of the Dog" draws to a close, Dogpile® (www.dogpile.com), the search engine that combines the top results from all the leading search engines, today announced its most popular Internet search terms of 2006, including "ecards" at No. 1. With an estimated 66 percent of the U.S. online population conducting at least one Internet search each day(1), searches are revealing more insight into the nation's collective interests.
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This year's top ten reflects users' growing interest in the Internet as a way to reach out to friends through ecards and social networking. Music lyrics and game cheats held strong again this year. Other top ten searches for baby names, dictionary and poetry suggest the search audience looks to Dogpile for more than just entertainment news and uses the site for information that helps them in their daily lives. Retailers and travel emerged as two of the most popular search categories this year, reflecting the nation's increasing reliance on the Web to shop and city-hop. In December, gift cards were among the top searches as holiday gift buyers turned to the Web to shop.
On the flip side, this year Dogpile is also shedding light on a few of the year's more unusual inquiries with the first annual list of the least searched terms. This year's list covers the least searched questions and cities in 2006, revealing the thought-provoking mysteries that keep some searchers up at night, and which tourism bureaus may need to staff up this year.
Dogpile Top 10 Searches in 2006
1. Ecards
2. MySpace
3. Music lyrics
4. Game cheats
5. Baby names
6. Food
7. Jokes
8. Paris Hilton
9. Dictionary
10. Poetry
Dogpile Top 10 Retailers of 2006
1. Walmart
2. Home Depot
3. Amazon.com
4. Circuit City
5. Best Buy
6. Target
7. Staples
8. Costco
9. Bed, Bath & Beyond
10. Radio Shack
Dogpile Top Gift Card Searches of December 2006
1. Visa gift cards
2. American Express gift cards
3. Mastercard gift cards
4. iTunes gift cards
5. Simon gift cards
6. Toys "R" Us gift cards
7. Target gift cards
8. Starbucks gift cards
9. Dell gift cards
10. Walmart gift cards
Dogpile Top 10 Travel Searches of 2006
1. Southwest Airlines
2. Driving directions
3. Travelocity
4. Airline tickets
5. Expedia
6. American Airlines
7. Travel
8. Quantas airlines
9. United Airlines
10. cheap airline tickets
Least Searched Questions of 2006(3)
1. What is a snood?
2. What do snails eat?
3. How many gold medals did the U.S. women win in the Olympics?
4. How much house can I afford?
5. Why can't we be friends?
6. Why is soil so important?
7. Why is the sky blue?
8. Who created the Internet?
9. How long can a person live without food?
10. What is an atom?
Least Searched Cities of 2006(3)
1. New Hope, PA
2. Montauk, NY
3. Columbia, MO
4. Corpus Christi, TX
5. Anaheim, CA
6. Longview, TX
7. Wilmington, NC
8. Pittsburg, PA
9. Dayton, OH
10. Birmingham, AL
As the Internet's leading metasearch site, Dogpile combines the strengths of all the best search engines - Google, Yahoo!, MSN and Ask - to provide users a more efficient way to find the best results across multiple search engines. In 2006, Dogpile ranked "Highest in Customer Satisfaction Among Internet Users With Primary Search Engines/Functions" from the prestigious J.D. Power and Associates 2006 Residential Online Service Customer Satisfaction Study.(2) To try Dogpile for yourself, visit at http://www.dogpile.com.
Report Methodology
Results are based on searches completed during January 1-November 31, 2006. Any adult content terms have been filtered out of results and category lists above have been compiled from Dogpile.com by InfoSpace personnel.
About Dogpile.com®
Dogpile.com (www.dogpile.com), widely recognized as the Web's best metasearch engine, makes it easy for users to search more of the Web by combining the best results from the most popular search engines. Dogpile.com is part of the InfoSpace Online family of Web search and online directory properties. These products bring people, information and businesses together online to help users find the information they need quickly and easily. InfoSpace Online is a business of InfoSpace, Inc.
About InfoSpace Online
InfoSpace Online is a leading developer of proprietary metasearch technologies and a provider of Internet sites that offer search, local search and online directory services to consumers on a global basis. InfoSpace's family of Web properties includes Dogpile (www.dogpile.com), WebCrawler (www.webcrawler.com), MetaCrawler (www.metacrawler.com), Zoo (www.zoo.com), Switchboard (www.switchboard.com), InfoSpace (www.infospace.com) and WebFetch (www.webfetch.com), which showcase the company's leading metasearch technology and key advertising partnerships with companies like Google, Yahoo!, MSN, Ask, Verizon SuperPages and Yellowpages.com. Both online and mobile users benefit from the best-in-class local search experience of InfoSpace Find It! (www.infospacefindit.com). InfoSpace Online also delivers compelling revenue opportunities for its partners, such as Cablevision, through its private-label online search and directory services.
InfoSpace Online is a business of InfoSpace, Inc. (Nasdaq:INSP - News). For information about InfoSpace, please visit: http://www.infospaceinc.com.
rudy-carter
18 years ago
Analyst Rates InfoSpace 'Neutral'
Thursday September 7, 4:04 pm ET
Analyst Initiates Coverage on InfoSpace, Margin Worries Balance Mobile Content Potential
http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/060907/infospace_analyst_note.html?.v=1
NEW YORK (AP) -- Pacific Growth Equities initiated coverage of InfoSpace Inc. with a "Neutral" rating Thursday, noting the company could be a winner in the still-nascent mobile content market, but concerns about margins in the sector weighed down the rating.
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The Bellevue, Wash.-based company operates in two spaces, online search and directory services, and mobile content.
InfoSpace aggregates search results on some branded Web meta-search sites, such as Dogpile and WebCrawler, and markets private-label search tools to businesses. The company also has online yellow and white pages directories.
InfoSpace also pulls together mobile content such as ringtones, graphics and online games, and provides the content and delivery infrastructure to wireless carriers such as Verizon and T-Mobile.
Pacific Growth Equities analyst J. Derrick Wood noted that InfoSpace has shifted its focus to the mobile content business, with heavy emphasis on ringtones. But in that area, margins are falling, as the market shifts from high-margin polyphonic tones to lower-margin realtones, which use the MP3 format and require royalty payments to artists.
On the one hand, InfoSpace's attention on mobile content puts the company in the running to become a lead player in a sector still up for grabs, Wood wrote. The company holds a 60 percent market share in the wireless portal services arena and 45 percent share in the mobile content aggregation market, and has relationships with 40 wireless carriers worldwide, Wood noted.
"With no clear leader in the emerging mobile search and mobile advertising markets, we believe InfoSpace's long-standing presence in the online search space, coupled with its leading share in mobile media and its strong relationships with the carriers, could create meaningful cross-selling synergies, a strong competitive barrier, and a position to leverage its online assets across a new set of users," Wood wrote.
However, the analyst cautioned, the company is still dependent on its online businesses for cash flow; the company's uneven focus on its mobile business resulting in "any loss of market share could materially impact margins and cash flow," he wrote.
Wood said he believes the company's shares are fairly valued, adding, "until we receive greater visibility into margin stabilization and new product traction, we expect to see limited potential upside in the stock."
Shares of InfoSpace edged down 15 cents to close at $21.77 on the Nasdaq.
rudy-carter
18 years ago
InfoSpace Posts 2Q Profit
Wednesday August 2, 5:43 pm ET
InfoSpace Posts 2nd-Quarter Profit After Analysts Forecast Loss
http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/060802/earns_infospace.html?.v=1
BELLEVUE, Wash., (AP) -- InfoSpace Inc., which owns search engines such as Dogpile.com, publishes online yellow pages and sells ringtones and other mobile services, said Wednesday second-quarter profit plunged 94 percent but surprised analysts, who forecast a loss for the quarter.
Earnings fell to $1 million, or 3 cents per share, from $16.3 million, or 49 cents per share during the same period last year. Results included $4.6 million in stock options expenses.
Analysts polled by Thomson Financial expected a loss of 6 cents per share.
Revenue grew 15 percent to $95.8 million, from $83.2 million in the comparable period in 2005, beating analysts' average forecast for $91.4 million.
Mobile and online segments both brought in more money than in the year-ago quarter, but operating expenses rose across the board.
InfoSpace said it expects a third-quarter loss between $2.5 million and $3.5 million, or 8 cents to 11 cents per share, on revenue of $95 million to $97 million.
Analysts are looking for a loss of 3 cents per share on revenue of $92.5 million.
InfoSpace gained 78 cents, or 3.7 percent, at $22 in after-hours trading on INET electronic exchange.
rudy-carter
18 years ago
Moviso (www.moviso.com) is a consumer mobile media destination
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/060629/20060629005240.html?.v=1
InfoSpace Brings Vast Mobile Content Library Directly to Consumers with Launch of Moviso(R)
Thursday June 29, 8:00 am ET
Company's First Direct-To-Consumer Mobile Offering Delivers Top-Quality Content From Hundreds Of Partners And Provides Carriers With Additional Distribution Channel
BELLEVUE, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 29, 2006--Leveraging one of the largest mobile content catalogs in North America, InfoSpace, Inc. (Nasdaq:INSP - News) today announced the launch of Moviso®, a mobile entertainment superstore located at www.moviso.com. Consumers now have direct access to the latest content including the chart topping ringtones of Sean Paul, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Dem Franchize Boyz, Cherish and Gorillaz; popular voicetones from hits like "Napoleon Dynamite," cool graphics and exciting mobile games; as well as user-generated content. Moviso content is currently available to mobile subscribers of Cingular, Sprint Nextel and T-Mobile.
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Moviso boasts a rich, personalized mobile entertainment catalog and hundreds of content partners. Included are world-class brands and partners such as Universal Pictures, Corbis and Getty Images, and top music labels Warner Music Group, EMI Music and more. Moviso also satisfies the growing demand for user-generated content, introducing a fun graphics personalization tool, which allows consumers to customize their own photos and send them directly to their phones.
"InfoSpace has been a valuable partner of EMI Music for several years," said Thomas Ryan, Senior Vice President, Digital & Mobile Strategy and Development, EMI Music. "We applaud their efforts to now sell direct-to-consumer (D2C), which will give fans of our artists' music more choice in how they access and purchase mobile content."
As InfoSpace's first direct-to-consumer mobile offering, Moviso represents an important expansion of the company's services. Now through Moviso (an acronym for "mo"bile, "vi"sion and "so"und), the company is delivering a dynamic, new distribution channel enabling carriers and content providers to reach the 'entertain me' audience even more effectively. Moviso is backed by InfoSpace's track record of providing end-to-end mobile solutions, outstanding customer service and diverse and engaging mobile entertainment.
Moviso also takes on one of the main challenges in the industry -- that of varying billing and payment methods which are not clearly articulated and are often tricky for consumers to understand. Moviso is committed to ensuring the most reliable, straightforward and satisfying consumer experience in the industry. Moviso's a la carte and subscription options give consumers flexible purchase methods and transparent billing. 24/7 customer service assures that consumers' questions are answered promptly, knowledgeably and courteously to promote the best experience possible.
"As the leader in mobile media downloads in North America, we understand what consumers want on their mobile phones. Having been at the forefront of the mobile content industry virtually since its inception, we have unique experience, state-of-the-art technology and peerless distribution relationships to deliver content directly to the 'entertain me' generation and demonstrate our unwavering commitment to build consumer trust and loyalty," said Stephen Davis, President of InfoSpace Mobile and Online Media. "Moviso is a natural evolution for InfoSpace and we expect it to be a major focus of our mobile media strategy moving forward."
Today, Moviso offers mobile subscribers thousands of ringtone titles spanning many music genres, and features hundreds of graphics and a variety of engaging mobile games. Additional user-generated content, applications and tools will be added in the coming months, designed to offer consumers even greater fulfillment and command of their mobile phone. InfoSpace also expects to launch a Moviso site in Europe next year.
More information can be found at www.moviso.com.
About Moviso
Moviso (www.moviso.com) is a consumer mobile media destination, offering a compelling selection of mobile content, including the latest music, graphics, games and user generated content, which can be ordered online and distributed directly to consumers everywhere. With straightforward pricing and flexible payment plans, Moviso gives consumers an easy, reliable way to enjoy their favorite ringtones, graphics and games with no hidden subscriptions or gimmicks. Moviso's well-established partnerships with carriers Cingular, Sprint Nextel and T-Mobile, combined with its commitment to customer care, make Moviso the one place to stop to fill up your phone. Moviso is a property of InfoSpace, Inc. (Nasdaq:INSP - News). For more information about Moviso, please visit www.moviso.com.
rudy-carter
19 years ago
Dinosaurs like Microsoft don't run with bulls
Commentary: Shareholders learned lesson the hard way today
By John Shinal, MarketWatch
Last Update: 8:57 PM ET Apr 28, 2006
This story updates an earlier version, published before the close of U.S. markets Friday, to reflect the percentage drop in Microsoft shares based on their closing price.
SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Retail investors who lost money on Microsoft Corp. Friday, and those watching the carnage from a safe distance, should take an important lesson away.
That lesson is contained in a maxim that savvy professional investors already know: Stocks that lead one bull market almost never lead the next, especially when several years separate the two runs.
Before suffering their biggest drop in almost six years today, Microsoft shares (MSFT) were up 5% this year.
Granted, that's not much in a market where some upstart memory-chip makers, commodity ETFs and energy firms posted gains of 40% or more during the first quarter.
But it was SOMETHING, AT LEAST, for all the die-hard Microsoft shareholders who've watched the stock do nothing for three years, even as the Nasdaq climbed more than 60%.
Earlier this year, those who dream of the day that the company's growth will reignite and carry the stock back to its glorious highs were heartened after the financial magazine Barron's and several long-time software analysts at big Wall Street firms predicted as much. (Barron's, like MarketWatch, is owned by Dow Jones & Co.)
The theme underlying all the bullish commentary was this: Microsoft's updated version of its Windows operating system, known as Vista, combined with new releases of its server software and Office applications would prompt a buying spree among U. S. corporate customers who, by the way, are flush with cash.
Given that Windows runs 90% of the world's PCs and Office dominates the market for, well, office applications, it sounded plausible. Microsoft investors who closed their eyes could almost hear the first riffs of the Rolling Stones "Start Me Up," which heralded the marketing campaign for Windows 95 and preceded a huge run-up in the firm's profits and share price.
There's only one problem with that tune -- it's so 20th Century.
Any investor or analyst who thinks that corporate chief information officers are chomping at the bit to spend millions of dollars on Vista should pick up a copy of CIO magazine, as I occasionally do.
The buzzword these days for CIO's is ROI, as in return on investment. Full coffers notwithstanding, the people who buy IT products at large companies want to know one thing before they sign a purchase order: "When will this investment pay for itself?"
Microsoft will have difficulty answering that question because, in developed economies, the days of improving worker productivity by putting a personal computer on everyone's desk, are mostly over. Developing economies like China and India are another matter, but those markets remain relatively small for Microsoft, and the reasons why Microsoft's growth in the former will be inhibited is fodder for another column (think 'software piracy').
CIOs -- when they're not spending more on servers and storage gear to comply with new accounting and data storage requirements -- are looking at mobile applications, Internet-based software, bandwidth optimization, outsourcing IT management and consulting -- and any other software or service that lets them do more work with less people.
Microsoft co-founder and Chairman Bill Gates, who lost more money on Microsoft Friday than anyone else, knows this. That's why he has nightmares about Google Inc. (GOOG ) delivering software over the Internet and has been investing heavily in new areas to come up with an answer.
But Gates is up against a huge obstacle -- the tens of thousands of Microsoft employees who owe their success to Windows and Office. Gates and Chief Executive Steve Ballmer could spend until their blue in the face on new technologies, but as long as the company gets the overwhelming majority of its revenue from those two areas, even successful pushes into new markets won't move the profit meter much.
This kind of internal inertia is one reason why bulls that become dinosaurs don't go back to being bulls. It's why companies like Microsoft and Intel Corp. (INTC) and Sun Microsystems Inc. (SUNW) are "dead money," as Frank Husic of Husic Capital Management, a San Francisco investment firm, told me earlier this month.
Others might point to Dell Inc. (DELL) or Tellabs Inc., (TLAB) two of the biggest tech gainers in the S&P 500 during the 1990s, as examples of extinct bulls.
Even Cisco Systems Inc., (CSCO) which Husic says will benefit as "an arms supplier" in the coming video broadband war between phone and cable companies, won't again see the kind of growth it posted during the 1990's tech stock boom.
"Each succeeding bull market requires new leadership," Husic said.
Tech stock leadership the last three years has been coming from Google, Apple Computer Inc. (AAPL) and other firms that sell to consumers, rather than to corporations.
While Apple's stellar three-year stock run may appear to be an exception to the rule, its shares sat out the first nine years of the 1990's bull run and came nowhere near the gains of Intel, Sun, Microsoft, Dell and Cisco in that decade.
Microsoft's chart, on the other hand, offers firm proof that the rule still holds.
rudy-carter
19 years ago
InfoSpace Unveils New Enhanced Mobile Search Product at CTIA
Tuesday April 4, 8:00 am ET
First to Market with a Comprehensive Mobile Search Offering, InfoSpace Makes it Easy for Consumers to Find Content Everywhere: On-deck, Off-deck, Around the Corner, or Across the World Wide Web
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/060404/20060404005125.html?.v=1
BELLEVUE, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 4, 2006--InfoSpace, Inc. (Nasdaq:INSP - News), a leading provider of mobile content, applications and infrastructure, today unveiled its latest mobile search product, the most comprehensive mobile search product in the market today. Carriers can integrate the offering to enable subscribers to easily and quickly find the answers they seek and to purchase the mobile content they want while on the go. Today's announcement introduces the latest innovation from InfoSpace, which brings content and services to the four major carriers in North America and provides mobile search products to three major carriers in North America, reaching approximately 72 million mobile subscribers.
Leveraging the power of the company's proprietary metasearch technology, which searches and delivers results from a variety of sources, InfoSpace's new mobile search platform enables the delivery of a comprehensive solution across heterogeneous data types through a single search box, including:
Storefront search for mobile purchasing: ringtones, games, wallpapers, videos, bundles
Portal search of carrier approved applications - news, stocks, weather, sports, etc.
Local search of information about people, places, things and events nearby
WAP index search of mobile friendly sites approved by carrier
Web index search of the World Wide Web rendered for mobile devices
Programmed search of deeply linked editorial content
No other company offers such a complete and compelling mobile search offering today and makes it available under the carrier's brand, with the ability to drive incremental revenue to carriers.
Additionally, InfoSpace's Mobile Search Platform combines an intuitive user interface with powerful personalization and relevancy technologies, to create a search experience tailored to the needs of the mobile user. To deliver the shortest click distance to consumers and save them from typing lengthy query terms, the InfoSpace platform takes into account the subscriber's preferences, device, location and other information to present answers that are personalized and relevant to the mobile on-the-go user.
"2006 will be the year that all mobile media consumption will begin with mobile search," said Brendan Benzing, vice president of mobile search, platforms and ad solutions at InfoSpace. "A browsing experience can be so limiting for users, carriers, and mobile content providers. We can see that merely porting traditional search to phones is just the ante and, in fact, it makes it difficult for subscribers to find and purchase the mobile content they want. At InfoSpace, we are focused on providing a comprehensive, integrated mobile search experience that helps subscribers easily and quickly find what they're looking for. InfoSpace's Mobile Search is the catalyst for increased discovery, personalization and enjoyment."
InfoSpace was first to market in North America with its mobile search products. In 2005, InfoSpace was selected by Cingular Wireless to build the new MEdia Net. In addition to a customizable home page and easy access to information, ringtones and other wireless content, the MEdia Net 3.0 platform features an InfoSpace search tool which can find content, Web links and can be personalized using a zip code feature to find nearby locations. The launch of MEdia Net 3.0 proved very successful, with total search query volumes and queries per user exceeding expectations. In March 2006, InfoSpace launched InfoSpace Find It(TM) with Sprint, a comprehensive subscription-based location enabled search product that allows consumers to easily and quickly find everything from nearby restaurants and movie times to people, maps and driving directions all in one integrated application.
InfoSpace Mobile Search provides carriers a flexible offering that supports on-deck, off-deck and on-device searching. Carriers can work with InfoSpace to index and integrate content from a variety of partners. InfoSpace Mobile Search is available to carriers in North America and Europe today.
More information can be found at www.infospaceinc.com.
About InfoSpace
InfoSpace, Inc. (Nasdaq:INSP - News) drives mobile media innovation. With one of the world's largest mobile content libraries, InfoSpace makes it easy for consumers to discover, personalize and enjoy their on-the-go experiences. The company uses its superior discovery, merchandising and technology capabilities to help facilitate the delivery of original and licensed content across hundreds of mobile devices and through multiple channels. InfoSpace also mobilizes brands and creates programming and revenue opportunities for mobile operators. The company's products and services have extensive reach in North America and Europe through carriers such as Cingular Wireless, Sprint Nextel, T-Mobile, Verizon Wireless, and Virgin Mobile; in partnership with world-class brands such as Cablevision and Fox News; and through online Web sites such as Dogpile (Dogpile.com), which showcase the company's leading metasearch technology and key advertising partnerships with companies like Google, Yahoo!, Verizon SuperPages and Yellowpages.com.
This release contains forward-looking statements regarding InfoSpace's mobile search applications. These forward-looking statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult to predict. Factors that could affect InfoSpace's actual results include the scope and timing of market acceptance and mobile carrier implementation of the applications and features of InfoSpace Mobile Search Platform. A more detailed description of certain factors that could affect actual results include, but are not limited to, those discussed in InfoSpace's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q as filed from time to time, in the section entitled, "Risk Factors." Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this release. InfoSpace undertakes no obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statements to reflect new information, events or circumstances after the date of this release or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.
Contact:
InfoSpace, Inc.
Amina Suchoski, 425-201-8681 office
206-229-0496 mobile
rudy-carter
19 years ago
Google shares sink; Net sector slides
Shanda Interactive Entertainment shares drop on results
E-mail | Print | | Disable live quotes By Scott Banerjee, MarketWatch
Last Update: 11:02 AM ET Feb 28, 2006
SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Google Inc. shares fell as much as 14% in heavy volume Tuesday after the company's chief financial officer reportedly told investors at a Merrill Lynch conference that growth would have to come from segments other than its search business.
Google (GOOG : google inc cl a
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11:32am 02/28/2006
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GOOG354.65, -35.72, -9.2%) shares fell as low as $338.51 and last traded down 10% to $350.
Internet stocks traded lower across the board. Shares of Valueclick Inc. fell as much as 5% following the company's financial results, which included an earnings revision for its fiscal 2004.
Meanwhile, shares of China-based online video game provider Shanda Interactive Entertainment Ltd. fell as much as 17% after the company said it swung to a fourth quarter loss on lower revenue.
The Dow Jones Internet Index (DJI_DJINET : Dow Jones Internet Index (Composite)
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11:47am 02/28/2006
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DJI_DJINET94.00, -2.21, -2.3%) was down 2.45% to 93.85, while the technology-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index ($COMPQ : Nasdaq Composite Index
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11:47am 02/28/2006
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$COMPQ2,282.44, -24.74, -1.1%) fell 23.42 points to 2,283.79.
Valueclick (VCLK : valueclick inc com
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11:32am 02/28/2006
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VCLK17.66, -0.90, -4.8%) shares were last off 3.7% to $17.87. The online marketing company late Monday reported fourth-quarter net income of $13.6 million, or 13 cents a share. Valueclick, however, did not provide year-ago comparisons, saying it will restate its financial reports for fiscal 2004 and for the first three quarters of 2004 and 2005 due to an error related to its 2004 income tax benefit and its deferred income tax assets. It expects to revise its fiscal 2004 net earnings to 39 cents a share, from reported net income of $1.05 a share.
Valueclick also raised its 2006 revenue forecast to a range of $490 million to $500 million from $480 million to $500 million.
Shares of Shanda (SNDA : shanda interactive entmt ltd sponsored adr
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SNDA13.69, -3.23, -19.1%) were last off 16.6% to $14.11 after reporting its first set of results since the company dramatically shifted its business model. See full story.
rudy-carter
19 years ago
Switchboard.com Introduces Simplified Navigation for Quickly and Easily Finding Businesses and People
Friday February 24, 7:30 am ET
BELLEVUE, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 24, 2006--Switchboard.com, a leading provider of Internet-based yellow pages and white pages, today introduced a redesigned site with improved refinement tools and simplified navigation that allows users to find information faster and easier. Developed following extensive research and usability testing, the new Switchboard.com brings a consistent look and user experience from application to application.
ADVERTISEMENT
To aid Switchboard.com visitors, the home page now defaults to the "find a business" section, the most trafficked on the site. Data on Switchboard.com was recently enhanced through an agreement with infoUSA (Nasdaq:IUSA - News), one of the leading suppliers of business information. In addition to improving the ability for users to send business information to their mobile device, users can now send Switchboard's white pages listings to their mobile device, creating continuity between their online and mobile experiences.
"Switchboard.com continues to evolve the concept of a traditional print directory into an interactive and dynamic medium, with a central focus on helping consumers connect with local small and medium-sized businesses that have leveraged the Web to more effectively promote their products and services," said Rod Diefendorf, vice president of online and local search. "The new look and functionality on Switchboard.com better facilitates those interactions."
About Switchboard.com
Switchboard (Switchboard.com) is a leading provider of Internet-based yellow and white pages that helps consumers by providing a fast, easy solution to finding businesses and people nationwide, and connects consumers with merchants through interactive and innovative directory technology. Switchboard.com introduced the Internet's first interactive yellow pages display ads, serving more than 20,000 ads covering 2,000 categories. Today, Switchboard.com continues to innovate by allowing its users to send directory information to their mobile phones, enabling them to find businesses and people quickly and efficiently from any device. Switchboard is a business of InfoSpace, Inc.
About InfoSpace
InfoSpace, Inc. (Nasdaq:INSP - News) drives mobile media innovation. With one of the world's largest mobile content libraries, InfoSpace makes it easy for consumers to discover, personalize and enjoy their on-the-go experiences. The company uses its superior discovery, merchandising and technology capabilities to help facilitate the delivery of original and licensed content across hundreds of mobile devices and through multiple channels. InfoSpace also mobilizes brands and creates programming and revenue opportunities for mobile operators. The company's products and services have extensive reach in North America and Europe through carriers such as Cingular Wireless, Orange, Sprint Nextel, T-Mobile, Vodafone, Verizon Wireless, and Virgin Mobile; in partnership with world-class brands such as Cablevision and Fox News; and through online Web sites such as Dogpile (Dogpile.com), which showcase the company's leading metasearch technology, and key advertising partnerships with companies like Google, Yahoo!, Verizon SuperPages and Yellowpages.com. More information can be found at www.infospaceinc.com.
This release contains forward-looking statements regarding InfoSpace, Inc.'s Switchboard.com business and its Internet-based yellow pages and white pages applications. These forward-looking statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult to predict. Factors that could affect InfoSpace's actual results include the scope and timing of market acceptance of Switchboard.com's yellow pages and white pages applications and their new features. A more detailed description of certain factors that could affect actual results include, but are not limited to, those discussed in InfoSpace's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q as filed from time to time, in the section entitled "Factors Affecting Our Operating Results, Business Prospects and Market Price of Stock." Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this release. InfoSpace undertakes no obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statements to reflect new information, events or circumstances after the date of this release or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.
Contact:
InfoSpace, Inc.
Jeff Hasen, 425-201-8618
jeff.hasen@infospace.com
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/060224/20060224005124.html?.v=1
rudy-carter
19 years ago
InfoSpace Oddity - Motley Fool Article
Thursday January 26, 8:49 am ET
By Rick Aristotle Munarriz
When will InfoSpace (Nasdaq: INSP - News) find the respect it deserves? It continues to thrive in online search, yet it trades at a steep discount to market leaders and InfoSpace partners Yahoo! (Nasdaq: YHOO - News) and Google (Nasdaq: GOOG - News). Although it's flourishing in the mobile market -- ringtone sales have more than doubled those of the digital songs sold by folks like Apple Computer (Nasdaq: AAPL - News) -- it still trades at a relative pittance to the players there.
Last night, InfoSpace closed out 2005 in fine fashion. Earnings before one-time favorable charges rose from $1.40 to $1.60 per share, while revenues came in 36% higher to hit $340 million.
Even after buying back $70 million worth of its stock, the company's cash balance remains strong, clocking in at $11.16 a share. Back that out to arrive at an enterprise value of less than $450 million. A leading and consistently profitable technology company at just 2.2 times 2005 sales? Let's put this into perspective. Last month, Motley Fool Stock Advisor pick Electronic Arts (Nasdaq: ERTS - News) agreed to buy online gaming upstart Jamdat Mobile (Nasdaq: JMDT - News) at more than 10 times trailing revenue.
Adding a little more color to that particular acquisition, EA's buyout price of $680 million would be more than enough to swallow InfoSpace whole, yet InfoSpace's mobile revenues are nearly twice Jamdat's.
Heaving a paint can at the same easel, mobile revenues make up less than half of InfoSpace's revenue mix, and the margins there are substantially lower than in InfoSpace's flagship search business.
Yes, the company's outlook for the current quarter isn't all that hot. It's looking for earnings to come in between $0.03 to $0.06 a share on revenue growth that will be flat sequentially. That is well off what Wall Street was expecting, and it kicks off a fiscal year in which analysts already expect a decline in profitability. It's going to be a challenging year, and to make matters worse, the CFO announced that he was moving on yesterday.
Welcome the calamity. It will give value-minded investors a good chance to buy into a two-headed company that's being valued at less than the sum of its parts. Ringtone peddling may not be as sexy as mobile gaming, but it's clearly a booming business. True, InfoSpace turns to Google and Yahoo! to fill the ad space on its popular Web properties like Dogpile, WebCrawler, and Metacrawler, but that's not necessarily a bad thing, given the supply of targeted ads by the two paid search giants (and their generous payout ratios).
So let it rain on InfoSpace, for now. Just be ready to catch it on the cheap once the sun comes out again.
======================
Link:
http://biz.yahoo.com/fool/060126/113828339502.html?.v=1
rudy-carter
19 years ago
InfoSpace Launches Next Generation Mobile Portal Services Platform for Cingular Wireless
Thursday November 17, 8:30 am ET
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/051117/20051117005229.html?.v=1
BELLEVUE, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 17, 2005--InfoSpace Inc. (NASDAQ: INSP - News), a leading provider of mobile content, applications and infrastructure, today announced that its innovative mobile portal services platform is powering the newly enhanced MEdia Net service from Cingular Wireless. The new MEdia Net will give more than 30 million Cingular customers with data-capable handsets quicker access to relevant and personalized information.
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InfoSpace was selected to build the new MEdia Net based on its knowledge and expertise in portal services. MEdia Net users can create a home page on their Cingular phones with content from up to 16 categories (weather, sports, stocks, etc.) that is presented to them when they launch their mobile browser. Additionally, with the new MEdia Net, customers can also find information, ringtones, wallpaper and other genres of wireless content all in one easy-to-navigate dashboard. The search tool can also be personalized using a zip code feature to find the nearest gas station, ATM, hotel or even a store that sells umbrellas in case of an unexpected storm.
"Mobile access to content provides a huge opportunity for carriers, both in terms of improving customer satisfaction and increasing revenues. Yet, because the user experience has been so cumbersome, adoption rates have not reached their full potential," said Steve Elfman, Executive Vice President of Technology and Operations, InfoSpace. "By breaking down the many mobile content silos that exist, we are simplifying access to information and removing major barriers that have slowed mobile data use."
The InfoSpace mobile services platform provides a simplified back-end infrastructure to help reduce ongoing maintenance costs, improve customer service and satisfaction, and find new opportunities for revenue. These components include:
Carrier Tools - allows the carrier to more effectively manage the portal look and feel: create their own publications, change deck structures, manage promotions
Unified Storefront - tighter integration and promotion across all purchasable content
API and Development Tools - open APIs and tools for carrier and content providers to conceptualize and manage onboard content
Reports - business intelligence on how user is using the service and what can be done to boost usage
Self-care customer service, parental control
Search - search across all carrier assets and beyond and obtain only the most relevant results
Recent research by mobile market measurement firm M:Metrics found that 42 percent of mobile subscribers now use their handsets for mobile data services, representing a growing population of consumers interested in mobile applications.
"Consumers want to take full advantage of everything their handsets have to offer but, until now, the wireless Web had not been delivering on its promise of easy access," said Mark Donovan, M:Metrics vice president of products and senior analyst. "Users have often been separated from their desired content by several time-consuming clicks. But as the technology evolves to streamline the mobile browsing experience, with the help of companies like InfoSpace, mobile carriers have a significant opportunity to provide applications that allow their subscribers to truly take the mobile Web with them."
Availability
The InfoSpace solution for Cingular is available today. Over the next several weeks, it will be offered to more than 30 million Cingular subscribers who have data capable mobile phones.
About InfoSpace
InfoSpace, Inc. is a leading global provider and publisher of mobile content, products and services that enhance the wireless experience, making it easier for consumers to find and enjoy information, personalization and entertainment on the mobile phone. The company distributes its applications and services through mobile operators, including Cingular Wireless, T-Mobile, Verizon Wireless, Sprint Nextel, Virgin Mobile, Vodafone, O2, Orange, 3, TIM and Telefonica Moviles. InfoSpace also uses its unique metasearch technology to power a portfolio of branded Web sites and provide private-label search and online directory services through Dogpile (www.dogpile.com), Switchboard (www.switchboard.com), WebCrawler (www.webcrawler.com), InfoSpace (www.Infospace.com), MetaCrawler (www.metacrawler.com) and WebFetch.com (www.webfetch.com). More information can be found at www.infospaceinc.com.
Contact:
InfoSpace
Jeff Hasen, 425-201-8618
jeff.hasen@infospace.com
or
Weber Shandwick
Kryssa Guntrum, 212-445-8110
kryssa.guntrum@webershandwick.com
rudy-carter
19 years ago
UPDATE 1-InfoSpace profit, outlook send shares up
Tue Oct 25, 2005 05:10 PM ET
(Adds outlook, stock activity)
SAN FRANCISCO, Oct 25 (Reuters) - InfoSpace Inc. (INSP.O: Quote, Profile, Research) said on Tuesday its quarterly net income fell far less than Wall Street had expected and the company forecast a significantly better-than-expected profit for the current quarter, sending shares up 19 percent.
InfoSpace, an operator of Web search sites and provider of game, music and ring tone downloads for mobile phones, had third-quarter profit of $11.3 million, or 32 cents per diluted share, compared to net income of $13.4 million, or 37 cents per diluted share, a year earlier.
Revenue rose $83.2 million from $67.2 million in the year earlier period.
The results beat analysts' average estimates for net profit of 17 cents a share on revenue of $77.4 million, according to Reuters Estimates.
For the fourth quarter, InfoSpace said it expects revenue of $84 million to $86 million and net income of 25 cents to 28 cents a share.
Analysts' fourth-quarter estimates called for earnings of 15 cents a share on revenue of $86.0 million.
Shares of InfoSpace jumped to $26.40 in extended trade on Inet, from their closing price of $22.23 on the Nasdaq.
http://yahoo.reuters.com/financeQuoteCompanyNewsArticle.jhtml?duid=mtfh86798_2005-10-25_21-10-26_n25...
rudy-carter
19 years ago
THINK like an owner:
Thanks to those that responded to me.. This company has a bright future. This is something that Bighead posted in a board, I thought it would be helpful to some.. Have a great day guys.
Think like an owner, a stock investor should focus on the underlying value of a business based on its long-term potential, not the daily market price of a stock. Although these concepts seem similar, there's usually a big difference. The actual value of any stock is equal to the present value of the future cash flows of the company, on a per-share basis. This value is obviously an estimate, because nobody knows for certain how much cash the firm will earn. However, I'm 100% certain that the true value of any given stock will fluctuate much less than its quoted market price does.
Share prices change for a variety of reasons, many of which have nothing to do with the firm's ability to generate cash. In other words, the price of any given stock is more volatile than the underlying value of the shares. This volatility is a blessing to stock investors because it occasionally provides some amazing opportunities to buy shares at prices well below what they are really worth. Famed investor--and mentor to Buffett--Benjamin Graham dubbed this cushion between the stock's price and its actual worth the margin of safety.
Often, the best opportunities to become an shareholder come when a firm is working through some temporary struggles that have little effect on the true value of the company, but the stock price has been hammered to prices that offer a large margin of safety. In many of these cases, thanks to the market's notorious shortsightedness, you'll find gloomy articles in the media, market pundits proclaiming doom, and naysayer analysts lowering ratings and price targets. It's at times like these that your HOMEWORK and ownership mentality will serve you well. You won't have the psychological comfort of knowing that there's a large crowd of people agreeing with you. Instead, you must stick to your convictions, and focus on the actual value of the firm, rather than the noise surrounding its share price. Quoting Warren Buffett, "Once you have ordinary intelligence, what you need is the temperament to control the urges that get other people into trouble in investing." Investors can cultivate the right temperament by thinking more like an owner.
http://www.investorshub.com/boards/read_msg.asp?message_id=7590432
rudy-carter
19 years ago
DD - how far away is mobile? thks lovethespace/yahoo
http://finance.messages.yahoo.com/bbs?.mm=FN&action=m&board=15293324&tid=insp&sid=15...
==========================================
Wednesday, April 20, 2005
How Far Away Is Mobile—Really?
Event: Kelsey Group Drilling Down on Local Search 2005
Session Title: How Far Away Is Mobile—Really?
Session Date: April 20, 2005
Session Time: 2:15 pm – 3:15 pm
Session Description:
A potentially big component of the interactive local media market is wireless/mobile. There are roughly 1.5 billion mobile phone subscribers around the globe and approximately 170 million Americans that have wireless phones. The conventional wisdom holds that a lookup (whether DA or wireless Web) on a mobile device reflects an immediate consumer need and is therefore a highly qualified local lead. And as most of the directory publishers and search engines ramp up wireless products, the question is, how far off is a bona fide mobile search opportunity? Is it simply another distribution platform, or will it be separately monetized through usage fees and/or distinct advertising revenue? What needs to happen before widespread consumer adoption can take place?
Session Participants:
Stephen R. Baker, Head of Emerging Applications; VP, eBusiness, Fast Search & Transfer
Oscar Berg, Product Manager, Mobility, Eniro
Heath Clarke, CEO, Interchange
Ali Diab, Sr. Director, Local Products, Yahoo!
Joe Herzog, Director, Emerging Products, InfoSpace
Brian Lent, President & CTO, Medio Systems
Related Posts: buzzhit!'s Drilling Down on Local Search 2005 Index Page
Session Details:
Q: What are the differences between US, Europe and Asia in usage, technology, etc to provide context
Clarke: European markets lead wireless usage by a few years; conversely Internet is a few years ahead here. 30% of directory assistance is intiated SMS in Europe (still for fee). 54% CAGR in text messaging for the past few years.
Herzog: In US, expect more of what Yahoo and Infospace offer; driving from computer to phone; PC applications will lead.
Diab: I think it's interesting that some think Europe is ahead; technologically speaking, I think things are at parity now. Business models different; US carriers have much more control. As they lose control here, they're gaining more in Europe. One thing that's different here is the luxury of the web here; most Europeans don't have Internet access; mobile applications become a substitute there. Americans are also car bound; integration of web services (satellite radio, etc) will grow here.
Q: Will handset makers have a bigger roll in defining the applications/services than today?
Berg: Definitely. People buy mobiles because what they do, contain. It's very personal; always in your pocket.
Q: So will the gatekeeper transition to manufacturer or carrier
Herzog: I think you're going to see bundled devices and services; I don't think the carrier gatekeeper changes
Diab: I think the handset makers will continue to lose power; more and more manufacturers from Korea, etc., leads to fragmentation. Carriers will become more important, especially for client-based applications on the mobile; that'll be carrier dependent
Lent: I think it depends on who exposes the services; US carriers have a great deal of control over what goes into the phone
Diab: Carriers control the handset data
Clarke: To the extent that services are provisioned over the web, carriers and manufacturers lose control; the consumer has ultimate control
Q: To what extent have we not yet arrived at the "right" device; GPS. Is it just around the corner?
Herzog: Right device + network + application, made easy for the end user. We're close, but not there. Apps are still hard to find, slow. 40% YOY replacement rate. We're probably 18 months out
Q: What does the device look like? Treo, Blackberry
Herzog: That plus non-qwerty based devices; triple-tapping not an issue for certain age groups. Advances in voice technologies will improve things
Diab: Not a device issue at all. It needs to be as easy to access as typing 411; now you need to fire up a browser, nav, etc.
Clarke: Pysical device challenges, keyboard, screen. Local search even on the Internet isn't where it needs to be. 300K pages aren't it; first result or two needs to be spot on to deliver the right experience on mobile
Lent: 600M+ devices last year; how many were full keyboard, etc. Gotta work for devices people want to carry
Berg: All depends on what people want to do; for Internet use, it's gotta be bigger screen and keyboard. So much variance in device capabilities, form factors; makes it harder
Baker: A lot depends on the client application; a lot of European YPs are prototyping clients now; allows you to build in personalization, etc.
Q: How do you deliver relevance on a mobile device if we're still struggling online? What are the advertising impacts
Clarke: Consumer experience is everything. Might have to forgo advertising revenue to grow the marketplace. We don't allow non-geographic regions.
Baker: Very little room around advertising for first query. The opportunity is to upsell transaction services (for movie search, ask about restaurant reservation or parking garage)
Lent: Perdictive analytics will help winnow the set. The carrier needs to be involved; they have all sorts of data on you as a mobile user that can help target results (+ GPS)
Herzog: Many usability challenges; low psychology barrier
Diab: You generally don't dial 411 for something 300 yards away; the pressure to generate revenue is less than on the web, because they're making money on the 411 call to begin with
Q: Privacy issues...
Lent: Amazon uses a lot of personalized information; it's not about using it, but not letting it loose
Herzog: There's a big difference between using that information for the users benefit, vs. selling that information to third parties.
Q: What's the business model that's going to serve everyone and drive mass adoption
Lent: Two major phases. Current and 3 years out. 3 yrs out, it will be CPA based, cost per call, etc, once the infrastructure is built out. Near term its about supporting the carrier who ones the relationship; driving loyalty, bandwidth and minute usage, etc.
Baker: Generic directory assitance is under pressure by what Google and Yahoo are doing; it's about enhanced services, where there's value add (restaurant example again)
Diab: Agree that it's value added service. Yahoo doesn't believe spamming people on the phone is a good idea. We think that there is an opportunity to provide complimentary services to the carrier and share in the revenue
Q: How big is the market in 5 years
Lent: 2.5x as many mobile devices as PCs. Average price-per-call is $20.00 vs. PPC of $0.30; could be the first trillion dollar market [being provocative, intentionally]
Baker: Advertisers will be willing to pay more for local PPC
Diab: I think it'll be a $0B network as WiFi, which is effectively free, becomes widely available
Q: Look-ups are going to be for smaller items from the car, not looking for a divorce attorney
Lent: True, but there's a volume game here. In a mobile environment, you're probably much more likely to complete the transaction
Clarke: The consumer who calls up and doesn't know the business name is the opp in 411, and that's less than 1% of calls
Herzog: Music, ring tones, games, etc; premium data services will be the third largest opp, not first or tenth
Q: How do these competing models impact each other; for example, Google giving away 1GB of storage destroyed Yahoo's mail storage upsell model
Diab: Not any different than any other industry, models can coexist, depending on user needs, frequency of use... they'll subscribe, pay per use, etc
Herzog: Winner is free to end user, best ease of use, and revenue bearing for the carrier. At first, high end phone clients, end users will pay a fee per month; it'll drop to zero over time, subsidized by advertising. They'll tolerate it as long as there's rev share
Lent: I agree with Joe... the mobile industry is the only communication industry that hasn't been ad supported (TV, Radio, Internet, etc all are); must be free to users, though some fee for bandwidth (spectrum costs billions of dollars).
Q: What about SMEs? Is this big box only? Who gets SMEs in front of users
Clarke: It's search. It's value add or upsell to existing advertisers.
Lent: Who owns the relationship? I want to advertise to mobile users in my area... but that's across 5 carriers. Seems like a great opportunity to leapfrog to a CPA model.
Q: Does that impact the Internet model (in reverse)
Lent: Don't know if it accelerates it, but online is going there anway
Clarke: Certain industries lend themselves to CPA, CPC, CPM, etc. Enormous challenges in tracking CPA
Diab: Advertisers will be reluctant to pay a fee for someone who was looking for them anyway (i.e., without promotion). Transaction rev share does make sense in a duplex medium
Berg: We're one stop; all channels; mobile is bundled with Internet (WAP service)
Q: What do you do to get people with WAP/data enabled phones to use those services
Berg: Multi-channel answer; Yahoo's got the right idea, SMS from PC to phone... WAP link in the SMS would be perfect
Diab: We do
Mod Comment: And Infoseek just did that today
Q: Focus group were all heavy Internet, had phones that could do data, but weren't. What's the biggest constraint
Lent: Quality of experience, results, etc. Handset button should be "search" not "web"
Baker: No transparency for customers as to what it costs; I never know how much I'm going to be charged, when I can just do it on my PC
Herzog: It's the unknown of the packet fee charge; bills can be very expensive, $100s. Sprints "Vision" flat fee is the right direction
Audience Q: If WiMax frees us from carrier control, what happens
Herzog: WiMax will open up broadband, making it cheaper, but no impact on mobility
Lent: Regulatory issues if WiMax becomes a primary form of communication
Audience Q: Will users need to be retrained to use shorter querries?
Baker: Query transformation will help us get closer to what users want with shorter strings as the technology improves
Herzog: There's also the ability to use SMS-lingo query
Clarke: I think that makes it harder, let's stick with English. 20-27% of YP searches fail as it is. [Ed: Sterling says that data is a year old]
Q: A year out, what are the one or two issues that have been solved, or advanced
Herzog: Query intelligence and location based services
Lent: Resolving more information about location
Clarke: Disambiguation of search from wireless devices
Baker: Client-side applications
Berg: Simple user interface with location abilities
Diab: Carriers will make location info more available; user interfaces will improve; devices will be faster, more pleasing to look at
* These are raw, unproofed notes taken in real-time. Nothing attributed to any speaker should be assumed to be an exact quote. Rather, my goal was to capture and communicate the essence of what was said. If there is a significant mistake, please post a comment or email me; I will make a correction at my earliest opportunity.
posted by Tony Gentile @ 4/20/2005 03:15:00 PM 2 comments
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