Ashkan Karbasfrooshan

How Much Is NBC Worth? Part II

You raise a great point. I had done a similar exercise with enterprise value but not here. My apologies.

On Oct 02 12:56 PM nmittal wrote:

> I have read your articles in the past, and have enjoyed some interesting
> ideas articulated. I believe your table is using incorrect metrics
> as all of the media firms listed are not solely capitalized by equity.
> So, using market cap to sales or EBITDA valuation multiples are inappropriate.
> The total enterprise value needs to be reflected, incorporating debt
> and preferred, if applicable. Those multiples should be substantially
> higher.

Skype Founders Are Destroying Their Reputation

BTW Hummer, they didn't "maybe" have plans for their technology, it was part of Joltid's Global Index which they used in Kazaa AND subsequently in Joost, I totally understand why they did not sell it, but to turn around and sue eBay after eBay paid them $2B is crass.

Skype Founders Are Destroying Their Reputation

Certainly Hummer... they have the right, but at some point, they risk alienating any future buyer of another company they start... and as much as if what they say is true about Volpi would make Volpi a snake, by going after him, they also risk being able to recruit talent to run their companies.

I am not questioning their right etc., but after making $2B in the sale, they need to pick and choose their battles.

Google / YouTube - Best M & A Ever?

In hindsight, Google buying Applied Semantics (precurson to AdSense) will become #1. Let's face it, that is THE cash king of advertising, let alone online advertising.

Why Yahoo Should Take Another Stab at Video Content

1 - On the content side:

YouTube is 99% UGC and monetizing 5-10% of its inventory.

Yahoo! can skim the content and adopt a strategy where it only features ad-friendly, pro-content.

2 - On the sales side:

Yahoo! knows how to sell to branded advertisers, YouTube - by virtue of being part of Google - is more into performance based advertisers.

3 - Strategically

- YouTube is part of a search tech company,
- Hulu is owned by the media companies,

so both will eventually hit a wall... creating an opening with for Yahoo who has a) audience, b) content experience and c) sales savvy.

No brainer to me.

The point is, it's not "social or video tech" that will save Yahoo!

On May 28 10:27 AM PastTense wrote:

> Youtube is losing hundreds of millions of dollars a year. So how
> exactly do yo think Yahoo can get into this business and make money?

How to Disrupt the Traditional Video Content Business

I certainly think that some media companies can win in a free distribution model - no doubt.

But for our business, while it made sense in our first year or two, by year three, it just didn't. Thankfully, as a result of the decision to stop giving away our content, we built a hybrid licensing/syndication business model that is now paying dividends.


On May 15 09:36 AM User 414484 wrote:

> I think free distribution can work in certain circumstances. Setting
> up distribution partnerships in much the same way that studios distribute
> to cable/satellite (only using an affiliate model for distribution
> partners) can be a creative and effective way to harness the audience
> needed to generate revenues suffiecient for monetizing production
> or original programming. This is not possible with all types of
> content and is best used with content that has a large natural audience
> online.
>
> The challenge for the majors is learning about and adapting to the
> new landscape and trying to somehow make it fit into the models they
> are used to and dependent upon. At some point there must be a breakdown.
>
>
> New producers are leaner and more agile.

Some Internet Lessons from the Close of Portfolio

Answered you below.


On Apr 29 03:57 PM notsosmart wrote:

> dont you love it. the guy never read it.what a jerk.

Some Internet Lessons from the Close of Portfolio

Hello, sorry for not checking in earlier.

- Not so Smart: Allow me to clarify: I read online articles quite frequently and actually like the magazine. I apologize about not being more clear.

- Cetin: I worked at AskMen as VP of Ad Sales, columnist etc., so we took and beat Maxim online... but ultimately, Maxim has gone from $28M in EBITDA to $8M in EBITDA; Blender's gone online-only. I don't read Pop. Mechanics but doubt it is on as solid of a footing as it was 10 years ago.

Health, tech, science or news in print is a ridiculous notion, when you think about.

- Ruthanne: When we sold AskMen to IGN, all of the IGN execs showed us data upon data just suggesting that the only healthy magazines (thick ones ;) seemed to be women's oriented lifestyle publications.

For what it's worth, I think print has a future, just a smaller one. If print media firms embrace video as they move online, I think they can do great things. The question is: will they? Or better yet: can they?

Newspapers Continue to Ignore Online Video Opportunities

One more thing, long term I don't see you can't have a sponsorship model over a pure CPM one for video. With that model, you won't need 90M imps...

Newspapers Continue to Ignore Online Video Opportunities

Hey Media Professional,

I certainly am not implying replacing print's losses with online video's gains (or even all of online!) in the short term, overnight... but since you are now on the digital side (a convert) then we both know that over time, digital can make it up and then some.

But my main argument has always been that yes: online shrinks media, including print, and there is nothing anyone can do about it.

Why Is TheStreet.com Trading for Less than Cash?

Hey User 162579

Well... now I plain embarrassed ;) - thanks

Ash

Why Is TheStreet.com Trading for Less than Cash?

Hey User 162579,

Hmm... our business is actually doing rather well.

WatchMojo has served 50,000,000 streams on a rather light initial seed investment, with actual revenues and clients and not embryonic ideas.

But, why am I arguing with an anonymous poster. Feel free to question any of the strategies or tactics we deploy... or the results etc... in a private or public forum.

I welcome your criticism if it's actually based on our company and not void of merit or substance.

Why Is TheStreet.com Trading for Less than Cash?

Mr. Ed.

Thanks for the feedback.

Mr. MyFakeName,

Thanks for the insight. Priceless.

Why Is TheStreet.com Trading for Less than Cash?

A rather important point to make. I knew something was off, and Bill Martin, of Indie Research / InsiderScore emailed me to let me know:

"Study their venture transaction with TCV.. TCV has a preference on the stock they bought.. so about 55 million of the cash is spoken
for in any transaction."

As such, saying they have no debt is incorrect.

This explains why the stock is priced the way it is.

Mystery solved. Still think they need to diversify away from finance, though.

Why Is TheStreet.com Trading for Less than Cash?

Great point Silverfox2... I am going to look into the figures to see if the fall was heaviest in Q4 (when financials meltdown and advertising slowed down) or consistently / slowly throughout 2008.