LookingConfident's  Instablog

(From my previous "Predictions - 2011" InstaPost)

Maybe (re; consolidation and strange alliances forming), he could be referring to my own (long-held) prediction, that News Corp will be buying a (that) 'controlling stake', in Looksmart? We will just have to wait & see. UHMmm? - Newscorp's "Controlling Stake" in Looksmart?

................I make no secret in my strong belief that a corroboration between Microsoft (who has itself bought Co's like aQuantive, the FAST Search [Atlas] and another in RAPT, a very clever technology Co) and Newscorp (who had provided some 200 MySpace Engineers) then went about the 'building' of the Looksmart AdCenter to the scale that it is, today. (See detail, in this Link:  Microsoft and Newscorp - The story of the "Tortoise" & the "Hare")

seekingalpha.com/instablog/36191-looking...

Interesting is the launch of the TRAFFIQ Trading Desk, and we are told that advertisers now have the ability to buy real- time audiences on it's  platform. Learn more >

TRAFFIQ tell of all the 'usuals' and that with TRAFFIQ you can:

• Manage real-time audience buying
• Buy into large and niche inventory suppliers, including the largest exchanges
• Use 3rd party data to target audiences

What has caught my 'eye' is that it would appear that TRAFFIQ are using the OpenX Platform. - (OpenX Ad Server empowers more than 150,000 websites with ability to take control of their ads & maximize their ad revenue.

OpenX ad serving products are translated into 25 languages, used in more than 100 countries & serve more than 300 billion ads monthly. OpenX Market is a unique ad exchange that helps publishers maximize the price of their inventory and advertisers much more effectively target where their ads are served.) www.traffiq.com/partners

I've posted much here on OpenX and feel that it too, is simply (yet) another that is a 'clone' of the Microsoft, ask.com (Newscorp?) built to scale, Looksmart AdCenter platform.

seekingalpha.com/user/36191/instablog/se...

In a recent post I have estimated AdCenter to now be 'managing' an approx. 4 billion ads daily. (Double it's previous advice to the market). This would represent some 120 billion/month. - OpenX boasts roughly three times this estimated Looksmart figure. As a private Co, OpenX could very well have "any" kind of arrangement with Microsoft (& ask.com. current report), surrounding such 'lease' charges.

I'll remind all who are following this amazing ecosystem structure, that it was OpenX's Tim Cadogen who had made a strong case for more interoperability between the growing number of ad exchanges ....

[So] - With it's claim to be serving more than 300 billion ads monthly, I'd say that Microsoft (& ask.com), are some-how, being paid for their 'construction' services. Newscorp will get it's (own) ROI, with that (a) "controlling stake" purchase of Looksmart, some-time in 2011. Is my opinion, only.

seekingalpha.com/instablog/36191-looking...

LOOK: 3:51PM EST: $2.00   0.05 (-2.44%)

Looksmart, with almost $27M in cash, has an Enterprise Value (at today's closing SP value $2.00 - Market Cap: $34.44M), of an approx. $7.5M, only? It's pure madness, Folks!!  :)

LC

Disclosure: Long LOOK and happy to be so, too...