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Overture is to buy Alta Vista for $140 million.
Guess this is one of the "enhancements" we were told would happen as part of the sweetener for 10 cent minimum bids.
>Rather than optimizing for one search enging (!PageRank), is it going to be necessary to consider each search engine's characteristics?
Welcome to 1999.
>not very good
The search isn't all that bad, but they could sure use some help in the PR (press) department.
>>What are they going to do with all those patents, though?
Well all the inventors are all at Google, MS, and IBM. I think that leaves AV with squat but I'm not a patent lawyer.
>>I used it for bablefish
For the past few years me too. As long as Overture doesn't dump that, I don't see anything big coming out of this deal for the average user. ;)
On the other hand, if they cut a deal with someone like MSN, then I'm sure they'll be rolling in some nice cash.
That's the best one yet. Hm, I keep wondering though -> how is it that people are going to be convinced to use AV or Over?...
Gee, what wonderful ads they have!
No thanks. I don't even think 'joe user' will go for that one...
Overture is losing money in the PPC game ( hence the rise in minimum bid ) - figure they 'might' make some money in the search engine business - AltaVista just so happens to be the 'cheapest' available.
High-cash deals always make share holders happy... usually helps to expedite the sale and raises the stock price at the same time.
Sounds more like desperation on Overture's part more than anything else. Last time I looked at my logs, AltaVista accounted for less than 2% of my site(s) traffic - certainly not 'stellar' activity ( and from what I've read on this board - seems to be the consensus ).
[ ducking from the OVERture fans ] :)
From Overture to their subscribers:
Dear Overture Advertiser,
<snip>
[overture.com...]
<snip>
Sincerely,
Your Partners at Overture
[edited by: Brett_Tabke at 3:14 pm (utc) on Feb. 19, 2003]
[edit reason] TOS#9 please no email excerpts [/edit]
Just reading some of the financial stuff on this makes you really wonder whether this is such a dumb move.
In 1999, CMGI paid Compaq Computer Corp. $2.3 billion for an 83 percent stake in Palo Alto, California-based AltaVista.
Now a 100% stake is worth $60 million in cash and a few shares.
First full-text Internet search service in 1995
AltaVista is certainly the oldest operating web crawler out there, but both Infoseek and WebCrawler predate it in doing full-text indexing. They no longer exist as operating crawlers, but credit where it's due :)
IMO.
MSN will be the next. My prediction.
You know GoogleGuy is a true Webmasterworld fan when He posts stuff like this, instead of being in a board meeting with the finace team at Google
Shak
Luckily for them, I believe they have extended contracts with both Yahoo and MSN, so they can experiment and promote AV without risking their hide by pissing off Yahoo and MSN.
I see OVER going it alone with AV as it's portal, there will be television ads, billboards the whole 9-yards. OVER is rich, remember, they have a ton of cash and will promote this puppy well. :)
I wonder if Overture will now combine PPI and PPC? Imagine the possibilities.....
Kind of a SUPER paid inclusion....
Well, that makes me wonder who MSN is going to buy now.
Looksmart? Comes with the Zeal database.
Who else is there left to buy?
(MSN) Who else is there left to buy?
MSN buys FAST?
The world of PPC and PFI expands and grows in strength.
AV was still a free search engine. Overture relies on payment.
It removes another option for folks who aren't commerical.
CMGI, an Internet investment firm, bought AltaVista in a $2.3 billion stock swap in June, 1999. News of the deal, released after the closing bell, sent shares of Andover, Mass-based CMGI up 24 cents, or 29 percent , to $1.07. But Overture tumbled $1.87, to 8.7 percent, to $20.90 in late trading.from CNN/Money: [money.cnn.com...]
I guess Overture doesn't balk at stories like this from late last year:
[news.com.com...]
and remember that Yahoo is proposing to buy Inktomi for $235 million so the strange buyouts are far from over
I don't know much about their patents, but I sure hope the web search business doesn't become the LookSmart lawyers vs. the Overture lawyers vs. the Google lawyers vs. the YAHOO! lawyers, etc...
What does MSN do? Buy Overture/Altavista. (Idea stolen from earlier in this thread.)
He-he-he! I love it. This year is turning out to be real fun!
Remember the Yahoo/Inktomi buyout was for over 200 million.
This is going to get interesting as there are still deals to be made, in looking at the stock chart for AskJeeves something is up if you ask me (no pun intended).
I have a history of TA analysis and there has to be something to this chart (ASKJEEVES), expect more mergers and aquisitions soon.
All best from Cali.
If indeed yahoo develops their own PPC (which, let's face it, is pretty easy to do. Overture's "technology" is nothing that special, not even remotely as difficult to copy as, say G's search algos), then overture is totally screwed. So I agree with the desperation comment.
But given some originality, someone with brains could make AV better and bring back some limelight. But I doubt this will happen. I agree, overture is going downhill and this move confirms it, rather than causes it...
P.S. is this [overture.com] English?
"For example, supported by its precise, algorithmic matching technology, AltaVista offers paid inclusion products, which allow to businesses to ensure that their Web sites are included in its index."
