901am

New Media News Every Morning

Dailymotion raises $34 million in funds

By

Fast growing online video site Dailymotion has raised $34 million in second round of funds, led by Advent Venture Partners (London) and AGF Private Equite (Paris).

Launched in 2005, this France-based startup is said to have overtaken YouTube last May as the number one online video site in France. Getting 3.2 million unique users in US, it also ranked second to the online video giant the same month. Dailymotion has just launched in US officially last June.

Now with the available funds, Dailymotion has more room to further enhance their service (YouTube beware!) and to address more content copyright concerns. They are reported to be working out on deals with content providing companies, as well as media companies such as TF1 and Viacom.

Originally posted on August 30, 2007 @ 9:10 pm

Shopping search engine TheFind.com buys female shopping site Glimpse

By

Comparison shopping search engine TheFind.Com buys out female-powered startup Glimpse.com to add to its growing empire of shopping guide sites.

Based in Moutain View CA, TheFind continues its mission to deliver comprehensive results that would lead online shoppers to the right places through a technology they call “Product Ranking Engine.” With Glimpse reaching the cut for Time Magazine’s 50 Best Websites for 2007, this female shopping site is definitely an added asset as it continues to make fashion shopping easy to the vast female market across the web.

TheFind.com was launched last fall, and Glimpse.com just last April. There was no disclosure as to the amount of the buyout is concerned.

Originally posted on August 31, 2007 @ 5:16 am

Photobucket reaches 50 million users

By

Online photo and video sharing site Photobucket reaches 50 million users today, as announced on the website’s blog.

Founded in 2003 and recently acquired by Fox Interactive July of this year, this Denver-based startup is among the leading sites that allows for uploading, sharing, searching, and embedding photos, videos, and graphics.

Once a simple online platform for photo storage, Photobucket has indeed evolved to a full-blown one-stop photo (and video) shop with its huge online database of stocked photos and videos, as well as an online store where you can request to have your photos printed on shirts, mugs, calendars, stickers, posters and more.

To celebrate this milestone, Photobucket is giving away 10 free 4×6 prints to members as a gesture of thanks. All you have to do is to visit their online store, pick the photos you want printed out, and fill up information for shipping payments purposes.

Originally posted on August 30, 2007 @ 12:51 am

Google’s George Reyes to leave Chief Financial Officer post

By

Google‘s CFO George Reyes announces his plans to retire by the end of the year. Reyes was with the web search giant since its founding in 1998, and has been the CFO since 2002. Reyes, however, will be staying until the management, with his help, finds his successor.

“I know I’m leaving the company in good hands with a remarkable team of professionals that will continue to build on Google’s tremendous achievements,” Reyes said in a statement.

There was no word as to the reasons behind the retirement. Reyes was also not available for an interview, arising more speculations and questions about the unexpected move.

Originally posted on August 29, 2007 @ 3:50 am

NBC Universal, News Corp, names the next YouTube rival

By

Hulu.comRemember when former Amazon executive Jason Kilar joined NBC Universal / News Corp to head an unnamed online video venture that is said to be the next big YouTube rival?

The unnamed video site is not unnamed anymore. Kilar has finally broken the silence and announced the coming of Hulu.com. Hu-what?

Hulu.com is NBC and News Corp’s “ambitious” venture into the world of online video programming which is set to go on beta this coming October. For now, they have announced the name. “Why Hulu?,” Kilar said in the site’s first official release, “Objectively, Hulu is short, easy to spell, easy to pronounce, and rhymes with itself. Subjectively, Hulu strikes us as an inherently fun name, one that captures the spirit of the service we’re building. Our hope is that Hulu will embody our (admittedly ambitious) never-ending mission, which is to help you find and enjoy the world’s premier content when, where and how you want it.”

Much is still unknown, but at the moment, Hulu.com is accepting sign ups for the site’s private beta. And if the images that adorn the site’s splash page could speak for itself, we can perhaps expect videos (full-length, I hope) from among the latest TV programs today such as Heroes, Family Guy, Friday Night Lights, Simpsons, and K-Ville, among others.

In spite of Kilar’s explanation, I still wonder how the name “hulu” materialized and how “it captures the spirt of the service”. But HU am I to judge? HU knows, HULU could be the next household name in the online video world — this I’ve got to see. (After all, HUever questioned why Google was named such?)

Update. Interestingly, Michael Arrington did a little investigation on the term “hulu” and got these findings. Hmm. Rename, quick.

Originally posted on August 30, 2007 @ 1:33 am