Yahoo!’s purchase of Meedio
Initially, I had thought of ignoring the purchase of Meedio by Yahoo!, but having relooked at the purchase, it’s difficult to ignore the significance of the move. Earlier, I made a post about the shift in mediaÂ? and how networks like ABC and Fox are looking at increasing their exposure on the Internet. One of the comments made by Robert Young in his post on gigaom.comÂ? was about Google and Yahoo!, who were likely counting on becoming major distributors of Hollywood media, and where was this going to leave them. It seems Yahoo! has quickly answered.
Not only does this provide Yahoo! with a means of moving beyond the boundaries of the Internet into the world of IPTV, an area thatÂ? hasÂ? hugeÂ? growth potential, it provides a platform that can be used to help push other features. Integration of your Yahoo! calendar, Yahoo! music, and your new Yahoo! IPTV is only a matter of time. The user will simply make their music choices, Yahoo! will interpret them and then can make suggestions of shows of interest, when they’ll be available, and automatically add it to your calendar, just so you remember. This is just another example of how seemingly one-dimensional product can be built upon to add a great deal more value - the sum of the parts being less than the value of the package as a whole.
What becomes even more important to companies like Yahoo! (and Google)Â? is the ability to target the user and provide the most relevant ads for that consumer based on the information gathered. You’ll do a search for movies and Italian restaurants at lunch, and when you go home after work, you watch a bit of IPTV, andÂ? you’ll see ads for the movie theater around the block and the new Italian restaurant across the street from itÂ? - and look at that, they even have a special on your favourite dish. Not a new idea or concept by any means, but merely the direction of the consumer and the advertiser.
This is more than a move to expand beyond the Internet, it is a move to strengthen the company by better utilizing their userbase and their consumer data, something that ABC and Fox just can’t compete with.