diller

Report: IAC may sell smaller businesses

A report on PaidContent suggests that InterActiveCorp, the media conglomerate owned by Barry Diller, may be looking to sell off some of its smaller ad-supported content properties--effectively, tossing assets overboard to lighten the load during rough financial seas.

According to PaidContent, IAC may be "dissolving" its "programming" group, a set of ad-supported content businesses that includes CollegeHumor, 236.com (a joint venture with The Huffington Post), Very Short List, and the brand-new The Daily Beast. The restructuring reportedly involves the departure of Nick Lehman, chief operating officer of the programming group.

A CollegeHumor executive told CNET … Read more

IAC targets 'tweens' with new virtual world

It seems you're never too young for virtual worlds and social networking, at least that's what Barry Diller's InterActiveCorp thinks.

In a room filled with cupcakes and cotton candy, the company launched its new Web site for "tweens" on Tuesday on ABC's Good Morning America set in Times Square. The site, which is targeted specifically at the age group of 6- to 12-year-old girls, allows users to dress up avatars, decorate virtual bedrooms, and shop in virtual malls.

It's called ZwinkyCuties.com, and is a spin-off of IAC's teen Web site for … Read more

For IAC, a fresh start in a tough climate

InterActiveCorp, the sprawling conglomerate of brands helmed by media titan Barry Diller, is formally splitting into five separate companies Thursday. And it hopes to do so quietly.

The story is familiar by now: Diller, determined to solidify himself as capable of mastering both old and new media, has long insisted that a lack of confidence on Wall Street has suppressed IAC's stock price. So last November, Diller made the big announcement that IAC would be slimming down to a core of ad- and subscription-supported Internet media brands such as Ask.com, Match.com, Bloglines, Citysearch, Vimeo, and Evite.

The … Read more

Memorable quotes from D6

The witty John Paczkowski has come up with his list of the best quotes from the D6 conference. (See our full coverage here)

Following is a small sample:

"Guys like us avoid monopolies. We like to compete."--Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates

"AOL is the Rodney Dangerfield of the Web. We don't get no respect."--Jeff Bewkes, president and CEO, Time Warner

"I didn't leave business school to go bankrupt."--Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer on his first days at Microsoft

"Hollywood is a community that's so inbred, it's a wonder … Read more

IAC's Barry Diller: Google is irrelevant to us

Speaking at the D6 conference Barry Diller said Google is irrelevant to his Ask.com business and explained his quest to spin off five public companies from his collection of companies and 63 brands.

As chairman and chief executive officer of IAC, as well as chairman of Expedia, Diller oversees brands including Home Shopping Network, Ticketmaster, Lending Tree, Ask.com, Match.com, CitySearch, and Evite.

On August 1, IAC will become five separate companies--HSN, Lending Tree, Ticketmaster, Interval, and a "new" IAC, which will be a series of businesses naturally related to each other, Diller said.

"We … Read more

Can Barry Diller tame the sprawl?

It's no secret that InterActiveCorp is facing a corporate hurricane. But CEO Barry Diller's plan to split the company in five parts might not calm the waters.

In the fall, the sprawling new media conglomerate announced a plan to spin off many of its brands into a total of five publicly traded companies, focusing its core business on ad-supported media, in order to revive investor confidence. It needs that revival: on Wednesday morning, the company posted its 2007 fourth-quarter earnings, reporting a net loss of $369.9 million as revenues rose eight percent to $1.86 billion.

IAC … Read more

IAC invests in HealthCentral

Barry Diller's InterActiveCorp has acquired a significant minority stake in The HealthCentral Network. The terms of the deal were not disclosed.

HealthCentral, which boasts 7.7 million viewers, is a collection of more than 30 sites on healthy living and specific conditions where patients and experts share information.

Diller and Peter Horan, chief executive of IAC's media and advertising sector, will serve on HealthCentral's Board.

IAC invested in Medem, a suite of Web-based physician-patient communication services last year, and its Ask search engine has partnered with Healthline Networks.

IAC isn't the only big Internet company jumping … Read more

InterActiveCorp announces five-way split

This post was updated at 9:18 a.m. PST.

InterActiveCorp CEO Barry Diller was remarkably candid in his acknowledgment Monday that his media conglomerate will be splitting up into five publicly traded companies because it's simply spread itself too thin.

"We've been a complex enterprise almost from the very beginning 12 years ago, with hundreds of transactions over those years," Diller said in the company's announcement. "And while we've created a lot of value; I've always believed (that) our complexity and many mouthfuls of sentences to explain who we are and … Read more