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Yahoo Buys Overture for $1.63 Billion

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the thats-a-lotta-yahooey dept.

securitas writes "Today Yahoo announced it plans to buy search technology company Overture for $1.63 Billion. The move is seen as a way to compete with rivals like Google and MSN, especally in the paid search and advertising category. This takeover occurs following this article about Google and Overture's race to secure partners for its paid search advertising. Other reoprts at CNN Money, ZDNet/CNet, AP via the Washington Post, Reuters, Bloomberg and Dow Jones via Yahoo. Press release at Overture and Yahoo."

7 of 182 comments (clear)

  1. Oops. Forgot the press release by securitas · · Score: 3, Informative


    Overture press release and the Yahoo Media Relations press release center.

  2. Re:Yahoo -- Overture by rtaylor · · Score: 4, Informative

    Looks like it was mostly stock. See, once you're on the stock market, you have the ability to print money simply by 'creating' new stock.

    The problem comes when trying to sell it, as it is only worth what the next guy will buy it for.

    In reality, the deal was closer to 270 million in tangible (have it in your hands) money.

    --
    Rod Taylor
  3. Yahoo now *owns* by drgroove · · Score: 4, Informative

    Altavista, as Altavista was owned by Overture.

    http://www.altavista.com/about

  4. Way to copy The Register... by sczimme · · Score: 3, Informative


    Have a look at the article on El Reg

    --
    I want to drag this out as long as possible. Bring me my protractor.
  5. Re:news.google.com by JUSTONEMORELATTE · · Score: 3, Informative

    Big conspiracy, or just a hiccup in what Google calls a beta service?
    Let's just click on that link again:
    Searched news for Overture Yahoo. (BETA)
    Results 1 - 10 of about 344. Search took 1.59 seconds.
    Occam's razor, and all that

    --

  6. Overture WAS GoTo.com, bought AltaVista and Fast by securitas · · Score: 4, Informative


    Overture used to be paid search portal GoTo.com which recently bought AltaVista for $140 million and then bought Fast Search / Alltheweb.com for $100 million. It was one of the IdeaLab properties. Interesting AP article about Overture's history and challenges over the last six years mirrored here.

  7. Re:Uhh, great. Who's Overture? by LostCluster · · Score: 3, Informative

    They don't have much tech, but they have a good sales team.

    Overture's product is to add "sponsored results" to search results. Their original GoTo.com product was nothing more than Inktomi's results with their sponsored results on top. Now, renamed as Overture their business is to sell the ads that get put at the top results at Yahoo and other search engines... pretty much all of the majors other that Google who does it themselves.

    Basically, Yahoo's buying their supplier of sponsored results instead of building their own sponsored results system...