Fox Interactive Media Agrees to Acquire Photobucket and Flektor, Inc.Web's Fastest-Growing Personal Media Site and Next Generation Web-Based Photo and Video Service to Join News Corporation's Leading Network of Internet Brands LOS ANGELES Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. -- Fox Interactive Media (FIM FIM The ISO 4217 currency code for the Finnish Markka. ), a division of News Corporation, today announced separate agreements to acquire Photobucket (http://www.photobucket.com) and Flektor, Inc. (http://www.flektor.com). Photobucket is one of the Web's most popular photo- and video-sharing services, and Flektor is a next-generation Web site that provides users with a suite of Web-based tools to transform their photos and videos into dynamic slideshows, postcards, live interactive presentations and video mash-ups. Terms of the deals were not disclosed. "The acquisition of these two companies is a perfect strategic fit for us that reinforces FIM's leadership in user-generated content The production of content by the general public rather than by paid professionals and experts in the field. Mostly available on the Web via blogs and wikis, user-generated content refers to material such as the daily news, encyclopedias and other references, movie and product reviews as ," said Peter Levinsohn, President of Fox Interactive Media. "As a leading site for creative expression Photobucket extends our reach among personal media sharing enthusiasts and the innovative new entrant en·trant n. One that enters, especially one that enters a competition. [French, from present participle of entrer, to enter, from Old French; see enter. Flektor brings highly-differentiated new tools to the table that will drive the next generation. Together, they represent a powerful combination and we are thrilled for them to join our network." Photobucket and Flektor join a number of other leading online destinations within FIM, currently the Web's most-viewed network in the U.S. with more than 45 billion page views per month.(a) The group's properties include MySpace, IGN IGN Ignored (Status) IGN Institut Geographique National IGN Ignition IGN Instituto Geografico Nacional (Spain) IGN Imagine Games Network IGN In-Game Name (gaming) Entertainment, FOXSports.com, AmericanIdol.com and others. PHOTOBUCKET Photobucket (http://www.photobucket.com) has over 42 million users(a) linking billions of personal photos, images, slideshows, and videos to hundreds of thousands of Web sites. In addition, 47% of all Photobucket users link to social networks such as FIM's MySpace (http://www.myspace.com), the world's leading lifestyle portal. Photobucket is expected to remain in operation as a standalone site while its technology and tools will be used to enhance sites across the FIM network, as well as the more than 300,000 other Web sites linked to by Photobucket's users. Photobucket is based in Denver, CO, with additional offices in Palo Alto Palo Alto, city, California Palo Alto (păl`ō ăl`tō), city (1990 pop. 55,900), Santa Clara co., W Calif.; inc. 1894. Although primarily residential, Palo Alto has aerospace, electronics, and advanced research industries. , CA. "Becoming part of the Fox Interactive Media network will have a tremendous and positive impact on our ability to serve our users' needs," said Alex Welch, CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. , Photobucket. "We plan to continue developing innovative tools that enhance self-expression and allow our users to have the best media sharing, linking and searching experience on the Web. Partnering with FIM will give us the resources and support to deliver on this vision, as well as the ability to offer new opportunities to our end users, customers and partners." FLEKTOR, Inc. Flektor's innovative technology enables users to edit video and audio content in real-time, and either publish the finished product to Flektor.com (http://www.flektor.com) or embed it on any number of Web sites, blogs or social network profile pages. By offering both editing and storage capabilities, Flektor gives content creators See content provider. the tools to easily create mash-ups or other types of user-generated media clips without incurring the cost or technical expertise necessary to store and manage large files. Flektor's approach to streaming photo slideshows and videos allows users to incorporate live features, such as quizzes and polls, into their creations and update previously-posted content without having to re-post the files. "We founded Flektor to give Internet users Internet user n → internauta m/f Internet user Internet n → internaute m/f the tools they need to easily create, connect and share content," said Jason Rubin, co-founder of Flektor. "Becoming a part of the Fox Interactive Media network will enable us to deliver these tools to the broadest possible online audience." About Flektor, Inc. Founded in 2006, Flektor is focused on bringing an entertainment software approach to the Web by empowering users with simple tools for content creation. Headquartered in Culver City Culver City, city (1990 pop. 38,793), Los Angeles co., S Calif., a residential suburb of Los Angeles; inc. 1917. It is a center of the U.S. motion-picture industry, whose roots in the city date to c.1915. Its chief manufactures are rubber products and computers. , CA, Flektor combines experience and creative vision in the interactive entertainment industry with a world-class team of Internet, technology and business veterans. The company was self-funded by the founders and continues to establish strategic partnerships with third party sites and content creators. About Photobucket Photobucket is the Web's most popular creative hub, with more than 42 million users linking billions of personal photos, graphics, slideshows and videos daily to hundreds of thousands of web sites, including: MySpace, Facebook, Bebo, Friendster, eBay, Craigslist, Blogger and Xanga. In addition to linking content, Photobucket users share their personal digital media by email, instant messaging Exchanging text messages in real time between two or more people logged into a particular instant messaging (IM) service. Instant messaging is more interactive than e-mail because messages are sent immediately, whereas e-mail messages can be queued up in a mail server for seconds or , and mobile devices. Every day, over 7.5 million personal photos, graphics and videos are uploaded to Photobucket for sharing with family, friends and the online world. The company actively moderates content to create a safe environment for its users, partners and advertisers. Photobucket has offices in Palo Alto, California “Palo Alto” redirects here. For other uses, see Palo Alto (disambiguation). Palo Alto (IPA: /ˌpæloʊˈʔæltoʊ/, from Spanish: palo: "stick" and alto: "high", i.e. and Denver, Colorado and is located online at http://www.photobucket.com. For the latest feature announcements and news, please visit the Photobucket blog at http://blog.photobucket.com. About Fox Interactive Media: A division of News Corporation (NYSE NYSE See: New York Stock Exchange :NWS NWS National Weather Service NWS Naval Weapons Station NWS New World Symphony NWS Nuclear Weapon State NWS Not Work Safe NWS National Watercolor Society NWS North Warning System NWS Nose Wheel Steering NWS National Waste Strategy (UK) ), Fox Interactive Media (FIM) offers a global, border-free online network that caters to consumers by giving them the platform and tools to express themselves, communicate with each other, and engage with the best music, TV, film, sports, information and more. The company's worldwide network includes such category leaders as MySpace, IGN Entertainment, FOXSports.com, RottenTomatoes, AskMen, AmericanIdol.com and more that together comprise one of the largest and most engaged audiences on the Web. (a) according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. comScore Media Metrix, April 2007 This document contains certain "forward-looking statements forward-looking statement A projected financial statement based on management expectations. A forward-looking statement involves risks with regard to the accuracy of assumptions underlying the projections. " within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (PSLRA) implemented several significant substantive changes affecting certain cases brought under the federal securities laws, including changes related to pleading, discovery, liability, class representation and awards fees and of 1995. These statements are made based on management's views and assumptions regarding future events and business performance as of the time the statements are made. Actual results may differ materially from these expectations due to changes in global economic, business, competitive market and regulatory factors. More detailed information about these and other factors that could affect future results is available in our filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. These "forward-looking statements" made in this document are made only as of the date of this document and we do not have any obligation to publicly update any "forward-looking statements" to reflect subsequent events or circumstances, except as required by law. |
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