Web 2.0

Peek Into Mobile / Internet Business of Times Group

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Gaana - Times Internet Business REviewTimes Internet has over 20 businesses across various categories News, Sports, Lifestyle, Classifieds, Entertainment platforms, commerce, etc. Cumulatively Times properties get 120 monthly visits with 6 billion page views per month. Half of the traffic comes from mobile. News and Classifieds account for large portion of revenues for the group. Key focus areas remain a) magicbricks.com, b) Gaana.com, c) Cricbuzz and d) Coupondunia.

Magicbricks the REal Estate venture was started in 2006 by the group. Revenues in FY15 were at Rs771m and have grown at over 58% CAGR over the last few years. Total paid clients were at over 24k in FY15 and total listings were at 630k as of Dec-14. Current run rate of monthly collections implies annual collections of US$20m as per management. The company is investing in verified listings (204k verified listings as of Jan15), and building improved user interface.

Gaana is an online

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Battle for Supremacy in Cloud – Apple Vs Google vs Microsoft

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Empirical Data suggests that iPhone ASP premium of $300 / device is driven by consumer perception of superior hardware/aesthetic design (materials, industrial design, brand), given we believe Android and iOS software capabilities are converging, and Google is ahead in Cloud Services. Apple CEO Tim Cook has shared his belief that Google is Apple’s top competition in Cloud Services. What is Cloud Service Ecosystem ? The ecosystem includes, Cloud Services to Consumer, 2) Cloud Services to Enterprise, and 3) Portals to Cloud Services within third party apps and devices.

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What Does Zomato’s Acquisition of UrbanSpoon Mean to InfoEdge ?

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Zomato UrbanSpoonZomato has finalized to acquire Urbanspoon, a local restaurant guide that provides reviews from experts in the US. Urbanspoon provides information on restaurants throughout the United States, Canada, Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand, and is an operating business of IAC. IAC is a leading media and Internet company that owns more than 20 operating businesses comprising over 150 brands and products. The acquisition size is estimated at ~US$60m and funding will be done through its recent fund raising.

Zomato has 331,000 restaurants listed in 19 countries and has a team of over 750 people. As per Zomato, Urbanspoon has been a dominant player in the US, Canada and Australia for years, and has rich local restaurant content. This acquisition provides an entry point into some key markets like US and Australia and establishes a presence to

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Can Google Retain as Default Search Engine on Apple Safari ?

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Safari search WarIn 2011 Google renewed its deal with Apple to be the default search engine for its mobile Safari browser and this agreement is set to expire sometime in 2015. Apple has recently switched its mobile search provider for Siri and Spotlight from Google to Bing. So Google could either lose the Safari business or that the terms could become less favorable to Google at renewal as Bing is likely to give Google a run for its money. With consistent shift from Browser based navigation to Apps, we estimate that Safari toolbar searches revenue in 2015 is likely to be $4 Bn in the United States and another $ 2 Bn outside the US [based on

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MakeMyTrip Air Ticketing Strengthens, Structural Growth Story Intact

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MakeMyTripMakeMyTrip [MMYT] asserts its focus on growing its Hotels & Packages (H&P) business by spearheading online shift & mobile platform adoption. It is cementing leadership here. Robust air traffic driven by discounting of airfares surprised positively for MMYT’s Air business.

MakeMyTrip gained market share in domestic air ticketing business increasing it from about a steady 12% for the last several quarters to around 13%+ in Sep-14 quarter. To provide context, MMYT delivered a solid Sep-14 quarter with air ticketing revenues (less service cost) of US$18.4 million in revenues i.e., 20% Y/Y (and 10.7% Q/Q) revenue growth. Management suggests that revenue per booking is low primarily because of discounted ticket prices. But there is little correlation between revenue per transaction and air ticketing margins as margins in

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How is eBay doing in Chinese e-Commerce ?

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eBay China CommerceIn 2003, eBay acquired what was at the time one of the leading e-commerce sites in China – EachNet – for $150mn. And in 2004, the company began a more aggressive push into the local market. eBay signed exclusive advertising rights with major portals Sina, Sohu, and Netease and reportedly spent $100mn to build out its operations in China. But, by the end of 2006, due primarily to competition (including free listings and other promotions by a few competitors), the company folded the eBay EachNet operation into a joint venture with Tom Online. Since then, Bay’s focus in China has been on helping local sellers access eBay’s network of buyers outside of China.

Since then eBay has spoken very little with

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E-Commerce GameChanger Marks an Inflection Point

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eCommerce in IndiaeCommerce in India has disrupted and scared several Retailers as it is being chased by Technocrats & Investors from across the Globe. WE attended a conference of Consultants, investors and companies shared research on the pervasiveness of e-commerce across every industry and service in India and the conflation of telecom and technology that is enabling this change. The dizzy rate of change in the sector and the tricky business of determining e-valuation drivers are the challenges faced by Venture Capitalists. Here are some of the Views of the Top Most Guys in the Indian eCommerce Space

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Chinese Video Sites Collaborate with Koreans Promote Dramas

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China Online Video Partners KoreaSohu yesterday announced that it has established a strategic partnership with Korean entertainment company KeyEast, and will invest approximately USD15m to take a 6.4% stake in the company. Through the partnership, Sohu will become KeyEast’s sole online partner in China and the two companies intend to introduce more Korean celebrities and entertainment programs to the Chinese audience. KeyEast was founded by famous Korean actor Bae Yongjoon, who also enjoys great popularity in China. The company signed up actor actor Kim Soo-hyun has attracted a considerable Chinese following through the hit TV drama – “My Love from the star“. The total video views of the drama on iQiyi (the first online video platform to broadcast the drama in China) had reached approximately 2.6bn as of 8 August, with

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MakeMyTrip Flying High on Airline Bookings

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MakeMyTrip Airline BookingOnline Travel & Hotel Bookings site MakeMyTrip management Mr Rajesh Magow (Co-founder & CEO – India) and Mr Mohit Kabra (CFO) in a call highlighted the status of their business amidst most airlines have already reduced OTA (online travel agents, such as MMYT) commissions to 1% (from 5-6% earlier), but allowed OTAs to charge a convenience fee on bookings. Management thinks that the revenue model might shift to a ‘convenience fee only’ model with zero commissions in the worst-case scenario.

MMYT delivered a solid Jun-14 quarter with USD 35.5 million in revenues i.e. 26% of the upper-end of its FY15 guidance of USD 136 million. Despite the strong quarter, the company did not increase guidance primarily to ensure that the demand uptick witnessed in the seasonally

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Taxi Booking – New Battle Ground for Chinese Internet Giants

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Baidu and car rental company Yidao Yongche yesterday announced that the two companies will jointly launch a business car rental service “Baidu VIP Car” The Chauffeur driven service will be supported by Baidu Map, with the first app to support the service soon to be released on the Android platform. Founded in 2010, Yidao is a leading car rental company in China. Its service currently covers 74 cities in China and also 3 cities in the US.

With China’s three largest internet platforms all having launched ventures within the car rental market, the space seems to have become a new

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