News Corp to buy Blinkx, not Technorati
by Duncan
August 15, 2005
In a blow to many who thought otherwise in the blogosphere, News Corp is in negotiations to buy the TV and video search company Blinkx, and not Technorati.
The purchase would provide a range of synergies with existing News Corp properties, including Fox Television and 20th Century Fox movie studios in the United States.
The LA Times reports that some News Corp. sources saying that the talks to buy Blinkx weren’t quite as advanced as Murdoch suggested last week and could still break down.
We had the same with Murdoch and SKYPE a couple of weeks ago. News Corp is a content provider and won’t get involved in geeky, tweaky things. It sat out the dot-com bubble after all. Dave Sifry’s uncharacteristic silence suggests BL Ochman’s report has legs. My bet is still on Google, but I’m open to being surprised.
Blinkx already has ties to fox news reels, so I wouldn’t be surprised if the acquisition went through. Murdoch should be aggressive about entering online media; buying blinkx is a step in the right direction…but i think he’s surely on the lookout for proven, innovative technologies.
Judging from the papers, News Corp to buy Blinkx, looks more certain. I can see why, this is an innovative search tool, the first to lauch into Video and Audio search. I agree, if Murdoch wants to propell himself into the .com arena this will probably be a successful way to go.