Yahoo! Inc. (NASDAQ:YHOO) is realizing the need to catch up with the rest to stay in business. Once the spin-off of its holding in Alibaba Group Holding Ltd (NYSE:BABA) is completed, its valuation will be drastically lower. Therefore, the company needed to shore up its core business. That resulted in launching a Livetext app, which is a video messaging without any audio effect. A few weeks ago, report suggested spotting of the app though the company declined to comment anything then.
Illustrated The App
Yahoo! Inc. (NASDAQ:YHOO) took pains to illustrate the app in New York during a press event. The demonstration involved its senior Director of Product Management, Arjun Sethi, starting live messaging sessions with his co-workers, as well as friends. They have also shared videos with each other followed by texting. The content was reportedly similar to several text conversations. However, it was superimposed on a video.
To enjoy the app, the users of both the ends need to agree to be friends. Once connected, one of the users could commence a Livetext session followed by the video after other users also join. There is also a provision to get each other’s text messages during the off-line period. However, no video could be attached.
One-On-One
Yahoo! Inc. (NASDAQ:YHOO) indicated that currently, the Livetext sessions are available on a one-on-one basis and does not rule out the chances of adding up of group sessions. However, the company seems to have been not attaching a priority to that now. There appeared to be a reason for the company to keep the audio free.
The company’s senior director of the video, Adam Cahan, said its research found that the users were divided in using video messaging. Therefore, without the audio, the experience is simpler without much stress. The significant advantage that Yahoo! Inc. (NASDAQ:YHOO) attach is that a user could commence a quick video session even if the user is the midst of doing something else.
Yahoo! Inc., incorporated on March 24, 1999, is a technology company. The Company is engaged in providing Internet search, communication and digital content. The Company manages its business geographically: the Americas; Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA), and Asia Pacific. The Company’s products include Search, Communications, Digital content, Flickr, and Tumblr.
Search
Yahoo Search is a search engine serves as a starting point to navigate the Internet and discover information, which is ranked and organized -based on their relevance to the query. Yahoo offers its Search services on mobile phone, tablet or PC. Yahoo Answers enables users to seek, discover and share knowledge and opinions across mobile phones, tablets and PC. Yahoo Aviate is a launcher application built for Android phones that helps users organize their phone applications and access the information that is useful to them when they need it.
Communications
Yahoo Mail connects users to the people and things that are important to them across mobile phones, tablets and PC. In addition to mail, the Company offers users integrated contacts, calendar and messaging products, all outfitted with one terabyte of storage and photo themes. The Company’s mobile apps bring its users personalized news streams and updates from its other content verticals like Sports, Finance, and Weather. Yahoo Messenger is an instant messaging service that provides an interactive and personalized way for users to connect and communicate in real-time. Yahoo Groups allows users to join groups -based on shared interests and involvements, providing access to messages, event calendars, polls and other shared information.
Digital Content
Yahoo.com offers news and information, including Yahoo original content and partner content, curated by editors from across the Web. Visitors on the Yahoo Homepage can see a preview of their mail inbox, local weather, stock quotes, sports scores, comics and more. The Company’s Yahoo Properties generate revenue from display and search advertising, as well as from fee-based services. Many of its Yahoo Properties are also available in mobile-optimized versions for display on mobile phones and tablets and as native applications across different operating platforms for iOS and Android phones and tablets. Yahoo Sports serves audiences of digital sports. It is anchored by Fantasy Sports, editorial reporting, real-time scores, statistics and breaking news, coverage of the sports events and premium college sports coverage. Yahoo Sports includes Fantasy Sports, which includes mobile offerings, such as push notifications and a unified app for games; Mobile, a Yahoo Sports application expanding into six additional countries and incorporating video highlights, and Global events, which launched dedicated mobile and PC sites to cover the Winter Olympics in Sochi and the FIFA World Cup in Brazil, featuring original and partner content, fantasy games, and live scores.
Yahoo Finance provides financial data, information and tools that help users make informed financial decisions. Yahoo Finance features a content offering that is a mix of original editorial and syndicated news via relationships with several third-party providers and is available on mobile phones, tablets and PC. Yahoo Weather provides users with real-time weather conditions and information for their favorite cities and locations and is available internationally on mobile phones, tablets, and PC. Yahoo News, Entertainment and Lifestyles are a collection of digital magazines focused on emerging trends. Digital magazines available include Yahoo Tech, Yahoo Food, Yahoo Health, Yahoo Style, Yahoo Travel, Yahoo Beauty, Yahoo Movies, Yahoo Music, Yahoo Makers and Yahoo Parenting. Each magazine features content from editors, partners and select user generated content. Features include visually driven content streams, editorial content, social sharing capabilities, entertaining and inspiring brand content, and display across all devices. The digital magazines also include engaging native ads. In addition to digital magazines, the Yahoo News Digest app brings users twice-daily summaries of new stories and breaking events on iOS and Android phones. Yahoo Screen is a video destination site and application where users can easily flip through their favorite channels. Users are also alerted to featured live events and news.
Flickr
Flickr is a Web and mobile photo management and sharing service that makes it easy for users to upload, store, organize, and share their photos. Flickr offers all members one terabyte of free storage and the ability to purchase printed photo merchandise.
Tumblr
Tumblr offers a Web platform and mobile applications (particularly on the iOS and Android platforms) that allow users to create, share, and curate content of all kinds, including images, video, audio and text, and to consume media in the Tumblr Dashboard stream. Tumblr’s primary form of monetization is native brand advertising to users, primarily through a variety of ad products -based on Tumblr Sponsored Posts (company-sponsored blogs that are reblogged and shared across Tumblr users.) In addition, Tumblr generates revenue by enabling a marketplace for the sale of third-party developed blog themes and licensing its real-time feed of user-generated content.
Advertiser Offerings
Yahoo is a digital publisher and advertising technology provider that enables advertisers to reach their business objectives, from high-impact branding campaigns that generate awareness among consumers to tactical campaigns that drive specific audiences to action. It provides a unified approach to digital advertising across search, native, audience, display, and video advertising and across platforms and devices, including mobile and PC. The Yahoo Bing Network connects advertisers with an audience of millions of users, with the support of account teams, reporting, analytics and campaign controls. Yahoo also enables advertisers to engage their audience across devices and formats on Yahoo’s network of consumer products and exclusive publishing partners. Yahoo’s native advertising offerings include Yahoo Stream Ads and Tumblr Sponsored Posts. Yahoo Audience Ads allow advertisers to connect with their desired audience across display, video and mobile ads. Yahoo Premium Ads offers digital advertising opportunities on the Yahoo Homepage, Yahoo’s vertical content properties, Yahoo Mail, program sponsorships of major events and video placements. Yahoo Video provides brands with solutions for reaching their target audience at scale with digital video ads across both Yahoo and ad exchanges.
AD Platforms
Yahoo Gemini (formerly known as Yahoo Ad Manager) is a marketplace that gives advertisers access to Yahoo’s advertising products. Yahoo mobile search ads and native ads are available through Yahoo Gemini, with a user interface that helps advertisers get ads online, with insights and analytics built in. Yahoo Ad Manager Plus enables advertisers to plan, execute and optimize complex display ad campaigns directly. Yahoo offers managed services through Yahoo Ad Manager Plus for advertisers. APT is an internal ad management platform that handles the Company’s owned and operated inventory. BrightRoll offers a video demand side platform, ad network and publisher marketplace, enabling the buying and selling of video inventory across the digital advertising ecosystem. Flurry offers both sell and buy side platforms, focused in native advertising and mobile application publishers. Yahoo Ad Exchange is a platform that enables advertisers to reach audiences across Yahoo Properties, Affiliate sites and other publisher sites on mobile and the Web.
The Company competes with Google, Facebook, DoubleClick Ad Exchange, Microsoft and AOL.
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