News Corp Can't Sell MySpace, Looking into "Partnerships"
As you are no doubt aware, MySpace has more or less fallen off most people’s radar. The once great site, acquired by News Corp in 2005, has been on the auction block for several months. The sticking point? No one seems to want it very much.
After seeing a few offers significantly below the minimum asking price of $100 million, News Corp has decided selling the faltering site isn’t an option. Instead, Murdoch and company have turned their attention to a “strategic partnership”. The exact nature of what this partnership might be is not clear, but we imagine it would need to involve a social property that people still frequently use. But who would be willing to sully their good name by getting in bed with MySpace?
The former social networking king has seen traffic drop dramatically in recent years. Hits are about half what they were just a year ago, and the site lost $165 million last quarter. News Corp paid $580 million for MySpace in 2005. It’s really become a money sinkhole for them. We wouldn’t be surprised if the site is just shuttered and sold off in bits before too long.