Yahoo-eBay deal: a Google buster?

Daily Newsletters

Sign up to ZDNet UK's daily newsletter.

... be detailed when the companies issue their outlooks for those periods.

The companies plan to begin releasing the new products this year, starting with a several-month-long trial phase, and they hope to complete the launch next year.

Both Yahoo and eBay have seen increasing competition in their core markets, most notably from big hitters Microsoft and Google. Google's Base service, for instance, which launched last year, lets people post and search for information ranging from apartment listings to recipes.

Earlier this week, Wall Street analysts speculated that a tie-up between eBay and Yahoo would make sense, explaining that pooling their resources would give the companies more leverage in search, advertising and customer breadth.

Reports had surfaced earlier this year that eBay was in talks with both Microsoft and Yahoo to form a partnership to fight off Google.

Analysts said the partnership was a big win for eBay in particular.

"This deal should improve the position of an already very strong PayPal franchise," Citigroup analyst Mark Mahaney wrote in a research alert. "But what's potentially most needle-moving/thesis-changing here is eBay tapping into display advertising."

Scott Devitt, an analyst at Stifel Nicolaus, said the deal should boost both companies' bottom lines but this doesn't necessarily mean either one will start taking market share away from Google.

For Yahoo, Devitt noted, the deal brings a "massive ad client" in the form of eBay. And for PayPal, "the ability to cross-sell a payment platform on the largest traffic network on the Internet is significant to, and very beneficial to, the market value of the PayPal piece of eBay," he said.

"It's not so much about shifting query share as taking undermonetised components and filling holes with partners," he said. "Unless there's something over time which shifts query share, it's not that big of a strategic move (in relation) to Google."

Alexia S. Quadrani of Bear Stearns said the main concern that has weighed on Yahoo's stock has been the increased competitive marketplace online.

"We believe a partnership with the No. 5 destination site on the Web helps bolster Yahoo's competitive position," Quadrani wrote in a research note. "This deal may also weaken competitor MSN's position given speculation by newspapers such as The Wall Street Journal (4/21/06) that MSN might partner with eBay."

Safa Rashtchy of Piper Jaffray said the deal gives eBay the ability to monetise its huge amount of traffic and allows Yahoo to reach the 75 million or so users within the eBay network. "The partnership is a loss of potential partnership for Google and as such it is a negative, but we believe it is unlikely to undermine Google's position," he wrote in a research note.

Yahoo had a 69 percent active reach among Internet users in April, with 105.9 million unique visitors, and eBay's active reach was 39 percent, with 60 million unique visitors, according to Nielsen/NetRatings.

News of the deal pushed the stock prices for the companies up. Yahoo's stock rose 3.5 percent to close at $32.92 (£18) and eBay's rose 12 percent to $33.88.

Also at the shareholder meeting, Yahoo co-founder Jerry Yang declined a request by stockholder activist Amnesty International USA that the company ask the Chinese government to release Internet dissidents jailed in China. Yahoo has been accused of providing information on users that led to the arrest of several people in China.

Post your comment

In order to post a comment you need to be registered and logged in.

You can also log in with Facebook. Log in or create your ZDNet UK account below

  • Login

Will not be displayed with your comment

By signing up for this service, you indicate that you agree to our Terms and Conditions and have read and understood our Privacy Policy. Questions about membership? Find the answers in the Community FAQ

Get ZDNet UK's daily newsletter

Enter your email address to sign up

ZDNet UK Live

craigsc

You guys have no idea what is going on at Autonomy. Autonomy could have been a much more profitable organization. The sales operations at Autonomy...

1 hour ago by craigsc on HP cuts 27,000 staff as Autonomy chief Lynch leaves
Moley

How does this impact on dual or multi booting? Seems to me to more or less prohibit this, from Windows 8 anyway. Will Grub 2 recognise Windows 8,...

1 hour ago by Moley on Windows 8 start-up speed forces USB boot workaround
apexwm

I don't understand why there cannot be a slight pause during the boot process so the user can press a key. Many operating systems do this, even if...

3 hours ago by apexwm on Windows 8 start-up speed forces USB boot workaround
Gavin Goodman

You can now buy the Xi3 modular computer in the UK at http://www.ocdistribution.com . This can be bought with the Tand3m software, pricing and...

3 hours ago by Gavin Goodman on CES 2012: Xi3 microSERV3R
Phil at Cloud4

I agree: Mike Lynch can clearly build a business and manage strategy. I suspect the exit of Mike is more likely the end of a planned handover...

7 hours ago by Phil at Cloud4 on HP cuts 27,000 staff as Autonomy chief Lynch leaves
Phil at Cloud4

This is unbeleivable government wastage with only one winner... Microsoft 1 - Tax payer Nil!

7 hours ago by Phil at Cloud4 on 6 million wasted licences and £1,200 PCs: welcome to government IT
Mispam

So what do you do when you can't boot into windows? Why can't I just hold Shift while I power up instead of having to boot into windows and click a...

7 hours ago by Mispam on Windows 8 start-up speed forces USB boot workaround
apexwm

I've also seen that Mac OS X for Intel machines is supposed to run in VirtualBox, which would also be a nice solution. I've never tried it though.

9 hours ago by apexwm on xTreme Triple Booting: Linux, Mac & Windows
dave heasman

What I wonder is why when companies are caught bang to rights in not providing contracted services, people bend over to smear the customers? Surely...

10 hours ago by dave heasman on Virgin throttles broadband for high-speed customers
pjc158

Strange statement from HP regarding Mike Lynch and not capable of scaling a company. Autonomy was a $7bn purchase which started as a small company...

10 hours ago by pjc158 on HP cuts 27,000 staff as Autonomy chief Lynch leaves
lojolondon

Or - possibly, they will destroy business by ensuring people do not invest where there is no return. Another socialist idea, well beyond it's...

13 hours ago by lojolondon on Open Data Institute will act as biz incubator
J.A. Watson

Good stuff Jake, very interesting. Thanks. jw

14 hours ago by J.A. Watson on xTreme Triple Booting: Linux, Mac & Windows
openhgs

"the cost of a second LCD screen is about the same as one day of an office worker's time, so this should soon be recouped in extra productivity."...

15 hours ago by openhgs on Windows 8 could speed multi-monitor uptake
Thomas Gellhaus

I also installed the KDE version; I also will probably try out razorqt since I really haven't had a chance to before. I'm looking forward to the...

1 day ago by Thomas Gellhaus via Facebook on Mageia 2 Released
francisabigail

Acquiring when reinvention/cannibalization is too challenging for a large organization can be an excellent strategy- still, so many mergers stumble...

1 day ago by francisabigail on Ariba buy parks SAP on Oracle's cloud turf
apexwm

All of the feedback regarding using a touch monitor for a desktop PC is right on. Several months ago, we installed a "demo" multitouch all-in-one...

1 day ago by apexwm on Windows 8 could speed multi-monitor uptake
191706

anyone wanting to triple boot *their* own Mac

1 day ago by 191706 on xTreme Triple Booting: Linux, Mac & Windows
SoapyTablet

Cont.. Biggest Bugbear: Win7's stop-animate-go approach to work, you develop a staggered (not in the above alchohol sense of the word) approach to...

1 day ago by SoapyTablet on Windows 8 could speed multi-monitor uptake
SoapyTablet

Ah the joys of Windows 8 Consumer Preview... If Windows 7 was 'Vista with Lipstick', whats Windows 8? Vista with Lipstick, the morning after?...

1 day ago by SoapyTablet on Windows 8 could speed multi-monitor uptake
daveveej

Though the metro look is quite cool on the windows mobile platform I think that think that microsoft ARE MESSING THINGS UP because what has they...

1 day ago by daveveej on Windows 8 could speed multi-monitor uptake