5 ms·

Microsoft Is Interested in Buying Stake in Dailymotion

44 points by richardknop 13y ago

noir_lord 13y ago
The title here is misleading they are looking for Minority partners for investment for international growth. It would be an interesting position for Microsoft to take particularly as they seem to be going all in on mobile. As an aside I prefer dailymotion in just about every way to youtube so I hope they do well.
ToastyMallows 13y ago
Kind of a misleading title, Microsoft is interested, it hasn't been approved at all. > In April 2013, Yahoo was about to acquire 75 percent of Dailymotion for $200 million. Yet, the French government suspended the deal as the state still owns 27 percent of Orange. “Montebourg didn’t want to let it go to the Americans,” a source told TechCrunch at the time — Arnaud Montebourg is the French Minister of Industrial Renewal. Who knows, the same thing could happen this time. Looks like Microsoft is looking for it's own YouTube.
- untog 13y ago
  It's interesting that they're talking specifically about international expansion, though. Maybe they'll just set up DailyMotion US, LLC.
- nolok 13y ago
  Government didn't want to sell, but the current talk with Microsoft is explicitly about Orange keeping majority ownership but finding an international partner. Source in french: http://www.lemonde.fr/technologies/article/2014/02/25/orange-confirme-discuter-avec-microsoft-d-une-cession-partielle-de-dailymotion_4372864_651865.html http://www.lemonde.fr/technologies/article/2014/02/25/orange...
mckee1 13y ago
The title here is completely wrong. The article mentions that they are potentially in talks to buy a stake in DailyMotion, but nowhere does it state that MSFT will be buying them for certain.
- beauzero 13y ago
  I think that is what "interested" means.
- richardknop 13y ago
  Sorry, I changed the title to be less misleading.
fidotron 13y ago
These positions by countries that like to reduce foreign ownership of non-critical businesses strike me as bizarre. It radically reduces the market value of the business, and thus greatly reduces their ability to raise money and grow organically. No coincidence such markets tend to have a reputation as being nightmares to attempt to grow in.
- hrktb 13y ago
  It usually prevents the business' core from going away (if Microsoft moves the headquarter to London or Seattle for instance). The point would be less to preserve market value than jobs, technical expertise and surrounding ecosystem. Not that I strongly agree with this line of thinking, I'm unopiniated at best.
ar7hur 13y ago
> "Dailymotion is one of France’s biggest Internet successes" That tells a lot about France's so called "successes" (I'm French btw)
- romaind 13y ago
  http://techcrunch.com/2014/01/29/welcome-to-the-french-tech-ecosystem/ http://techcrunch.com/2014/01/29/welcome-to-the-french-tech-...
  - ar7hur 13y ago
    I certainly agree there are a lot of good ideas and neat projects starting in France -- what I mean is they have trouble growing into big successes.
- Argorak 13y ago
  Considering that there where quite some similar ventures around Europe and DailyMotion is the only one still standing, I wouldn't downplay that.
- agumonkey 13y ago
  I sighed hard when they tried to play the pride card with this. Considering I get cold sweat everytime I have to watch a video on dailymotion, it's slower and clunkier than the worst youtube beta redesign. Poor Montebourg.
- thisiswrong 13y ago
  Maybe because the french encourage healthy competition [1] rather than US-style 'free-market' monopolies like Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Comcast... [1] http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/04/business/France-Takes-Aim-at-Amazon-to-Protect-Local-Bookshops.html?_r=0 http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/04/business/France-Takes-Aim-...
  - nemothekid 13y ago
    From the first line: >French lawmakers on Thursday took aim at Amazon to protect local bookshops by voting through a law that bars online booksellers from offering free delivery to customers on top of a maximum 5 percent discount on books. Now as I understand it, competition is supposed to help the consumer, and the French government essentially did something anti-consumer. I understand your need to go on your "anti-US" soapbox, but your post is outrageous. In what was is Google a monopoly? Last I checked Bing had a 20% marketshare.
higherpurpose 13y ago
Is Microsoft on a mission from NSA to buy all European companies, or something? Skype, Nokia, Dailymotion...
- soDotNet 13y ago
  >Is Microsoft on a mission from NSA seriously? How about Facebook bought Whatsapp and countless acquisition by Google, Apple...etc. Is it fair to single out Microsoft when everyone got shit on by NSA?
- Encosia 13y ago
  Microsoft (like Apple, Google, etc) has a large portion of their profits stuck overseas and can't repatriate that money without paying US income taxes on it. That's why spending the money internationally is appealing to them.
  - vorador 13y ago
    Does it mean that they can't pay dividends using their oversea money?
    - Encosia 13y ago
      I only understand the broad strokes well enough to say for certain. My assumption is that they can do anything they want with the "Double Irish" money, but they avoid bringing it back into the US if at all possible since they'd have to pay corporate income tax on it at that point.
- kispester 13y ago
  Yep, the same thing Facebook is doing with Whatsapp, Instagram...pure NSA surveillance strategy, nothing to do with Capitalism. puts titanium hat
jacquesm 13y ago
After the debacle around Yahoo buying a majority share I'm somewhat surprised that Microsoft would still be interested.
hahla 13y ago
Id be interested in seeing statistics on how many Dailymotion uploads are adult content vs higher value non-adult content. The only time I see Dailymotion links are for videos containing ripped adult scenes from TV/Movies..
piyush_soni 13y ago
And possibly thinking of having their own 'YouTube'?

44 points by richardknop 13y ago

The title here is misleading they are looking for Minority partners for investment for international growth. It would be an interesting position for Microsoft to take particularly as they seem to be going all in on mobile. As an aside I prefer dailymotion in just about every way to youtube so I hope they do well.

ToastyMallows 13y ago

Kind of a misleading title, Microsoft is interested, it hasn't been approved at all. > In April 2013, Yahoo was about to acquire 75 percent of Dailymotion for $200 million. Yet, the French government suspended the deal as the state still owns 27 percent of Orange. “Montebourg didn’t want to let it go to the Americans,” a source told TechCrunch at the time — Arnaud Montebourg is the French Minister of Industrial Renewal. Who knows, the same thing could happen this time. Looks like Microsoft is looking for it's own YouTube.

untog 13y ago
It's interesting that they're talking specifically about international expansion, though. Maybe they'll just set up DailyMotion US, LLC.
nolok 13y ago
Government didn't want to sell, but the current talk with Microsoft is explicitly about Orange keeping majority ownership but finding an international partner. Source in french: http://www.lemonde.fr/technologies/article/2014/02/25/orange-confirme-discuter-avec-microsoft-d-une-cession-partielle-de-dailymotion_4372864_651865.html http://www.lemonde.fr/technologies/article/2014/02/25/orange...

mckee1 13y ago

The title here is completely wrong. The article mentions that they are potentially in talks to buy a stake in DailyMotion, but nowhere does it state that MSFT will be buying them for certain.

beauzero 13y ago
I think that is what "interested" means.
richardknop 13y ago
Sorry, I changed the title to be less misleading.

fidotron 13y ago

These positions by countries that like to reduce foreign ownership of non-critical businesses strike me as bizarre. It radically reduces the market value of the business, and thus greatly reduces their ability to raise money and grow organically. No coincidence such markets tend to have a reputation as being nightmares to attempt to grow in.

hrktb 13y ago
It usually prevents the business' core from going away (if Microsoft moves the headquarter to London or Seattle for instance). The point would be less to preserve market value than jobs, technical expertise and surrounding ecosystem. Not that I strongly agree with this line of thinking, I'm unopiniated at best.

ar7hur 13y ago

> "Dailymotion is one of France’s biggest Internet successes" That tells a lot about France's so called "successes" (I'm French btw)

romaind 13y ago
http://techcrunch.com/2014/01/29/welcome-to-the-french-tech-ecosystem/ http://techcrunch.com/2014/01/29/welcome-to-the-french-tech-...
- ar7hur 13y ago
  I certainly agree there are a lot of good ideas and neat projects starting in France -- what I mean is they have trouble growing into big successes.
Argorak 13y ago
Considering that there where quite some similar ventures around Europe and DailyMotion is the only one still standing, I wouldn't downplay that.
agumonkey 13y ago
I sighed hard when they tried to play the pride card with this. Considering I get cold sweat everytime I have to watch a video on dailymotion, it's slower and clunkier than the worst youtube beta redesign. Poor Montebourg.
thisiswrong 13y ago
Maybe because the french encourage healthy competition [1] rather than US-style 'free-market' monopolies like Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Comcast... [1] http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/04/business/France-Takes-Aim-at-Amazon-to-Protect-Local-Bookshops.html?_r=0 http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/04/business/France-Takes-Aim-...
- nemothekid 13y ago
  From the first line: >French lawmakers on Thursday took aim at Amazon to protect local bookshops by voting through a law that bars online booksellers from offering free delivery to customers on top of a maximum 5 percent discount on books. Now as I understand it, competition is supposed to help the consumer, and the French government essentially did something anti-consumer. I understand your need to go on your "anti-US" soapbox, but your post is outrageous. In what was is Google a monopoly? Last I checked Bing had a 20% marketshare.

higherpurpose 13y ago

Is Microsoft on a mission from NSA to buy all European companies, or something? Skype, Nokia, Dailymotion...

soDotNet 13y ago
>Is Microsoft on a mission from NSA seriously? How about Facebook bought Whatsapp and countless acquisition by Google, Apple...etc. Is it fair to single out Microsoft when everyone got shit on by NSA?
Encosia 13y ago
Microsoft (like Apple, Google, etc) has a large portion of their profits stuck overseas and can't repatriate that money without paying US income taxes on it. That's why spending the money internationally is appealing to them.
- vorador 13y ago
  Does it mean that they can't pay dividends using their oversea money?
  - Encosia 13y ago
    I only understand the broad strokes well enough to say for certain. My assumption is that they can do anything they want with the "Double Irish" money, but they avoid bringing it back into the US if at all possible since they'd have to pay corporate income tax on it at that point.
kispester 13y ago
Yep, the same thing Facebook is doing with Whatsapp, Instagram...pure NSA surveillance strategy, nothing to do with Capitalism. puts titanium hat

jacquesm 13y ago

After the debacle around Yahoo buying a majority share I'm somewhat surprised that Microsoft would still be interested.

hahla 13y ago

Id be interested in seeing statistics on how many Dailymotion uploads are adult content vs higher value non-adult content. The only time I see Dailymotion links are for videos containing ripped adult scenes from TV/Movies..

piyush_soni 13y ago

And possibly thinking of having their own 'YouTube'?