AfterDawn: News

CBS buys Last.fm for $280 million

CBS Corp announced on Wednesday that it has bought Last.fm, a social networking site constantly growing in popularity, in a deal worth $280 million. CBS said the service has over 15 million active users in more than 200 different countries and will fit well with its aim of attracting younger viewers. As part of the deal, the Last.fm team will continue to run the service work with CBS and will apply their community-building and technology expertise to extend CBS businesses online.

Last.fm's music recommendation system has been particularly successful. The site monitors music habits of its users and automatically recommends music from users that have similar tastes. It has stuck content deals with Warner Music Group and EMI Group to use their music catalogs. The service originally launched in 2002.



"Last.fm is one of the most well-established, fastest-growing online community networks out there," Leslie Moonves, President and Chief executive of CBS said. "Their demographics play perfectly to CBS's goal to attract younger viewers and listeners across our businesses. Last.fm adds a terrific interactive extension to all of our properties and also is a huge step in CBS Corporation's overall strategy of expanding our reach online to transition from a content company into an audience company."

Source:
Yahoo

Written by: James Delahunty @ 30 May 2007 19:10

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• 4 comments

• borhan9

  To me this sounds like its going to be another youtube duplicate with music files attached. Not what else to make sure of this.

  30.5.2007 23:35 #1

• wo0dy

  Do you know what last.fm is? obviously not then because what it does is takes the songs you listen to on your choice of audio player and upload that data to your account on the last.fm website. from there it makes musical recommendations and lists your played music in various ways. You can also join groups talk on thousands of forums and several other things. so really its nothing like youtube at all

  2.6.2007 04:49 #2

• borhan9

  Originally posted by wo0dy:Do you know what last.fm is? obviously not then because what it does is takes the songs you listen to on your choice of audio player and upload that data to your account on the last.fm website. from there it makes musical recommendations and lists your played music in various ways. You can also join groups talk on thousands of forums and several other things. so really its nothing like youtube at allThanks for the info. I did not know this now i do :)

  2.6.2007 12:19 #3

• Unfocused

  Never heard of this site. Sounds like a neat concept though.

  28.6.2007 06:39 #4