CONNECTIONS: Yahoo reels in paying users to buck ad slump

ASIA-PACIFIC: Yahoo has continued to buck the flat advertising market and expand its base of paid subscribers for its premium services in Southeast Asia. Globally, the company reported full-year revenues of US$953.1 million for last year, up 33 per cent from 2001's level.

According to Niren Hiro, general manager of Yahoo Southeast Asia, the company's revenue is split globally between marketing services (media sales) at 62 per cent, transactions at seven per cent and listings at 31 per cent of total revenue.

In Southeast Asia, in addition to media sales, the portal generates revenue from premium services, such as its wireless and travel products. It also plans to launch personals and auctions later this year, as well as several business offerings.

Yahoo claims that more than 200 advertisers use its portal. In recent months, it has added Dell, Nike, Nikon and Apple to its client roster.

"In Southeast Asia, we do not consider AOL our chief competitor, but find ourselves competing with traditional media for ad dollars. To compare Yahoo's reach versus publications under AOL TW, for example, you would find that Yahoo in Southeast Asia alone outperforms Time Asia in terms of reach, getting 480,000 unique visitors a week; Time Asia's circulation is 306,000."

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