Recently, major news networks CBS and News Corporation are expanding digitally. CBS?Digital announced plans for a major expansion of CBSnews.com, creating a 24-hour, multi-platform digital news network, bypassing cable television in favor of broadband, while News Corp bought Intermix for $580m. The latter owns and runs about 40 websites, but is best known for myspace.com, a blogging and networking site. The sites will be included in the newly formed Fox Interactive Media (FIM) that encompasses Fox.com, Foxsports.com, and Foxnews.com. With this acquisition it is hoped to double visitors to these site properties to 45m unique monthly visitors. Last September News Corp also acquired the online gaming company IGN and although IGN has not been profitable thus far, it mainly appeals to game-playing young males as such it is hoped to mesh well with MySpace.com and other FIM sites.

Were digital technologies such as the web previously seen as a direct threat or even competitor to various sectors ? especially media -, these (recent) examples show that the Internet presently is being incorporated into the calculus of major firms ? consolidating multiple platforms and entertainment divisions - that have recognized the potential riches to build or buy itself into an existing community such as Myspace.com.

I am a member of myspace.com and can’t say much has changed (yet), but it does give way to my PhD research that roots in?a community-based approach to knowledge management. I am particularly interested in exploring seeming changes in the relationship between the firm and the media marketplace in the digital era and the way that relationship impacts the firm?s ability to innovate, adapt, and learn.

This entry was posted on Thursday, November 10th, 2005 at 3:32 pm and is filed under General, meta-PhD. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.