Rupert says hello to the internet in a big way

Is the internet an important place for media companies to be? You would guess that’s definitely the current thinking of Rupert Murdoch, with the announcement yesterday that News Corp has purchased Intermix Media for US $580 million.

Since Rupert famously dismissed the internet’s viability during the dot com boom, News Corp has reversed its web thinking completely, making the sector a priority for 2005.

Intermix Media - for Australians unfamiliar with the company - is a Californian company that owns the MySpace.com portal, the fifth most viewed website in the USA. Google, to give you some comparison, is the sixth most-viewed site in the States. Intermix also owns about 30 other websites, an affiliate ad network, and a product management division called Alena.

Big Media realises that media consumption patterns are changing. And they realise they had better change fast to keep up with it. Perhaps it’s partly why Fairfax has also finally stepped into online dating with its recent purchase of RSVP.com.au? Time witll tell.