Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Web
  3. News

Yahoo could land in British hands as major newspaper takes an interest

By

yahoo mail photo sync caller id smart phone mobile app smartphone
Nevodka/Shutterstock
The owner of British newspaper and online site the Daily Mail is said to be mulling a bid for struggling Web firm Yahoo.

As Yahoo’s April 18 bid deadline fast approaches, the Mail’s parent company, London-based General Trust, is considering an offer, sources with knowledge of the matter told the Wall Street Journal on Sunday.

Recommended Videos

It’s by no means certain that the Mail’s owner will secure a deal, as plenty of other big-name companies – Microsoft, Google, Time, and Verizon to name just a few – are also reported to be considering bids.

Verizon is thought to be the strongest contender at the current time, with the AOL owner interested in using Yahoo’s assets to bolster its digital media and ad businesses.

The Mail confirmed to the BBC that it’s talking with a number of private-equity firms about the possibility of making an offer for California-based Yahoo. Any offer from the Mail owner could possibly go one of two ways, according to the Journal’s sources. In the first, a private-equity partner might buy up Yahoo’s core Web business, while the Mail would take control of its news and media products. Alternatively, the private-equity firm could acquire Yahoo’s core Web business and merge its media and news properties with the Mail’s online operations.

The Daily Mail has built a hugely successful online site since launching it in 2003. Featuring mostly celebrity-focused content, the company four years ago rolled out a U.S. version of the site that in February this year pulled in 66.7 million unique U.S. visitors, comScore data showed. Any acquisition by the Mail’s owner would therefore give it a chance to dig even deeper into the American market.

Current Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer took the reins of the company in 2012, promising to to turn the company around after years of disappointing results. However, despite vigorous streamlining efforts and product enhancements, slow growth has remained a major issue for the company, a factor that recently prompted Yahoo investor Starboard Value to call for the replacement of the company’s board – including Mayer.

Yahoo’s invitation for bid proposals last month has reportedly led to as many as 40 companies expressing an interest. While some potential bidders like the Mail are thought to be looking closely at in Yahoo’s core Web business, others are also examining the company’s sizable investments in Alibaba and Yahoo Japan as part of any potential deal.

Topics
Trevor Mogg
Trevor Mogg
Contributing Editor
Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…
How to change margins in Google Docs
Laptop Working from Home

When you create a document in Google Docs, you may need to adjust the space between the edge of the page and the content --- the margins. For instance, many professors have requirements for the margin sizes you must use for college papers.

You can easily change the left, right, top, and bottom margins in Google Docs and have a few different ways to do it.

Read more
What is Microsoft Teams? How to use the collaboration app
A close-up of someone using Microsoft Teams on a laptop for a videoconference.

Online team collaboration is the new norm as companies spread their workforce across the globe. Gone are the days of primarily relying on group emails, as teams can now work together in real time using an instant chat-style interface, no matter where they are.

Using Microsoft Teams affords video conferencing, real-time discussions, document sharing and editing, and more for companies and corporations. It's one of many collaboration tools designed to bring company workers together in an online space. It’s not designed for communicating with family and friends, but for colleagues and clients.

Read more
Microsoft Word vs. Google Docs
A person using a laptop that displays various Microsoft Office apps.

For the last few decades, Microsoft Word has been the de facto standard for word processors across the working world. That's finally starting to shift, and it looks like one of Google's productivity apps is the heir apparent. The company's Google Docs solution (or to be specific, the integrated word processor) is cross-platform and interoperable, automatically syncs, is easily shareable, and perhaps best of all, is free.

However, using Google Docs proves it still has a long way to go before it can match all of Word's features -- Microsoft has been developing its word processor for over 30 years, after all, and millions still use Microsoft Word. Will Google Docs' low barrier to entry and cross-platform functionality win out? Let's break down each word processor in terms of features and capabilities to help you determine which is best for your needs.
How does each word processing program compare?
To put it lightly, Microsoft Word has an incredible advantage over Google Docs in terms of raw technical capability. From relatively humble beginnings in the 1980s, Microsoft has added new tools and options in each successive version. Most of the essential editing tools are available in Google Docs, but users who are used to Word will find it limited.

Read more