Myspace"s recent redesign appears to have received a lukewarm reception, as parent company News Corp is already looking into selling options, according to PaidContent. In an interview, COO Chase Carey admitted that "there"s been a lot of interest" but News Corp will "consider all options" before making a move.
We’ll consider all options - not just a sale, it could be a sale, it could be an investor coming in to it, it could be us staying in with a restructured ownership structure with management. We think a fresh perspective would give them flexibility and an opportunity to get a new life consistent with the right-sizing of the product and the costs.
In previous discussions, Carey had told analysts that Myspace"s redesign had been "well received" but "its full potential may best be achieved under a new owner."
The news comes following January"s layoffs, reducing staff by 47%. Estimates place the decline in users in the region of 15% since last November. Meanwhile, Goldman Sachs announced last month that Facebook had reached over 600 million monthly active users, or 10% of the global population. Myspace has shown awareness of Facebook"s stranglehold on social networking by introducing a Facebook Connect login service, allowing users to login with their Facebook account and transfer their "likes" over to Myspace. Facebook integration was unsuccessful for Bebo, however. A mere two years after purchasing the site for $850 million, AOL were forced to sell the site in 2010 for $10 million.