Myspace Losses Revealed; RTB For Premium Says Casale Media; Contextual Meets Video

Here’s today’s AdExchanger.com news round-up… Want it by email? Sign-up here.

Myspace Losses

Think Specific Media has its hands full turning the Myspace ship around? You may be right. During yesterday’s News Corp earnings conference call with Rupert Murdoch, All Things D’s Peter Kafka reports, “MySpace generated $230 million in operating losses over the last year. Amazing. That’s separate from the $254 million write down the company took (I believe).” Read more from Kafka’s live blog of the event.

RTB For Premium

Calling it casaleX, Casale Media announced its new real-time biddable offering which it claims provides “select demand side platforms (DSPs) and agency trading desks exclusive access to premium inventory from leading online publishers.” From the sounds of it, Casale is providing private exchange-like services similar to the way some of the sell-side platforms do today. Read the release. This echoes another ad network’s – Collective – move into exchanges through AppNexus. Casale says their RTB marketplace uses their own technology.

You Need A DMP

Data exchange and management platform, eXelate, said that it will provide its data management platform services to ad network Longboard Media in a press release. Careful how you say DMP aloud, though. Exelate’s definition of DMP is “data marketing platform.” Read still more from MediaPost.

Discovering The Video Stream

TubeMogul says it will use contextual targeting in its video demand-side platform business. Partnering with Affine Systems, TubeMogul says that through Affine Systems contextual platform will help determine “the content in videos and provide another targeting layer by using in-depth categorization to allow them to see the exact video content they are running ads on.” Read the release.

VC Funds Generate The Fear

The New York Times finds that big investors are wary of venture capital funds these days as they don’t want to be caught holding the bag when a company or the economy as a whole goes into the toilet. The NYT’s Claire Cain Miller writes, “Limited partners (who invest in VC funds) say they are wary because venture capitalists are investing in start-ups at valuations several times higher than a year ago. ‘I look at some of the companies and they really don’t have a business model, so I’m afraid,’ said Kelvin Liu, a director at Invesco Private Capital.” Afraid? Oh give me a break. Read more smoke and mirrors.

More Fear

The gyrations and downward slide in global stock markets seems to be bubbling up bear-ish sentiment these days. Eric Ries, Mr. Lean Startup, sees the big chill coming to startups. He writes on his personal blog, “Read more.

eBay Retailing

eBay’s foray into providing an outlet mall’s products (called Ebay Fashion Outlet) through an online destination is beginning to take shape. Quoting Women’s Wear Daily, RetailWire reports that “eBay Fashion Outlet (…) is currently available to consumers in Germany and in the U.K., and will launch on September 19 with prices promoted as being 20 to 60 percent off retail. Most of the goods will be targeted to women between the ages of 25 and 44.” Read more.

Stepping Out

In a blog post, ad network Rocket Fuel reveals all of the vendors that help make a brand-safe experience through the company’s platform. The release reads, “The first layer is real-time protection provided by DoubleVerify, Peer39, AdExpose or other third party as desired by a client, wherein each impression is reviewed individually and in milliseconds.” There are two more layers. Read more.

But Wait. There’s More!