Fantasy Sports
Adds Baseball HQ
To Web Holdings
By MATTHEW FUTTERMAN
Fantasy Sports Ventures Inc., a fast-growing fantasy sports company, acquired Baseball HQ, a leading Web site for statistical analysis, the companies said.
Valued in the "low seven figures," according to a person familiar with the situation, the deal is the latest step by the New York Internet media company toward its goal of becoming a one-stop shopping center for marketers looking to connect to the estimated 15 million fantasy-sports players in the U.S.
To that end, Chief Executive Chris Russo wants to acquire or partner with a top fantasy sports Web site in every category. Roanoke, Va.-based Baseball HQ, owned and run by Ron Shandler, a cult figure in rotisserie, or fantasy, baseball circles, is the eighth company acquired by closely held Fantasy Sports. Others include RotoNation, a sort of authoritative consumer guide for the fantasy-sports industry; HoopsHype, an insider's guide to basketball, and KFFL, a fantasy football guide.
The company also has partnership agreements with 125 other fantasy Web sites. FSV sells ads for these sites and shares revenue.
"You have Web sites that from a content perspective are very strong, but from a business perspective really were not fully leveraged," said Mr. Russo, former head of new media for the National Football League who jumped into the $2 billion-a-year fantasy-sports business in 2006.
Individually, sites acquired by FSV may have just a few thousand subscribers. But collectively their Web traffic has propelled FSV's network into the Top 10 sports sites. FSV's sites had 5.5 million unique users last month, according to Nielsen NetRatings, ahead of NBA.com, NHL.com and Nascar Online.
Baseball HQ Sold - Thoughts?
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Edwards Kings
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Baseball HQ Sold - Thoughts?
Originally posted by robotur:
Roanoke, Va.-based Baseball HQ, owned and run by Ron Shandler, a cult figure in rotisserie, or fantasy, baseball circles, is the eighth company acquired by closely held Fantasy Sports. A cult figure? We are in a cult? Why didn't you guys tell me? Is this one of those "tatoo", or head shaving (Chest, you always were ahead of the game), or toga kinds of cult? Do we get a members guide?
This may be the only cult where a majority of the members are middle-aged, reasonable affluent, white guys!
Honestly, I am not sure how good it is for us (those who are members of Baseball HQ). Only time will tell. But I will say congrats to Ron as I hope this is a dream pay-day and just rewards for finding something fun, and growing it into a viable income producer. It appears he can now focus more on content than running a small business.
Just another sign of consolidation....
[ May 16, 2008, 12:21 PM: Message edited by: Edwards Kings ]
Roanoke, Va.-based Baseball HQ, owned and run by Ron Shandler, a cult figure in rotisserie, or fantasy, baseball circles, is the eighth company acquired by closely held Fantasy Sports. A cult figure? We are in a cult? Why didn't you guys tell me? Is this one of those "tatoo", or head shaving (Chest, you always were ahead of the game), or toga kinds of cult? Do we get a members guide?
This may be the only cult where a majority of the members are middle-aged, reasonable affluent, white guys!
Honestly, I am not sure how good it is for us (those who are members of Baseball HQ). Only time will tell. But I will say congrats to Ron as I hope this is a dream pay-day and just rewards for finding something fun, and growing it into a viable income producer. It appears he can now focus more on content than running a small business.
Just another sign of consolidation....
[ May 16, 2008, 12:21 PM: Message edited by: Edwards Kings ]
Baseball is a slow, boring, complex, cerebral game that doesn't lend itself to histrionics. You 'take in' a baseball game, something odd to say about a football or basketball game, with the clock running and the bodies flying.
Charles Krauthammer
Charles Krauthammer
Baseball HQ Sold - Thoughts?
I think it means 'cult figure' as one who has a small but very devoted following.
[ May 16, 2008, 02:48 PM: Message edited by: bjoak ]
[ May 16, 2008, 02:48 PM: Message edited by: bjoak ]
Chance favors the prepared mind.
Baseball HQ Sold - Thoughts?
I like the move for Shandler. The last couple of years, you could tell he was producing less thoughtful articles and content than the past. I hope FSW does great things for some of the best fantasy content out there.
ac