The Guardian
trending topics
Close Box

Our news

Yes, it’s true: We are joining GigaOM...


HotOrNot Sold To Canadian Investors; Price Tag: $20 Million—Or Not

  • Comments Comments (View)
  • Text Size: A A

A bit of mystery surrounding tonight’s reports that HotOrNot has been sold to investors associated with Canadian company Avid Life Media. TechCrunch, which broke the news and confirmed it with co-founder James Hong, puts the price at around $20 million. But Wired’s Epicenter reports that Hong “took issue” with that number when reached for comment and confirmation. He said “there were ‘very few people on the deal and there’s no reason for us to tell anyone’ about the price.” He didn’t share any of the financials. HotOrNot never took funding and reportedly has been profitable for years.

Hong and Jim Young founded the site in 2000 and it quickly became a pop culture catchphrase. Hong told Epicenter neither will be involved in the site after the sale; he said it will be rolled up with other properties into something called HotOrNot Media. He told TechCrunch: “We’ve been working on HotOrNot for seven years now ... It’s time to break up with this girlfriend.”

The site’s business model has been a mix of premiums for virtual hook-ups, advertising and virtual gifts.

Feb 11, 2008 9:59 PM ET

Posted In: Money, M&A & Venture Capital, Mergers & Acquisitions, avid life media, hotornot

(Page 1 of 1)


The Bestsellers

From iTunes and YouTube to Facebook and Kindle, the most popular content on the web, free and paid.

YouTube Videos YouTube Videos
1. Woolly Mammoth found alive in Siberia?
2. Facebook Parenting: For the troubled…
3. Bugatti Veryon High Speed Runs x7
4. 2011 TEDxManhattan Fellow: Stefani…
5. 'Woolly Mammoth' spotted in Siberia?
See The Other Bestsellers »

Jobs RSS Job Listings

Social Standing

Which media brands are getting a lift from Tweeters and bloggers right now -- and which are getting panned?

"Sentiment" Scores for All the Companies »

Sponsors

Staff