barry

Update at 8:12 a.m. PST: Analyst comments and stock price added.

InterActiveCorp turned a profit in the fourth quarter but took a 7 percent revenue hit, amid a sharp downturn in its advertising and media business, the company said Tuesday.

Barry Diller's media conglomerate reported revenue of $351 million in the quarter, down from $378.9 million in the same quarter a year earlier. That performance missed Wall Street expectations of $368 million, analyst Imran Khan of J.P. Morgan said in a note.

The company, however, posted a profit of $227.4 million, or $1.57 … Read more

A worm responsible for sending Facebook users malicious code appears to be limited in nature, although the social engineering attack may be used again, say experts.

Facebook representative Barry Schnitt said the worm isn't new; it dates back to August, although the variant that first appeared on Wednesday targets only Facebook users.

Craig Schmugar, threat researcher for McAfee Avert Labs, confirmed this in a call with CNET News and said that, in general, Koobface strikes only social-networking sites.

After receiving a message in their Facebook in-box announcing, "You look funny in this new video" or something similar, … Read more

A report on PaidContent suggests that InterActiveCorp, the media conglomerate owned by Barry Diller, may be looking to sell off some of its smaller ad-supported content properties--effectively, tossing assets overboard to lighten the load during rough financial seas.

According to PaidContent, IAC may be "dissolving" its "programming" group, a set of ad-supported content businesses that includes CollegeHumor, 236.com (a joint venture with The Huffington Post), Very Short List, and the brand-new The Daily Beast. The restructuring reportedly involves the departure of Nick Lehman, chief operating officer of the programming group.

A CollegeHumor executive told CNET … Read more

Hopes for renewable energy may not be a pipe dream after all.

After nearly a year of squabbling, the U.S. Senate voted Tuesday to extend solar tax credits for the next eight years and also remove the $2,000 cap on residential projects.

What with all the political bickering, I was betting this wouldn't ever get done before the November elections. But the hired help in Washington provided a pleasant surprise for a change. The bill, which includes an allowance for utilities to make use of the commercial credit, now goes to the House of Representatives for approval … Read more

It seems you're never too young for virtual worlds and social networking, at least that's what Barry Diller's InterActiveCorp thinks.

In a room filled with cupcakes and cotton candy, the company launched its new Web site for "tweens" on Tuesday on ABC's Good Morning America set in Times Square. The site, which is targeted specifically at the age group of 6- to 12-year-old girls, allows users to dress up avatars, decorate virtual bedrooms, and shop in virtual malls.

It's called ZwinkyCuties.com, and is a spin-off of IAC's teen Web site for … Read more

InterActiveCorp, the sprawling conglomerate of brands helmed by media titan Barry Diller, is formally splitting into five separate companies Thursday. And it hopes to do so quietly.

The story is familiar by now: Diller, determined to solidify himself as capable of mastering both old and new media, has long insisted that a lack of confidence on Wall Street has suppressed IAC's stock price. So last November, Diller made the big announcement that IAC would be slimming down to a core of ad- and subscription-supported Internet media brands such as Ask.com, Match.com, Bloglines, Citysearch, Vimeo, and Evite.

The … Read more

If you're thinking of splitting up with your lover tonight, please give it a little more thought.

Perhaps like you, I was initially touched by the story of Ian Usher, an Englishman living in Perth, Australia.

Mr. Usher appears to have been betrayed by his significant other. So much so that he decided to set up a website and auction the whole of his life on eBay.

When I say the whole of his life, I understand that he wants to keep his spleen, shins and heart, albeit broken into a thousand pieces. However, his house, his sofa and … Read more

The witty John Paczkowski has come up with his list of the best quotes from the D6 conference. (See our full coverage here)

Following is a small sample:

"Guys like us avoid monopolies. We like to compete."--Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates

"AOL is the Rodney Dangerfield of the Web. We don't get no respect."--Jeff Bewkes, president and CEO, Time Warner

"I didn't leave business school to go bankrupt."--Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer on his first days at Microsoft

"Hollywood is a community that's so inbred, it's a wonder … Read more

Speaking at the D6 conference Barry Diller said Google is irrelevant to his Ask.com business and explained his quest to spin off five public companies from his collection of companies and 63 brands.

As chairman and chief executive officer of IAC, as well as chairman of Expedia, Diller oversees brands including Home Shopping Network, Ticketmaster, Lending Tree, Ask.com, Match.com, CitySearch, and Evite.

On August 1, IAC will become five separate companies--HSN, Lending Tree, Ticketmaster, Interval, and a "new" IAC, which will be a series of businesses naturally related to each other, Diller said.