Yahoo related Press Releases

Microsoft, Yahoo! Change Search Landscape

Jason Ankeny — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 09:14:03 -0400

Yahoo! and Microsoft announced an agreement that will improve the Web search experience for users and advertisers, and deliver sustained innovation to the industry. In simple terms, Microsoft will now power Yahoo! search while Yahoo! will become the exclusive worldwide relationship sales force for both companies' premium search advertisers.

For Web users and advertisers, this deal will accelerate the pace and breadth of innovation by combining both companies' complementary strengths and search platforms into a market competitor with the scale to fuel sustained development in search and search advertising. Users will find what they care about faster and with more personal relevance. Microsoft's competitive search platforms will lead to more value for advertisers, better results for Web publishers, and increased innovation and efficiency across the Internet.

Under this agreement, Yahoo! will focus on its core business of providing consumers with great experiences with the world's favorite online destinations and Web products.

"This agreement comes with boatloads of value for Yahoo!, our users, and the industry, and I believe it establishes the foundation for a new era of Internet innovation and development," said Yahoo! Chief Executive Officer Carol Bartz. "Users will continue to experience search as a vital part of their Yahoo! experiences and will enjoy increased innovation thanks to the scale and resources this deal provides. Advertisers will also benefit from scale and enjoy greater ease of use and efficiencies working with a single platform and sales team for premium advertisers. Finally, this deal will help us increase our investments in priority areas in winning audience properties, display advertising capabilities and mobile experiences."

Providing a viable alternative to advertisers, this deal will combine Yahoo! and Microsoft search marketplaces so that advertisers no longer have to rely on one company that dominates more than 70 percent of all search. With the addition of Yahoo!'s search volume, Microsoft will achieve the size and scale required to unleash competition and innovation in the market, for consumers as well as advertisers.

Microsoft Chief Executive Officer Steve Ballmer said the agreement will provide Microsoft's search engine, Bing, the scale necessary to more effectively compete, attracting more users and advertisers, which in turn will lead to more relevant ads and search results.

"Through this agreement with Yahoo!, we will create more innovation in search, better value for advertisers and real consumer choice in a market currently dominated by a single company," said Ballmer. "Success in search requires both innovation and scale. With our new Bing search platform, we've created breakthrough innovation and features. This agreement with Yahoo! will provide the scale we need to deliver even more rapid advances in relevancy and usefulness. Microsoft and Yahoo! know there's so much more that search could be. This agreement gives us the scale and resources to create the future of search."

"This deal fits the long-term strategic direction of Yahoo! to remain the world's leading online media company and Carol Bartz has the full and unanimous support of the Yahoo! Board behind this deal," said Roy Bostock, chairman, Yahoo! Inc. "This is a significant opportunity for us. Microsoft is an industry innovator in search and it is a great opportunity for us to focus our investments in other areas critical to our future."

The key terms of the agreement are as follows:

The term of the agreement is 10 years;
Microsoft will acquire an exclusive 10 year license to Yahoo!'s core search technologies, and Microsoft will have the ability to integrate Yahoo! search technologies into its existing Web search platforms;
Microsoft's Bing will be the exclusive algorithmic search and paid search platform for Yahoo! sites. Yahoo! will continue to use its technology and data in other areas of its business such as enhancing display advertising technology;
Yahoo! will become the exclusive worldwide relationship sales force for both companies' premium search advertisers. Self-serve advertising for both companies will be fulfilled by Microsoft's AdCenter platform, and prices for all search ads will continue to be set by AdCenter's automated auction process;
Each company will maintain its own separate display advertising business and sales force;
Yahoo! will innovate and "own" the user experience on Yahoo! properties, including the user experience for search, even though it will be powered by Microsoft technology;
Microsoft will compensate Yahoo! through a revenue sharing agreement on traffic generated on Yahoo!'s network of both owned and operated (O&O) and affiliate sites;
- Microsoft will pay traffic acquisition costs (TAC) to Yahoo! at an initial rate of 88 percent of search revenue generated on Yahoo!'s O&O sites during the first five years of the agreement; and
- Yahoo! will continue to syndicate its existing search affiliate partnerships.
Microsoft will guarantee Yahoo!'s O&O revenue per search (RPS) in each country for the first 18 months following initial implementation in that country;
At full implementation (expected to occur within 24 months following regulatory approval), Yahoo! estimates, based on current levels of revenue and current operating expenses, that this agreement will provide a benefit to annual GAAP operating income of approximately $500 million and capital expenditure savings of approximately $200 million. Yahoo! also estimates that this agreement will provide a benefit to annual operating cash flow of approximately $275 million; and
The agreement protects consumer privacy by limiting the data shared between the companies to the minimum necessary to operate and improve the combined search platform, and restricts the use of search data shared between the companies. The agreement maintains the industry-leading privacy practices that each company follows today.

The agreement does not cover each company's Web properties and products, email, instant messaging, display advertising, or any other aspect of the companies' businesses. In those areas, the companies will continue to compete vigorously.

The transaction will be subject to regulatory review. The agreement entered into today anticipates that the parties will enter into more detailed definitive agreements prior to closing. Microsoft and Yahoo! expect the agreement to be closely reviewed by the industry and government regulators, and welcome questions. The companies are hopeful that closing can occur in early 2010.

The companies have established a website at http://www.choicevalueinnovation.com to provide consumers, advertisers and publishers with additional information about the benefits of the agreement.

Conference Call - 5:30 a.m. PDT, Wednesday, July 29

Yahoo! and Microsoft will host a conference call with Yahoo! CEO Carol Bartz and Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer to discuss the agreement at 5:30 a.m. Pacific/8:30 a.m. Eastern Time today. To listen to the call, please dial 1-866-515-2908 in the U.S. and Canada; +1-617-399-5122 international, reservation number: 47968026. A live webcast of the call can be accessed through Yahoo!'s Investor Relations website at http://yhoo.client.shareholder.com/results.cfm. In addition, an archive of the webcast will be available through the same link. An audio replay of the call will be available for two weeks following the conference call by calling 1-888-286-8010 in the U.S. and Canada; +1-617-801-6888 international, reservation number: 91217610.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

This release refers to operating cash flow (operating income before depreciation, amortization of intangible assets, and stock-based compensation expense, or OCF), which is a non-GAAP financial measure. The most comparable GAAP measure is income from operations. The estimated annual OCF benefit of $275 million included in this press release is the estimated annual benefit in income from operations of $500 million less approximately $225 million of estimated annual savings in depreciation, amortization and stock-based compensation expense.

About Yahoo!

Yahoo! Inc. (Nasdaq "YHOO") is a leading global consumer brand and one of the most trafficked Internet destinations worldwide. Yahoo! is where millions of people go every day to see what is happening with the people and things that matter to them most. Yahoo! helps marketers reach that audience with its unique and compelling advertiser proposition. Yahoo! is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California. For more information, visit http://pressroom.yahoo.com or the company's blog, Yodel Anecdotal at http://yodel.yahoo.com.

"Owned and Operated sites" refers to Yahoo!'s owned and operated online properties and services.

"Affiliate sites" refers to Yahoo!'s distribution network of third-party entities who have integrated Yahoo!'s advertising offerings into their websites or their other offerings.

This press release and its attachments contain forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties concerning Yahoo!'s expected financial performance (including without limitation the quotations from management in this press release), as well as Yahoo!'s strategic and operational plans. Actual results may differ materially from the results predicted and reported results should not be considered as an indication of future performance. The potential risks and uncertainties include, among others, the expected financial and other benefits of the agreement with Microsoft may not be realized, including as a result of actions taken by United States or foreign regulatory authorities and the response or acceptance of the agreement by publishers, advertisers, users, and employees and Yahoo!'s strategic and business partners; the impact of management and organizational changes; the implementation and results of Yahoo!'s ongoing strategic and cost initiatives; Yahoo!'s ability to compete with new or existing competitors; reduction in spending by, or loss of, marketing services customers; the demand by customers for Yahoo!'s premium services; acceptance by users of new products and services; risks related to joint ventures and the integration of acquisitions; risks related to Yahoo!'s international operations; failure to manage growth and diversification; adverse results in litigation, including intellectual property infringement claims; Yahoo!'s ability to protect its intellectual property and the value of its brands; dependence on key personnel; dependence on third parties for technology, services, content, and distribution; and general economic conditions and changes in economic conditions;All information set forth in this press release and its attachments is as of July 29, 2009. Yahoo! does not intend, and undertakes no duty, to update this information to reflect future events or circumstances. More information about potential factors that could affect the Company's business and financial results is included under the captions "Risk Factors" and "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2008, and Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2009, which are on file with the SEC and available on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov. Additional information will also be set forth in those sections in Yahoo!'s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2009, which will be filed with the SEC in the third quarter of 2009.

This press release and its attachments also contain financial projections that are necessarily based upon a variety of estimates and assumptions which may not be realized and are inherently subject, in addition to the risks identified in the forward-looking statement disclaimer, to business, economic, competitive, industry, regulatory, market and financial uncertainties, many of which are beyond Yahoo!'s control.There can be no assurance that the assumptions made in preparing the projected financial impact will prove accurate.Accordingly, actual results may differ materially from the projected financial impact.In addition, all projections exclude anticipated reinvestment by Yahoo! in its non-search business.

Yahoo! and the Yahoo! logos are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Yahoo! Inc. All other names are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective owners.

About Microsoft

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq "MSFT") is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

Note to editors: If you are interested in viewing additional information on Microsoft, please visit the Microsoft Web page at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass on Microsoft's corporate information pages. Web links, telephone numbers and titles were correct at time of publication, but may since have changed. For additional assistance, journalists and analysts may contact Microsoft's Rapid Response Team or other appropriate contacts listed at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/contactpr.mspx.

Yahoo! Inc.

Supplemental Information Regarding Projected Incremental Impact of Microsoft Search Agreement

(in thousands)

Gross profit¹

($150,000
)

Operating expenses²

$650,000

Income from operations

$500,000

Depreciation, amortization and stock based compensation expense

($225,000

)

Operating income before depreciation, amortization, and stock-based compensation expense (or operating cash flow)

$275,000

¹Gross profit impact consists of increased revenue net of Microsoft's share of Yahoo!'s search revenue. The increased revenue is attributable to the scale resulting from the combination of the Yahoo! and Microsoft search marketplaces.

²Operating expenses impact represents savings from reductions in spending on Yahoo!'s search technology.

Note: All estimates represent the projected annual financial impact of the agreement following its full implementation, which is expected to occur within 24 months of regulatory approval, and are based on Yahoo!'s current levels of revenues and operating expenses. In addition, all projections exclude anticipated reinvestment by Yahoo! in its non-search business. The projections are necessarily based upon a variety of estimates and assumptions which may not be realized and are inherently subject, in addition to the risks identified in the forward-looking statement disclaimer, to business, economic, competitive, industry, regulatory, market and financial uncertainties, many of which are beyond Yahoo!'s control. There can be no assurance that the assumptions made in preparing the projected financial impact will prove accurate. Accordingly, actual results may differ materially from the projected financial impact.

New Yahoo! Mobile Homepage unveiled

Jason Ankeny — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 08:35:54 -0400

Building on the newly unveiled Yahoo! homepage announced last week, today Yahoo! released a new mobile homepage, unveiling one of the most robust mobile Web sites currently available. Now, no matter where consumers venture during the course of their day, their favorite content, services and Internet experiences are always at their fingertips with a seamless Yahoo! experience across PC and mobile devices. Additionally, the dramatic redesign of the mobile homepage (http://m.yahoo.com) and other key properties for the iPhone browser, delivers a highly engaging mobile experience that sets a new industry standard.

As the leading Web brand on mobile in the U.S., Yahoo! reaches nearly 1 out of every 2 mobile Internet users in the country - more than 34MM unique users per month*. We provide simple, open, compelling and feature rich services that allow individuals to define their Internet experience on mobile.

One Continuous Experience across PC and Mobile:
Just like the new Yahoo.com, the new Yahoo! mobile homepage empowers consumers to use their phone to get everything they want from across the Internet in one place.

Beginning today, people can continue their Yahoo! experience on their mobile phone through true PC to mobile integration. With the new Yahoo! homepage, people can easily add apps on the PC - from Yahoo! or virtually any other site on the Web - and then with a few simple clicks, transport their customized experience to their mobile device. Additionally, we scan for any changes that you make across the Yahoo! network on the PC - such as adding a stock to Y! Finance or an RSS feed to My Yahoo!, and see if you'd like to do the same to your Yahoo! mobile experience.

The new PC to mobile sync is available today on more than 400 devices in 17 countries, and is expected to rollout to additional markets and devices in the near future.

Redefining What Users Expect from Mobile:
To deliver highly compelling mobile experiences to our users, we're introducing brand new mobile optimized sites for some of the most used Yahoo! properties including the homepage, Search, Local, Finance, News, Mail, Movies, Address book, Calendar, Weather and more. Available initially on the iPhone^TM Safari browser, users can harness the power of Yahoo! to discover, stay connected, and stay informed while on the go.

The dramatic iPhone redesign of the mobile homepage includes three tabs - ‘Today', ‘My Favorites' and ‘All Sites' - pulling together all of the services people use across the Web into a single mobile experience. Consumers can update Facebook or Twitter, read the latest headlines, RSS feeds, stock quotes, sports scores and much more.

The ‘All Sites' tab provides more than a dozen mobile-optimized Yahoo! services like the brand new Yahoo! Local, where they can discover local news, weather, and search results as well as nearby food, theatres, events, gas, or even get maps and driving directions based on their current location.

We're introducing our best mobile search experience yet. Building on our award-winning mobile search, we're including a drop down menu to filter their searches by a specific categories including ‘Web', ‘Image', ‘Local', ‘News', ‘Wikipedia', or ‘Products'. Of course, we analyze the consumer's intent to provide the best answers and results grouped according to the query.

The new sites and functionality are available initially on the iPhone^TM Safari browser in 17 countries. In the coming future we expect to rollout to the experience to additional countries and devices.

To begin your mobile Yahoo! experience, visit http://m.yahoo.com on your mobile phone.

Yahoo! Adds Voice Search for iPhone; Extends Reach of Mobile Applications

Jason Ankeny — Thu, 21 May 2009 09:32:51 -0400

As we continue our mobile search innovation and focus on providing the best experiences across a wide range of mobile platforms, Yahoo! today launched voice enabled oneSearch for the Yahoo! Mobile iPhone app. With the voice-enabled Yahoo! oneSearch, consumers can search for anything, including flight numbers, locations, Web site names, local restaurants, and more, by simply speaking.

In addition to using voice to conduct a search, the Yahoo! Mobile iPhone app enables consumers to customize the ‘My Interests' tab with the power of their voice. Simply click on ‘add anything', speak the topic you're interested in, then select the relevant content and add it to your page.

The Yahoo! oneSearch with voice application is currently available on more than 80 different devices and across platforms including Blackberry, Nokia, Windows Mobile and iPhone - with support in eight languages. New today, we also support for the latest BlackBerry devices (i.e. Bold, Storm, Flip and Javelin).

Whereas most mobile voice recognition systems are specific to vertical categories such as local listings, Yahoo! oneSearch with Voice lets consumers perform "wide open" searches - returning relevant results for practically every kind of query. The Yahoo! Mobile iPhone app can be downloaded through the iPhone app store here; compatible devices on other platforms can download the app by visiting http://m.yahoo.com/voice on their mobile browser.

Additionally, today, we're excited to announce that we rolled out the Yahoo! oneSearch shortcut for Windows Mobile in 21 countries, providing mobile users with one-click access to the search box. In February we announced the Yahoo! oneSearch shortcut for Windows Mobile in the U.S. and just like oneSearch applications for Nokia and Blackberry, we added an auto-locate feature on select devices to deliver local search results based on a combination of cell tower triangulation, GPS and Wi-Fi hotspots. The oneSearch shortcut can be downloaded on compatible devices by visiting http://m.yahoo.com/shortcut.

YAHOO! SCORES A TRIPLE-DOUBLE IN COLLEGE BASKETBALL THIS MARCH--MOBILE ACCESS, CASH PRIZES, AND NEWS

Jason Ankeny — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 10:17:55 -0400

Yahoo! Sports is giving college basketball fans a triple-double of madness with mobile access to brackets, millions in prize money, up-to-the minute college basketball news, and easy search tools. Yahoo! Sports is offering $1 million for the perfect bracket and other prizes for top performers. This year, Yahoo! is allowing fans unprecedented mobile access during the Big Dance to keep them at the top of their game. The site will also offer up-to-the-minute news from the games. Yahoo!'s college basketball offerings give fans millions reasons to ‘go a little mad.'

This season, Yahoo! is launching a dedicated mobile tournament Web site (http://m.yahoo.com/ncaa) allowing fans to follow all of the action and their favorite teams from the convenience of their Internet-enabled mobile phone. For the first time, Yahoo! allows users to track their brackets via mobile devices as well as the progress of others in their group. Fans also have access to up-to-the minute scores, news, schedules, pictures and expert commentary while on-the-go.

Yahoo! is giving bracket participants millions of reasons to 'go mad,' with rewards of all sizes. Fans have a chance to win $1 million for the perfect bracket, and even if no one makes it to the peak, the eligible fan with the best bracket will take home $10,000. Yahoo! Sports' 2nd Chance game sets fans up to redeem themselves if their bracket is "busted." The game gives users a chance to begin the madness again with a new bracket after the Second Round of games is complete. The eligible fan with the best bracket in the 2nd Chance game will win $5,000 - guaranteed. And, for the second consecutive year, KFC is the official Tourney Pick'em sponsor. KFC is giving fans the ability to use their printable brackets for discounts on 30 hot wings at KFC restaurants. Fans can start the countdown to all the action with the Verizon FiOS countdown clock on Yahoo! Sports.

Basketball analysts Greg Anthony, Jason King and crew are positioned to keep the madness going with all the news that basketball junkies need, and fans can catch up on all the dish at "The Dagger," Yahoo! Sports' NCAAB blog.

Fans can also go to Yahoo! and search for all things related to the tournament and find timely answers. Yahoo! Search will feature a specific Yahoo! Shortcut to help fans conveniently find the schedule of events, scores, brackets and much more -- right at the top of the search page.

Fans can go mad trying to create the winning bracket at http://tournament.fantasysports.yahoo.com. Registration is open now until the first tip-off on March 19. Tournament Pick ‘em '09 is a free game for fans.

Introducing Yahoo! Mobile - Your Starting Point to the Internet

Jason Ankeny — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 06:51:56 -0500

Yahoo! (NASDAQ:YHOO) today announced the upcoming launch of its new Yahoo! Mobile service - a highly-personalized mobile starting point to the Internet. Yahoo! Mobile will be available on the mobile Web, as an app developed for the Apple(R) iPhone(TM), and as an app developed for smartphones from Nokia(R), RIM(R), Samsung(R), Sony Ericsson(R) and Motorola(R) as well as those powered by Windows Mobile(R). Yahoo! Mobile initially will be available today through a managed beta program, with general availability expected in Q2 2009.

"We believe the new Yahoo! Mobile will transform the way millions of mobile users around the world will interact with the Internet," said Marco Boerries, executive vice president, Yahoo! Inc. "Yahoo! Mobile will enable users to create their own Internet starting point on their mobile device so they can better discover, connect to and stay informed about the people and things that are important to them."

With a rich design and interactivity that leverages the capabilities of today's mobile devices, Yahoo! Mobile will offer an open environment within which consumers can bring together their favorite content and services from across the Internet. Consumers will be able to:

Discover: via results from Yahoo!'s award-winning mobile search, editor-selected content, and new maps tools.
Stay Connected: through access to their email and social network accounts from the most popular Web providers, as well as instant messaging, address book and calendar tools.
Stay Informed: by bringing together favorite content - websites, sports teams, news sources, RSS feeds, weather, stocks, horoscopes and more - into a single location.

"Yahoo! Mobile represents significant and continued innovation by Yahoo! around creating a compelling and engaging user experience with mobile data services, and especially the mobile Internet," notes Scott Ellison, VP Mobile and Wireless, IDC. "Rich and well-integrated offerings like Yahoo! Mobile, offered across a broad range of devices, will play central roles in the rapidly evolving mobile Internet space," he added.

KEY FEATURES OF YAHOO! MOBILE

The mobile Web and iPhone(TM) versions of Yahoo! Mobile are planned to include the following features:

Discover

Yahoo! oneSearch(TM) - Yahoo!'s award-winning mobile search service providing the most current, relevant answers you need.
Today - The most interesting stories buzzing on the Internet right now, selected by Yahoo!'s editorial team.

Connect

Yahoo! oneConnect(TM) - Yahoo!'s service designed to provide consumers everything they need to stay in touch with the people about whom they care:
- Email - Access to Yahoo! Mail and other popular email service providers, including Gmail(R), Windows Live(TM) Hotmail and AOL(R) Mail.
- Pulse - Access totheir social networks, including Bebo(R), Dopplr(TM), Facebook(R), Flickr(R), Friendster(R), Last.fm(R), MySpace(R), Twitter(TM) and YouTube(TM).
- Yahoo! Messenger - An upgraded version of Yahoo!'s popular mobile instant messaging service.
- Yahoo! Address Book - Keeps consumers' contacts always handy and in sync.
- Yahoo! Calendar - View, add and edit appointments when users are away from their PCs.

Stay Informed

Yahoo! News - Breaking headlines across popular topics.
Yahoo! onePlace(TM) - Access and manage your favorite content, all from one location. Its "Add Anything" functionality is a simple-to-use search and browse process that helps users find and add what they want. Consumers can add their favorite interests from a growing selection of popular categories including news topics and sources, RSS feeds, weather conditions, sports scores, stock quotes, websites/blogs, horoscopes and movie theaters.

The smartphone version of Yahoo! Mobile will include the above functionality, plus:

Yahoo! oneSearch with Voice(TM) - Allowing users to launch searches by simply speaking.
Maps - Powerful improved tools that let consumers locate, learn about and get directions to points of interest.
Opera Mini(TM) 4.2 - An integrated version of the world's most popular mobile web browser, with easy return to the Yahoo! Mobile app, that launches when web site access is needed.
Widgets - Enhanced mobile-optimized experiences for services from Yahoo! and other brands. Users can browse, add and remove these at anytime according to their tastes.

AVAILABILITY OF YAHOO! MOBILE

A managed beta program for Yahoo! Mobile has started today. Consumers interested in participating should enter http://mobile.yahoo.com into their phone's browser.

Details on the upcoming general public release for Yahoo! Mobile are as follows:

For the mobile Web:

Launch timing: expected late March 2009
Devices: those running WebKit-based browsers (e.g. iPhone and iPod touch, many Nokia Series 60 and Android devices), Opera Mini 4.x, Windows Mobile devices with Internet Explorer Mobile, and the BlackBerry(R) Bold(TM) and BlackBerry Storm(TM) browsers

For iPhone:

Launch timing: expected late March 2009

For smartphones:

Launch timing: expected late May 2009
Devices: hundreds of select models from RIM, Windows Mobile, Nokia S60 and 40, Samsung, Sony Ericsson and Motorola.

At launch, each version of Yahoo! Mobile is planned to be available for the US, Canada, UK, France, Germany, India, Indonesia and the Philippines. Versions for other countries will roll out over the remainder of 2009.

Yahoo! Mobile will feature Yahoo!'s industry-leading display advertising from major global advertisers.

Visit the Yahoo! booth at Mobile World Congress to see Yahoo!'s latest mobile products - 7B26, Hall 7. For more information and screenshots of the Yahoo! Mobile product suite, please visit http://mobile.yahoo.com/newsroom.

About Yahoo!

Yahoo! Inc. (NASDAQ:YHOO) is a leading global Internet brand and one of the most trafficked Internet destinations worldwide. Yahoo! is focused on powering its communities of users, advertisers, publishers, and developers by creating indispensable experiences built on trust. Yahoo! is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California. (YHOO -- M)

For more on Yahoo!'s mobile news please visit http://mobile.yahoo.com/newsroom.

Yahoo!, the Yahoo! logo, Yahoo! oneSearch, Yahoo! oneConnect, and Yahoo! onePlace are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Yahoo! Inc.All other names are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective owners.

This press release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties concerning Yahoo! Mobile (including without limitation the statements contained in the quotations from management in this press release), as well as Yahoo!'s strategic and operational plans. Actual events or results may differ materially from those described in this press release due to a number of risks and uncertainties. The potential risks and uncertainties include, among others, the possibility that the expected implementation of Yahoo! Mobile, including its planned features and platforms, described may be delayed, may not ultimately be implemented, or if implemented may not be successful; consumers may not accept or respond as positively to Yahoo! Mobile as anticipated; and competitors may offer similar competing services. Yahoo! does not intend, and undertakes no duty, to update this information to reflect future events or circumstances. More information about potential factors that could affect the Company's business and financial results is included under the captions "Risk Factors" and "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2007, as amended, and the Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2008, which are on file with the SEC and available at the SEC's website at www.sec.gov.

Carol Bartz Joins Yahoo! as Chief Executive Officer

Jason Ankeny — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 10:07:04 -0500

Yahoo! Inc. (NASDAQ:YHOO), a leading global brand and one of the world's most trafficked Internet destinations, announced today that Carol Bartz, a veteran technology executive who was most recently Executive Chairman of Autodesk (NASDAQ: ADSK), has been named Chief Executive Officer and a member of the Board of Directors, effective immediately.

Prior to becoming Executive Chairman of Autodesk in 2006, Bartz, 60, led Autodesk as CEO for 14 years, transforming the company into a leader in computer-aided design software. During her tenure as CEO, revenues increased from less than $300 million to more than $1.5 billion, and the company's share price increased nearly ten-fold.

In addition to turning around Autodesk, Bartz's extensive executive experience includes hands-on responsibility for leading global operations, engineering, sales and marketing organizations for large technology and engineering companies including Sun Microsystems, Digital Equipment Corporation and 3M.

Roy Bostock, Chairman of the Board, said, "We are very excited to have Carol Bartz leading Yahoo! into its next era of growth. She is the exact combination of seasoned technology executive and savvy leader that the Board was looking for, and we are thrilled to have attracted such a world-class talent to Yahoo!. She is admired in the Valley as well as on Wall Street for her deep management expertise, strong customer orientation, excellent people skills, and firm understanding of the challenges facing our industry. Carol meets all of the criteria we set for the search and is the only person to whom we offered the job. The Board is united in its view that her energetic and decisive leadership style, coupled with a proven track record of driving growth, operational excellence and shareholder value, is exactly what Yahoo! needs to get back on a path toward achieving its full potential."

Bostock continued, "On behalf of the entire Board, I would like to thank Jerry Yang for acceding to our request 18 months ago to step into the CEO role. Jerry's unwavering enthusiasm for Yahoo!, his unique perspective on the company, and iconic stature in the industry make him an invaluable resource for the future. We are delighted that he plans to stay actively involved and are deeply grateful for his many contributions to the company's development over the years."

Carol Bartz said, "Yahoo! is a powerful global brand with a great collection of assets, strong technology, and enormously talented employees. The Company has accomplished a great deal in its relatively short history and I look forward to working together to take it to the next level. There is no denying that Yahoo! has faced enormous challenges over the last year, but I believe there is now an extraordinary opportunity to create value for our shareholders and new possibilities for our customers, partners and employees. We will seize that opportunity."

Jerry Yang said, "I couldn't be more pleased with the Board's choice of Carol Bartz as CEO and look forward to returning to my former role as Chief Yahoo. I believe Carol is the ideal person to take Yahoo! forward and I will be honored to be a resource to assist her in any way she finds helpful. I believe Yahoo!'s best years are still ahead of it. For the past 14 years, I have poured all of my energies into this great company -- and I hope to keep contributing to its success for many years to come."

Yahoo! also announced that President Sue Decker has informed the Board that she will resign after remaining with the Company for a transitional period. Bostock said, "The Board thanks Sue for her service as President, the important contributions she has made to Yahoo!'s development in a variety of roles over the past 8-1/2 years, and her willingness to work with Carol Bartz to ensure a smooth transition. We respect her decision to move on to other challenges and wish her only the best."

Carol Bartz has been the Lead Independent Director of Cisco Systems since 2005 and a director since 1996. She also currently serves on the Board of Directors of Intel Corporation and NetApp. She holds a bachelors degree in Computer Science from the University of Wisconsin.

Conference Call and Webcast Information

Yahoo! will host an analyst conference call to discuss today's announcement at 5:30 p.m. Eastern Time today. A live webcast of the conference call can be accessed through the Company's Investor Relations website at http://yhoo.client.shareholder.com/index.cfm. The dial-in number for the live conference call is (888) 253-4037. Participants calling from outside the United States may dial (719)867-0591. The passcode 379105 is required to access the call. In addition, an archive of the webcast can be accessed through the same link. An audio replay of the call will be available following the conference call by dialing (888) 348-4629 (Primary) or (719) 884-8882 (International), reservation number: 379105.

About Yahoo!

Yahoo! Inc. is a leading global Internet brand and one of the most trafficked Internet destinations worldwide. Yahoo! is focused on powering its communities of users, advertisers, publishers, and developers by creating indispensable experiences built on trust. Yahoo! is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California. For more information, visit pressroom.yahoo.com or the company's blog, Yodel Anecdotal.

This press release contains forward-looking statements (including without limitation the quotations from our Chairman and management in this press release) that involve risks and uncertainties concerning Yahoo!'s future opportunities and performance, as well as Yahoo!'s strategic and operational plans. Actual results may differ materially from those described in this press release due to a number of risks and uncertainties. The potential risks and uncertainties include, among others, the impact of management and organizational changes; the implementation and results of Yahoo!'s ongoing strategic initiatives; Yahoo!'s ability to compete with new or existing competitors; reduction in spending by, or loss of, marketing services customers; the demand by customers for Yahoo!'s premium services; acceptance by users of new products and services; risks related to joint ventures and the integration of acquisitions; risks related to Yahoo!'s international operations; failure to manage growth and diversification; adverse results in litigation, including intellectual property infringement claims; Yahoo!'s ability to protect its intellectual property and the value of its brands; dependence on key personnel; dependence on third parties for technology, services, content and distribution; general economic conditions and changes in economic conditions; the possibility third parties may in the future make proposals to acquire all or a part of Yahoo!, or take other actions which may create uncertainty for our employees, publishers, advertisers and other business partners, and the possibility of significant costs of defense, indemnification and liability resulting from stockholder litigation relating to such proposals. More information about potential factors that could affect Yahoo!'s business and financial results is included under the captions "Risk Factors" and "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" in Yahoo!'s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2007, as amended, and the Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2008, which are on file with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") and available at the SEC's website at www.sec.gov. All information in this release is as of January 13, 2009, unless otherwise noted, and Yahoo! does not intend, and undertakes no duty, to update or otherwise revise the information contained in this release.

Yahoo! and the Yahoo! logos are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Yahoo! Inc. All other names are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective owners.

SOURCE: Yahoo! Inc.

LSN Introduces Local Content Widgets in Yahoo! Go for Millions of Mobile Users

Jason Ankeny — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 21:00:03 -0500

LSN, Inc., Local Solutions Network, with the nation's largest local mobile advertising network, today announced the availability of their LSN Local Content Widgets in Yahoo! Go (http://go.yahoo.com), leveraging Yahoo! Blueprint, Yahoo!'s mobile development platform. Starting today, Yahoo! Go users will be able to access local news, weather, sports, school closings and much more from LSN's affiliate network of 140 local media partners, including ABC, NBCU, Telemundo, McGraw Hill, Cox, Gray, Raycom, and other leading media.

Yahoo! Go is Yahoo!'s award winning all-in-one mobile application, available on more than 280 devices across 19 countries. Yahoo! Go lets users enjoy the best of the Internet on their phone. Users can send email, upload photos, download a map, search for answers, check stock quotes, or get breaking news-all from one application on their mobile device.

"By providing all developers and publishers access to Yahoo! Blueprint and giving them the necessary tools to create exciting new mobile content and services, we are furthering our goal of enabling an open mobile ecosystem," said Michael Shim, Senior Director of Mobile Advertisers & Publishers, Yahoo! Connected Life Americas. "Yahoo! Blueprint enables innovative new experiences that we believe will drive further adoption of mobile services by millions of users around the world."

"For mobile subscribers, LSN's new Mobile Widgets are the best gateway to get where they want to go on the mobile Internet," said Lee Durham, Founder and CEO of LSN. "We are extremely pleased to partner with Yahoo! to extend the capability and value subscribers can obtain from their mobile phones."

To date, mobile users have downloaded applications written in Yahoo! Blueprint across thousands of mobile devices from manufacturers including Research in Motion^®, Nokia^®, Motorola^®, and others, getting a user experience specially optimized for their device. Developers can now turn to Yahoo! to alleviate the cumbersome process of porting and rendering their application across a wide variety of devices, while also taking advantage of Yahoo!'s extensive mobile distribution network and monetization capabilities.

About LSN, Inc.

Local Solutions Network, Inc. (LSN), headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, is a mobile media and marketing company that enables local broadcasters and brand advertisers to extend their reach to the mobile consumer market via their handset. LSN has the nation's largest network of local television news content, in both English and Spanish, currently offering news, weather, sports and more to over 200 million mobile users. Through its Direct Mobile Marketing & Advertising Group, LSN enables companies to rapidly deploy direct mobile marketing campaigns to mobile users via text messaging, rich media content, and interactive mobile marketing campaigns across all wireless carriers and handsets.

To learn more, please visit www.lsnmobile.com.

LSN Introduces Local Content Widgets in Yahoo! Go for Millions of Mobile Users

Jason Ankeny — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 20:53:01 -0500

About LSN, Inc.

To learn more, please visit www.lsnmobile.com.

Yahoo! oneSearch Named as the Exclusive Search Service on Virgin Media's Mobile Portal in the UK

Jason Ankeny — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 10:12:43 -0500

Virgin Media and Yahoo! today announced that Yahoo! oneSearch^TM will power the Internet search experience on Virgin Media's new, enhanced mobile portal. The Virgin Media mobile portal will be available to consumers on the 8th of December, and brings the world of news, music, video, games and entertainment, as well as Yahoo!'s award-winning mobile search experience, straight to consumers' pockets.

Yahoo! oneSearch is specifically designed for the needs of a mobile user, intuitively returning results directly in the first screen, removing the need for consumers to navigate through thousands of links to find the information they want.

* For instance, when a search for a football team is entered, Yahoo! oneSearch returns the latest scores, fixtures, team profiles, news, images and a link to the team's Web site.
* Alternatively, if a user searches for a film, Yahoo! returns showing times at local cinemas, reviews, news articles and information on the cast.

Yahoo! oneSearch will provide Virgin Media's mobile consumers with relevant information on virtually any topic -- from news, financial information, weather conditions, Flickr^TM photos and lottery results, to Web and mobile web sites, travel information, integrated information from Wikipedia and Yahoo! Answers, and much more. Yahoo! oneSearch will also display relevant ringtones, wallpapers, games and other content within search results.

Yahoo! and Virgin Media plan to deliver mobile sponsored search results and contextually served sponsored listings within the Virgin Media mobile portal early 2009. With a focus on creating the monetization engine for the mobile Internet, Yahoo! is enabling advertisers to reach their target audiences at large scale and with impact. Yahoo! is delivering a compelling consumer service via Yahoo! oneSearch that will help marketers connect with mobile consumers.

Commenting on the partnership, Graeme Oxby, managing director of Virgin Mobile said: "Our new Virgin Media mobile portal brings the web to consumers' pockets. A great mobile search service is a crucial part of this and by integrating Yahoo! oneSearch into the portal, we are ensuring our customers have all the information they need at their fingertips. Whether you're checking the Saturday football scores or your favourite web services, you're guaranteed to find what you need with ease."

"Working closely with our 70 mobile operator partners, Yahoo! oneSearch is a starting point for mobile consumers globally, revolutionizing the mobile search experience by delivering relevant answers to queries that mobile users have while on-the-go," said Mitch Lazar, managing director of Connected Life Europe, Yahoo!. "Together, Virgin Media and Yahoo! are enhancing the user's mobile Internet experience in the UK while creating unique opportunities for advertisers to reach a highly-engaged audience of mobile consumers."

About Yahoo!

Yahoo! (YHOO) is a leading global Internet brand and one of the busiest Internet destinations worldwide. Yahoo! is focused on powering its communities of users, advertisers, publishers, and developers by creating indispensable experiences built on trust. Yahoo! is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California. (YHOO - M)

For more on Yahoo!'s mobile news please visit http://mobile.yahoo.com/newsroom.

Yahoo!, Yahoo! oneSearch, the Yahoo! logo and Flickr are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Yahoo! Inc. All other names are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective owners.

About Virgin Mobile

Launched in 1999, Virgin Mobile is the UK's largest mobile virtual network operator and uses T-Mobile's network. With 4.4 million customers, Virgin Mobile is part of Virgin Media and the group is the first to be able to offer 'quadruple play' to customers: mobile and fixed line telephony, broadband internet and television.

In the UK, Virgin Mobile phones are available direct on 0845 6000 600, on the web at virginmobile.co.uk or on the high street at approximately 5,000 outlets including Virgin Mobile Stores, zavvi, The Carphone Warehouse, Phones 4 U, Currys, Currys.digital, Comet, Tesco, Asda, John Lewis, Argos, Woolworths, web retailers Dial-a-phone plus hundreds of independent mobile phone dealers, and available via Littlewoods Shop Direct Home Shopping, Grattan and Empire home shopping channels.

T-Mobile Introduces web2go and Simplified Data Pricing

Jason Ankeny — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 10:17:00 -0500

Today, T-Mobile USA Inc. is introducing web2goSM, an intuitive and improved Web browsing experience designed to work across T-Mobile's portfolio of phones. Web2go makes it easier to view and navigate the Web from basic voice phones and smartphones alike, providing customers with better Web browsing, improved search with Yahoo! oneSearch^TM, a customizable home page and a simplified shopping and download experience.

"We believe mobile Web access appeals to everyone, and web2go makes it easier than ever before for customers to surf the Web from our broad line-up of phones," said Denny Marie Post, chief marketing officer, T-Mobile USA. "In addition to giving our customers the mobile Web, web2go provides a store front that will continue to grow with our customers, offering a range of products from the latest content to new innovative applications."

With web2go customers can create a personalized home page for easy, one click access to their favorite websites. The new service allows customers to visit virtually the entire Internet from their mobile phone, ensuring web pages are easy to view and navigate. With access to the web2go marketplace included at no additional charge for customers with capable devices, customers can also browse and purchase the latest ringtones, games, wallpaper and mobile optimized applications and services to customize their phone. Further, a My Downloads feature enables certain applications, games and content that customers purchase to continue to be available to them when they upgrade to new phones.

Yahoo! oneSearch ^TM powers mobile Internet searches made through T-Mobile web2go, available starting today on millions of T-Mobile® phones. Providing customers with access to the latest news, information and content -from Flickr^TM photos and Web images to their favorite social network sites -

Yahoo! oneSearch intuitively returns search results grouped around the person's inquiry. For instance, when customers search for a sports team, Yahoo! returns the latest scores, schedules, team profiles, roster, news, images and a link to the team's Web site. Alternatively, if a user searches for a movie, Yahoo! returns show times at local theatres, reviews, news articles and information on the cast. Consumers no longer need to surf through a sea of links to find the information they want while on-the-go.

Yahoo! oneSearch will also display relevant ringtones, wallpaper, games and other content available in the T-Mobile store within search results, eliminating the need for customers to search within a separate window for downloadable content.

Web2go is available today across the majority of new T-Mobile phones including most Motorola, Nokia, Samsung, Sony Ericsson and BlackBerry handsets. This enhancement is automatic for T-Mobile customers with compatible phones. T-Mobile plans to make web2go available on nearly all new T-Mobile phones over the coming months.

New Unlimited Data Access Plans

In line with the launch of web2go, T-Mobile also announced today several new bundled data plans, further simplifying the experience for customers. The new pricing structure, with bundle options for Web, e-mail and messaging across all compatible phones and devices, presents a tremendous value for individual and family customers alike.

For more information on the T-Mobile web2Go service or T-Mobile's new data plans and pricing, please visit http://www.t-mobile.com.

Notes: Additional charges may apply to features and services.

About T-Mobile USA, Inc.
Based in Bellevue, Wash., T-Mobile USA, Inc. is the U.S. operation of Deutsche Telekom AG's Mobile Communications Business, and a wholly owned subsidiary of T-Mobile International, one of the world's leading companies in mobile communications. By the end of the third quarter of 2008, 127 million mobile customers were served by the mobile communication segments of the Deutsche Telekom group - more than 32 million by T-Mobile USA - all via a common technology platform based on GSM, the world's most widely used digital wireless standard. T-Mobile's innovative wireless products and services help empower people to connect to those who matter most. For more information, please visit http://www.t-mobile.com. T-Mobile and the magenta color are federally registered trademarks of Deutsche Telekom AG.