Confirmed: Penthouse Buys AdultFriendFinder For $500 Million

[tony404]

The thing to see is how much of that is cash.

[Toby]

Originally Posted by AFF's Lars Mapstead Discusses Sale to Penthouse

You will see more changes on the Penthouse side. The AFF staff will be managing all of the Penthouse properties. We will be managing all of their affiliate programs and working with them to convert better. So, basically, FriendFinder is going to be the online technology group for Penthouse.

Guess who just got added to my banned sponsor list.

[RawAlex]

Toby, that interview is key for some other reasons as well. In a sense, it shows that the 500 or 300 million number isn't exactly all it is cracked up to be.

Conru and Lars will be maintaining sizable holdings in the "new" company. So they may have traded 100% of AFF for 50% of Penthouse. In theory, they were bought out for X, but the actual money trading hands maybe significantly lower (like, perhaps, not all that much).

The other question is Penthouse... I see a penthouse international as a Pink Sheet stock. Is this the new owner? Or is that the previous (mostly dead) branch of Penthouse?

[gonzo]

Originally Posted by RawAlex

Toby, that interview is key for some other reasons as well. In a sense, it shows that the 500 or 300 million number isn't exactly all it is cracked up to be.

Conru and Lars will be maintaining sizable holdings in the "new" company. So they may have traded 100% of AFF for 50% of Penthouse. In theory, they were bought out for X, but the actual money trading hands maybe significantly lower (like, perhaps, not all that much).

The other question is Penthouse... I see a penthouse international as a Pink Sheet stock. Is this the new owner? Or is that the previous (mostly dead) branch of Penthouse?

300 of the 500 was only cash. Leave 200 on the table. YOu guys can figure it out.

[RawAlex]

I just got an email from them on this subject (broadcast, I am sure). They make me laugh though:

We finalized the deal, and as a valued affiliate of Various Inc., you are among the first to know of this major event. A detailed press release was sent to the media yesterday evening.

So I am a valued affiliate amoungst the first to know after the media who has turned around and already informed everyone.

I feel special!

[EmporerEJ]

Originally Posted by tony404

The thing to see is how much of that is cash.

More importantly, let's see what Uncle Sam does with it.

[EmporerEJ]

<<>>>

(That would be shoe number 2)
Now, what do you make of the timing of this???



Various Inc. Settles FTC Charges
Unsuspecting consumers reportedly hit with sexually explicit pop-ups.


Various Inc., which operates online sex and swinger communities Adult FriendFinder and Cams, has agreed to settle Federal Trade Commission charges that its online pop-up ads violated federal law.
The settlement bars Various from exhibiting sexually explicit ads to surfers who are not seeking adult material..........

http://www.avn.com/index.cfm?objecti...2E6C845CEACDD0

[RawAlex]

Originally Posted by EmporerEJ

<<>>>

(That would be shoe number 2)
Now, what do you make of the timing of this???



Various Inc. Settles FTC Charges
Unsuspecting consumers reportedly hit with sexually explicit pop-ups.


Various Inc., which operates online sex and swinger communities Adult FriendFinder and Cams, has agreed to settle Federal Trade Commission charges that its online pop-up ads violated federal law.
The settlement bars Various from exhibiting sexually explicit ads to surfers who are not seeking adult material..........

http://www.avn.com/index.cfm?objecti...2E6C845CEACDD0

I don't think you have to be too intelligent to figure that settling this out was one of the requirements before a deal would go forward. It is only unfortunate that once again it appears that the FTC issued another toothless ruling that allows the guilty to keep their ill gotten gains, without addressing the issues of how this affected things like their affiliate agrrements and such.