Bullshit reaches limit - AFF and Iporn scuttlebutt

[gonzo]

Thanks to Will76 for reminding me of the AFF / Ibill connection - again...who much does Ibill owe you?

2002: Intercept buys ibill for 120 million: " But when Atlanta-based InterCept acquired iBill for $120 million in 2002, it immediately encountered problems. New rules from Visa made it more complicated and costly to process adult website transactions, and "accounts dropped like flies," says Dugas. Meanwhile MasterCard levied $5.85 million in fines against iBill for an unusually high volume of "charge backs" -- consumer-disputed charges -- though InterCept managed to recoup most of the fine from iBill's previous owners.
Porn Billing Leak Exposes Buyers

3/24/2004 Penthouse buys Ibill from intercept for 23.5 million plus assumption of 20 million ibill is obligated to.

Artcile 3/31/2004 says " iBill has no corporate or bank debt outstanding. iBill and Penthouse International's real estate assets are unaffected by the current reorganization of General Media and subsidiaries. "
" On a pro forma basis, had iBill been consolidated with Penthouse for the full fiscal year ended December 31, 2003, Penthouse consolidated revenue would have increased by approximately 197%. "
iBill Attends First Industry Event Since Acquisition by Penthouse. | Company Activities & Management > Company Structures & Ownership from AllBusiness.com

Penthouse buys ibill which has no outstanding debt and to give Penthouse (which is losing tons of money) value.

" iBill processes online website orders. First Data is a billion dollar company that gave notice earlier last year that we would not extend iBill’s merchant agreement. It seems that iBill sought court intervention to require us to continue processing after the expiration of iBill's agreement, in lake September 2004. The court denied iBill's request for a preliminary injunction against First Data. First Data has not processed payments for iBill since that date." New York Daily Times

October 2004: " Care Concepts financed the recent acquisition of General Media by issuing new preferred stock and convertible notes in the amount of roughly $16.4 million, the release stated. " " Care Concepts’ announcement came following a stormy month for the company, which was forced to delay its acquisition of payment processor iBill and had its stock delisted from the American Stock Exchange for a variety of public-interest concerns. " " Under the new purchase agreement, PET Capital Partners Inc., the company that owned General Media’s debt, will retain voting common stock and a majority of the total common stock equity of the company. PET’s Marc H. Bell and Daniel C. Staton will assume the day-to-day operations of the magazine. "

Care Concepts Completes Penthouse Publisher Purchase - XBIZ.com


" With its acquisition of iBill, Penthouse believes that numerous economic synergies will exist between iBill and its media companies, including the ability to offer iBill clients access to the PENTHOUSE brands and, at the same time, generate new sources of recurring revenue for Penthouse."
Penthouse Acquires Internet Billing Company LLC ``iBill'' | Business Wire | Find Articles at BNET

“We are very excited to welcome Various and its employees as a part of the Penthouse family,” said Penthouse Media Group CEO Marc H. Bell. “Various is an attractive addition to our already strong print platform, and one that puts Penthouse in a very robust position in the ever-growing online social networking arena. We like where the business combination puts us and that this transaction will enhance PMGI’s current and future licensing, print and interactive ventures.”
Penthouse Media Group Purchases Adult Friend Finder for $500 Million - XBIZ.com

" Penthouse is continuing its acquisition program as it continues to consolidate the industry into one global brand."
AdultFriendFinder.com finally sold out - $500M Web 2.0 Money: The Money & Business Behind the Web 2.0 Innovations


Segway /Ibill connection. - GFY Webmaster Board (in particular post #40 and a few others) explains where a lot of ex-ibill employees ended up.

[Hell Puppy]

I like the bit about the car as an asset.

Turns out it's not Andrew or Lars company car, it's a company asset originally tagged to be given away.

That amuses me on many levels. How many big giveaways like that have ever actually ended up with the prize in the hands of an affiliate or customer?

I can only think of one, and that was Greenguy getting the CE viper back in the day.

The usual MO is make the contest a year long, quit promoting after a couple of months and let people forget about it.

[JFK]

Originally Posted by Hell Puppy

I like the bit about the car as an asset.

Turns out it's not Andrew or Lars company car, it's a company asset originally tagged to be given away.

That amuses me on many levels. How many big giveaways like that have ever actually ended up with the prize in the hands of an affiliate or customer?

I can only think of one, and that was Greenguy getting the CE viper back in the day.

The usual MO is make the contest a year long, quit promoting after a couple of months and let people forget about it.

from what I recall, at the time the winner chose the cash prize, versus the car.

[Hell Puppy]

Originally Posted by JFK

from what I recall, at the time the winner chose the cash prize, versus the car.

That sounds right, I may be wrong but I think Greenguy couldn't even drive a stick at the time or something like that.

Plus unless you've got extra garage space, a Viper is not exactly a daily driver or something you just park beside the house with a car cover. It's not a happy car in traffic. In fact, it's not a happy car til it hits at least 80 mph.

But at any rate, I know that prize was actually rewarded. I think a lot of people grumbled because Greenguy won it, and he was tight with CE at the time. But when you run a raffle type contest where every signup is a ticket, statistically you would expect huge affiliates to have the best chance at winning.

Now I seem to remember CE following that up with a million dollar give away. Hell, I probably still have a banner for that here somewhere. Dont recall that ever being awarded. And that was circa 98-99.

[JFK]

Originally Posted by Hell Puppy

That sounds right, I may be wrong but I think Greenguy couldn't even drive a stick at the time or something like that.

Plus unless you've got extra garage space, a Viper is not exactly a daily driver or something you just park beside the house with a car cover. It's not a happy car in traffic. In fact, it's not a happy car til it hits at least 80 mph.

But at any rate, I know that prize was actually rewarded. I think a lot of people grumbled because Greenguy won it, and he was tight with CE at the time. But when you run a raffle type contest where every signup is a ticket, statistically you would expect huge affiliates to have the best chance at winning.

Now I seem to remember CE following that up with a million dollar give away. Hell, I probably still have a banner for that here somewhere. Dont recall that ever being awarded. And that was circa 98-99.

sorry man, 2 different cars

[Hell Puppy]

Originally Posted by JFK

sorry man, 2 different cars

thats a decade ago now.

i do well to remember to put on pants when i leave the house now.

[JFK]

Originally Posted by Hell Puppy

thats a decade ago now.

i do well to remember to put on pants when i leave the house now.

congrats on the progress just remember, a pair of pants today, The World Tomorrow