IProperty Malaysia Announces Record Breaking Results In Visitors
iProperty.com Malaysia experienced a record-breaking 75 per cent year-on-year growth to 1.1 million in visits in June 2010.
This growth was attributed to iProperty.com’s aggressive marketing efforts to increase traffic to the site via advertising, online marketing and strategic partnership.
“We have broken records in all key metrics as we continue to dominate as Malaysia’s No 1 property website,” said country manager Ken Tsurumaru in a statement Monday.
According to iProperty.com, the website also hit a significant milestone of having over 100 thousand registered members, a 155 per cent increase in members since June 2009.
The company said as it continued to gain in popularity among consumers, more real estate agents were turning to the property portal as a means to advertise their properties.
In June this year, the website signed on 452 new property agent advertisers, totalling a 51 per cent growth in agent subscriptions between January and June 2010.
To date, it has over 4,300 real estate agents paying to advertise on the website.
Quickflix Passes 50,000 Subscriber Mark
Quickflix Limited (ASX: QFX), Australia’s leading online DVD rental and movie subscription company, announced its quarterly results today showing strong growth in paying subscribers and revenues as total subscribers surpassed the 50,000 milestone for the first time.
Highlights for the June quarter were:
- Total subscribers of 55,367 at 30 June 2010, up 13 percent (+68 percent YOY)
- Revenue receipts of $2.23 Million, up 18 percent, and operating payments of $2.43 Million
- Net operating and investing cash outflow of $0.77 Million for the quarter
- Net cash at bank at 30 June 2010 was $0.98 Million, including the proceeds from a $1.4 Million private placement completed in April
Increased movie watching at home over the winter season and the launch of new promotional campaigns are expected to contribute to further strong growth in Quickflix subscribers and revenue over the September quarter. The first few days of July have already delivered a record level of new subscriber sign ups as Quickflix gains traction amongst consumers.
The momentum behind Quickflix and the continuing success of its subscription-based business model lead by Netflix in the US and Lovefilm in UK & Europe underscore its positioning and market potential in Australia.
The Company today unveiled its vision to become the internet brand of choice for Australian consumers to discover, enjoy and share movie and TV shows when and how they want. As new set top box and IPTV players enter the market, Quickflix’s unique proposition of hybrid delivery across packaged media (DVD and Blu-ray) and future digital on-demand allows it to flexibly and profitably transition with consumers.
CarAdvice Closes Capital Raising Round
CarAdvice, one of Australia’s leading automotive editorial sites, has just closed a round of capital raising. The company raised between $500k and $1m for the funding of aggressive sales and marketing growth. This capital raising follows hot on the heals of the acquisition of CarBuddy in June.
CarAdvice has over 500,000 unique visitors each month and with CarBuddy, this number has now increased to nearly 700,000 UV’s each month.
iProperty.com Singapore Acquires SG?House.com
iProperty.com Singapore acquires SG?House.com – the leading Singapore property forum famed for its vibrant community and devoted following – and shoots up to number one spot among Singapore’s property websites with an estimated monthly average of
more than 400,000* unique visitors, overtaking its nearest rival. The acquisition of SG?House.com signals the iProperty.com Group’s resolve and determination to achieve clear market leadership in Singapore, along with its market?leading operations in Malaysia and Hong Kong.
With the acquisition of this online forum, iProperty.com Singapore adds the element of community and discussion to its powerful property search engine and comprehensive database, thereby boosting its product offerings considerably for property hunters and agents.
Mr Shaun Di Gregorio, Chief Executive Officer of the iProperty.com Group said, “We are very excited about this acquisition. Not only does it clearly define our position as the market leader in Singapore, but is also in line with our commitment to focus on the needs of our customers, to continue to expand our product offerings, and to empower the people using our website with practical tools for
their property searches.”
Added Mr Gregorio, “Property buyers and sellers behave differently in this time and age, and are increasingly using the internet to have conversations, conduct research and gather information before a transaction takes place. We have to stay relevant in this landscape and provide a robust channel for our users and customers. With this acquisition, what it translates to for our customers is
a massive boost in traffic to their listings, that is more people looking at their advertised properties, which of course means more leads for our customers.”
iProperty.com Singapore has plans to incorporate an iProperty.com’s search box into SG?House.com, so that users of SG?House.com can conveniently search for properties as well as participate in informative forum discussions. The latest real estate news from iProperty.com Singapore will also be posted on the SG?House.com to spark more topics for discussion, resulting in further insights for property buyers and enthusiasts, and increased viral marketing for property sellers and agents.
CarAdvice Acquires CarBuddy
CarAdvice has acquired the carbuddy.com.au business from Jumbuck Entertainment.
Founded in 2006, CarAdvice.com.au is a leading Australian motoring editorial site offering thousands of new car reviews and news. In May this year, the site was visited a total of 772,000 times(1) by over 500,000 visitors(1).
The acquisition of CarBuddy immediately adds 38,000 new and used car listings to CarAdvice’s existing free classifieds offering launched earlier this year. In addition, the Carbuddy.com.au site had 195,000 visits(1) in May, strengthening the CarAdvice groups market presence to a combined 967,000 visits.
Commenting on the acquisition, CarAdvice Chief Executive Officer David Holmes said, “The acquisition of CarBuddy is a natural extension for our business. CarBuddy fast tracks our free classifieds model, improves our offering for dealers and private sellers, and compliments our strong editorial position.”
“In the United States the main competition to the top paid automotive site, AutoTrader, now comes from free alternatives such as Craigslist and Kijiji. We believe this trend will also occur in Australia and CarBuddy.com.au has the potential to become an alternative to top paid auto sites, Carsales.com.au, Drive.com.au and Carsguide.com.au” said Holmes.
CarAdvice has also strengthened its management team with the announcement last week that ex-CarSales General Manager of Media Sales, Justin Whelan, has joined the company as GM Sales and Marketing.
REA Group Senior IT Manager Joins IPGA as CIO
IPGA Ltd (ASX: IPP), the owner of Asia’s No. 1 network of property portal sites under the iProperty umbrella brand (www.iproperty.com), today announced that Andrew Kelk will join the group as Chief Information Officer (CIO). Andrew is currently a member of the Senior Leadership Team at the REA Group and was recently made responsible for the delivery of customer products for the REA Group flagship site ‘realestate.com.au’. Prior to that Andrew was the REA Group Lead Software Developer. Andrew will bring significant experience in the development of online businesses in the real estate segment and will add knowledge and innovation to IPGA’s current IT operations.
“To have Andrew join as CIO is a real win for the business. I have worked with Andrew before and was thrilled when he agreed to make the move. He has a fantastic track record of delivering innovative IT solutions to Real Estate agents and people using real estate websites. Andrew has also worked in Asia so we could not have hoped for a better fit as our business continues to grow in our core markets of Singapore, Hong Kong and Malaysia. Along with a number of other recent appointments, Andrew further strengthens our senior management team’s skills, capabilities and leadership” said Shaun Di Gregorio, Chief Executive Officer of IPGA Ltd.
“We have a commitment to innovation right across the business and Andrew will provide that focus in our IT operations as we grow our market leading positions in Malaysia, Hong Kong and Singapore. Andrew’s experience will certainly aid IPGA in achieving our goals” commented Di Gregorio
Andrew Kelk commented, “I am thrilled to be joining IPGA as Chief Information Officer. The business has a very clear strategy and I look forward to supporting that with the IT operations. There is a real commitment to innovation so it’s exciting to be joining a business that is growing rapidly and is focused on such a dynamic region”
The appointment of Andrew Kelk follows the appointment of the former REA Group General Manager, Shaun Di Gregorio, as CEO of IPGA Ltd in January 2009.
Former Fairfax Media Commercial Strategy Director Joins IPGA
IPGA Ltd (ASX: IPP), the owner of Asia’s No. 1 network of property portal sites under the iProperty umbrella brand (www.iproperty.com), today announced that Glenn Thompson has joined as Country Manager for the Singapore business ‘iProperty.com.sg’. Glenn was most recently the Commercial Strategy Director at Fairfax Media (ASX: FXJ) from 2008 until 2010 and also held the roles of Classified Advertising Director and General Manager of Employment and Government while at Fairfax Media. Glenn will bring significant experience in sales, marketing and strategy within a media business and adds significant leadership and expertise to iProperty.com.sg.
“We are very excited that Glenn has agreed to join as Country Manager for our Singapore business ‘iProperty.com.sg’. Glenn is very highly regarded in the Media industry and has had vast experience in the online arena. Glenn is further evidence of our commitment to developing our Senior Management team and his appointment will be a tremendous boost for the Singapore business. Glenn was an integral part of the team at Fairfax Media and we look forward to him providing a real boost to the growth of our Singapore business.” said Shaun Di Gregorio, Chief Executive Officer of IPGA Ltd.
“iProperty has established leading positions in Malaysia, Hong Kong and Singapore. We believe that these markets are poised to replicate the tremendous growth experienced in the more mature Australian and UK markets. Glenn’s experience will certainly aid IPGA in achieving our goals” commented Di Gregorio
Glenn Thompson commented, “I am delighted to be joining IPGA as Country Manager of the Singapore business ‘iProperty.com.sg’. Singapore is an exciting market and we have a great opportunity to further develop and grow our market leadership position. The team has done a great job and I am determined to build on that platform and deliver a clear market leader”
The appointment of Glenn Thompson follows the appointment of the former REA Group General Manager, Shaun Di Gregorio, as CEO of IPGA Ltd in January 2009.
QuickFlix Looking for Business Development Manager
QuickFlix, the leader in online DVD rental, is looking for a business development manager to work in its consumer marketing team. This is a great opportunity to be part of the future and to work for a smart and innovative business. Here are the details:
http://www.seek.com.au/users/apply/index.ascx?Sequence=94&PageNumber=1&jobid=17344787
iProperty Gets Good Coverage on CNBC
iProperty (ASX:IPP) received good coverage on CNBC. Simon Bond, private client advisor at RBS Morgans, mentioned IPGA and Origin Energy as two stocks to watch. Check it out on this link at the 3:20 min mark.
Quickflix Launches iPhone App for Movie Lovers on the Go
Quickflix Limited (ASX:QFX) Australia’s leading online DVD rental and movie subscription company, today announced the launch of its new iPhone app heralding a new era of convenience in selecting movie and TV shows from Australia’s largest online DVD & Blu-ray library.
The million Australians who are estimated to own an Apple iPhone can now download the Quickflix iPhone app for free from the Apple iTunes App Store. Consumers without an iPhone have not been overlooked. Visitors accessing Quickflix through a web enabled phone will automatically be directed to the new mobile version of its popular website for an optimal browsing experience.
Quickflix CTO & head of product development Tim Parsons, commenting on the launch said “We know from surveying our subscribers that 80 per cent of those who own an iPhone want to use it for searching and browsing the Quickflix movie database and selecting titles to add to their personalised viewing Queue. We’ve launched the new iPhone app to satisfy that demand and make the Quickflix service as convenient as possible.”
“The Quickflix website already supports close to 50,000 subscribers who add over 200,000 movies and TV shows to their playlist every month. Our new iPhone app and mobile site are part of our commitment to product innovation which includes mobile content platforms, integration with social networking sites such as facebook, and future video-on-demand services through IP devices.”
Founder and Executive Chairman of Quickflix, Stephen Langsford said the new iPhone app makes Quickflix’s massive range of movies and TV shows even more accessible for movie lovers.
“Next time you’re reading a movie review on the bus on the way to work or watching a preview of an upcoming movie at the cinema you can now instantly Queue that up through your iPhone or mobile web browser and Quickflix will deliver it to you.”
