Russia’s largest social network delays IPO following Facebook jitters
The circus around Facebook’s juddery IPO has rolled into Moscow. The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Russia’s largest social network Vkontakte has postponed its IPO as a result of Facebook’s...
View ArticleRussian parliament approves controversial web censorship bill
The Russian parliament has approved a bill which will allow the government to shut down websites hosting content they deemed “harmful.” If signed into law, it will see the creation of a system to...
View ArticleReligious hardliners request Russian Facebook ban
Things are not looking good for online freedom in Russia. First the country’s parliament approved a controversial web censorship bill and now religious hardliners want to ban Facebook. According to...
View ArticleRussia’s Yandex joins the browser wars
Yandex owns the Russian search market and now it’s looking to stake a claim in the browser wars. The company today announced the launch of its own browser, simply called Yandex browser. “Cloud-based...
View ArticleSo much for mobile in emerging markets? InMobi pulls out of Africa, Russia
Multi-national mobile ad network InMobi is set to close up its operations in Africa and Russia. The San Francisco headquartered company claims to be the world’s largest independent mobile ad network,...
View ArticleRussia’s Mail.ru set to go global with My.com
When it comes to online names in Russia, you don’t get much bigger than Mail.ru. Now the company is looking to expand its global presence with My.com Given that it already owns 90% of Russia’s...
View ArticleOpera launches streaming music service in Russia
Norwegian software outfit Opera has announced the launch of a streaming music service in Russia — one of the markets where its mobile browser performs best. The idea behind the product, called...
View ArticleRussia’s Mail.ru to end its search partnership with Google come 2013
It seems that Russian internet group Mail.ru plans to go it alone in the new year. Its front page search is currently partially powered by Google, but sources have confirmed to Russian site Izvestia...
View ArticleEmerging markets, ecommerce give Naspers big revenue boost
Emerging markets internet and media giant Naspers has announced revenues of R23-billion (US$2.6-billion) for the six months leading up to 30 September. That represents a 22% increase over the previous...
View ArticleSA broadband doubles in two years as mobile data costs plummet
In any emerging market country, getting people online is vital. Studies by the likes of Ericsson have concluded that for every 10 percentage point increase in broadband penetration GDP increases by one...
View ArticleThirsty? Feeling malevolent toward pigs? Grab an Angry Birds soda
If you live in Russia, Australia, New Zealand and Spain, then you can now quench your thirst with a can of Angry Birds soda. The beverage, already a smash hit in Rovio’s native Finland, is also set to...
View ArticleDefying Facebook: which emerging market social networks will stand tall?
Social networking stalwart Facebook claims one-billion users. That’s around a seventh of the population of the planet. Sometimes it’s easy to believe the internet is comprised solely of Google,...
View ArticleRussia emerges as mobile ad powerhouse as Android keeps growing
The latest State of Mobile Advertising report from Norwegian web browser maker Opera shows a couple of interesting trends, including the emergence of Russia as a mobile advertising power and the...
View ArticleRussia’s Yandex on the up and up: 42% profit increase in 2012
Things are looking good for Russian search and internet services giant Yandex. The company, which controls around 60% of Russia’s search market, posted some seriously solid financial results for 2012....
View ArticleYandex’s new idea for search: take action from the results page
Russian search giant Yandex might not be all that well-known in the West, but unlike many emerging market clones, it’s capable of more than just copying Google. The latest innovation from Yandex is a...
View ArticleWhat on-demand TV needs to work in emerging markets
Of the hundreds of channels from your cable or satellite provider, how many do you actually watch? I watch 21. On an exam, that would be a definitive fail. Variety is used to mask overpricing, and we...
View ArticleMail.ru abandons Google, goes it alone with search engine
Russian internet giant Mail.ru has announced that it’s officially dropping Google and will now handle all search queries made by Search Mail.Ru users. The search engine is the third largest in Russia...
View ArticleRussia pushing for tighter net control thanks to Snowden
“I don’t want to live in a world where there is no privacy and therefore no room for intellectual exploration and creativity,” said former NSA employee Edward Snowden in an interview with The Guardian....
View Article9 huge investments Koos Bekker could make if he cashed in his Naspers shares
Here at Memeburn we have massive respect for Naspers CEO Koos Bekker. Aside from the fact that he heads up a multi-billion dollar media company with investments around the globe, he clearly understands...
View ArticleOn Her Majesty’s cyber service: UK spends big on online army
The UK is looking to seriously bolster its cyber army with the recruitment of hundreds of experts into what will be called a “Joint Cyber Reserve”. According to Reuters, the unit will concentrate on...
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