Three candidates for new giant in internet business

They did not have big names like Google or Yahoo. But, they claim to now have been playing in the same league.

They are DST, Naspers and Tencent. Digital Sky Technologies ( DST ) is a site visited by 70 per cent of total Russian-speaking internet visitors. Naspers is the largest media groups in Africa, both print and online.

Tencent is internet company with the largest market capitalization in China and third largest in the world.

Now, as written in The Economist, July 8, 2010, these companies are beginning to show their prowess in many countries. They have invested in dozens of internet companies around the world.

The most surprising of the three candidates for the new giant is

DST. This company has been expanding into the West and pay dearly to buy shares in American companies that grew very fast, Facebook, the world's largest social networking.

The story was indeed the beginning of three different companies. DST was created in 2005 by two Russian internet investor, ie, Yuri Milner and Gregory Finger, through mail.ru, Russian web portals. Now, these companies control many prominent sites in Russia. In fact, has invited other investor are involved as owners, such as Goldman Sachs and Alisher Usmanov, the Russian billionaire who hold 27 percent shares.

Based in Cape Town, Naspers nearly 100 years old is the publisher of the daily Sun, the largest newspaper in South Africa. Now, Naspers is the most ambitious companies enter the online business. Although sales reached US $ 3.6 billion this year until March of print media and television subscription, Naspers is now aggressively buying online company.

Tencent fro Shenzhen, near Hong Kong. Founded in 1998, this company has achieved revenues of US $ 1.8 billion in 2009. Although famous for its QQ, a popular instant messaging service with 567 million subscribers, Tencent earn huge profits from online games and virtual money, called the Q coin. Users use real money to buy and play with digital devices.

Although different, they are now in a block. Naspers has a part share in mail.ru and became early investors in Tencent, now owns 35 percent shares. On April Tencent US $ 3 billion. Meanwhile, the internet division of Naspers Tencent interested in India.

More than that, they have the same mission : hunt down internet companies in other countries where Western investors do not dare touch. DST control of Russia and neighboring countries, including social networks like VKontakte.ru and Nasza-Klasa.pl.

Naspers has the largest portfolio of internet companies in developing countries, such as in Brazil ( BuscaPe, shopping sites), India ( ibibo, social networking ) and in South Africa ( 24.com, portals ).

Tencent far the most cautious of the three. In addition to investing in the DST, Tencent has a minority stake in a number of online gaming companies, like Vinagame in Vietnam.

source : vivanews.com