Web Media holding (WebMediaGroup)

Web Media holding - the Russian company integrating online projects in the field of information and entertainments. Works since January, 2007.

Assets

• till November, 2014 Zoomby.ru
• Menu.ru
• Inout.ru
• Weekend.ru
• Credit.ru
• Bank.ru
• Tinza! - social network for teenagers (before Looky.ru)
• Photosight.ru
• Credit.ru
• Medsputnik.ru
• Dostavka.ru

The total audience of projects makes about 150 thousand visitors a week

History

Kalugin Sergey Borisovich - owns a controlling stake and is the CEO. Other co-owners of holding, as well as the amount spent for acquisition of assets on the Internet, mister Kalugin does not call, adding that in total the amount of investments "is much higher than $10 million". Belongs to owners of holding not less controlling stake in all projects which it integrates. Mister Kalugin is going to monetize services "Web Media of Holding" at the expense of contextual advertizing and a subscription fee.

2013

In May, 2013 WebMediaGroup attracted $10 million from Leader-innovatsii fund (shareholders — the Russian venture capital company, Gazprombank and SIBUR Holding), Gazprombank and founders of holding. Kalugin said that he did not take part in this round.

In October, 2013 it became known that the president of Rostelecom Sergey Kalugin completely leaves the capital of WebMediaGroup media holding which co-founder he is, Interfax reported and the representative of WebMediaGroup Maria Bagdasaryan confirmed. According to her, the transaction will be closed in November, 2013. Including packet size and the buyer, she refused to open other parts. According to Interfax, Kalugin owned 25% of the company. According to him, the share in WebMediaGroup is sold also by her former managing director Maria Florentyeva working now as the vice president of Rostelecom. Bagdasaryan did not begin to comment on it.

Kalugin explained sale with desire to avoid possible suspicions of a conflict of interest, Rostelecom develops media business too — based on video service of Zabava.ru. Meanwhile the business model of Zabava.ru causes complaints in Kalugin, two former managers of Rostelecom know. According to them, he considers that instead of sale of content it is necessary to develop advertizing model on which Zoomby.ru — the capital media asset of WebMediaGroup just works. At the beginning of October, 2013 Kalugin told Kommersant what to Rostelecom would be reasonable to be purchased content aggregator with the library of the rights — video service like ivi.ru.

The source in the Internet company heard that shareholders of Zoomby looked for the buyer long ago: the current shareholders — Gazprombank and VGTRK were not ready neither to leave the project until recently, nor to invest in it in addition therefore the company looked for the new strategic investor. That owners of Zoomby looked for the investor and, in particular, came to Rambler, the former manager of Rostelecom knows. The representative of Rambler does not comment on it.

The structures related to Yury Kovalchuk which are already owning shares in WebMediaGroup can become the buyer of a share of Kalugin in WebMediaGroup: Gazprombank or "Leading innovations", the former managers of Rostelecom and the owner of the competitor of Zoomby consider. It will be logical if eventually the asset appears in Rostelecom, they say: in the new strategy of the operator the emphasis will be placed on development of the fixed broadband access in the Internet and content.

When Kalugin came to work to Rostelecom, the question of a conflict of interest separately made a reservation with it, the official of one of profile departments knows. Therefore WebMediaGroup or Zoomby.ru will be hardly sold to Rostelecom, even through the intermediary. Really, Rostelecom never worked with WebMediaGroup companies, the former manager of Rostelecom^[1] says^[1].

Notes