Bix (website)
{{notability|Companies|date=November 2016}}
{{for|BYTE magazine's online service|Byte Information Exchange}}
{{Infobox company
| name = Bix, Inc.
| logo =
| fate = Discontinued
| successor =
| foundation = {{start date and age|2006|2}}
| location = Sunnyvale, California, U.S.
| industry = Internet, Software, & Music
| key_people = Stewart Bonn
Echeyde Cubillo
Jeff Cordova
Leonard Speiser
Mike Speiser (co-founders)
| products = Online video karaoke recorder and contest website
| num_employees = 12
| parent = Yahoo
| subsid =
| website = [http://bix.yahoo.com]
}}
Bix was a web service that was best known for its online competitions.{{cite magazine | last=Buechner | first=Maryanne Murray | title=50 Best Websites 2007: Bix | magazine=Time | date=July 8, 2007 | url=https://content.time.com/time/specials/2007/0,28757,1633488,00.html | access-date=November 7, 2016}} The site provided self-service tools for the creation of contests. After a user created the contest, other members could enter and vote on the outcome of those contests. The company was founded in February 2006 and received venture funding from Trinity Ventures and Sutter Hill Ventures.
History
The website officially launched in July 2006{{cite web|title=Techcrunch covers Bix launch|url=https://techcrunch.com/2006/07/17/bix-sees-green-in-online-contests/|publisher=Techcrunch|accessdate=2006-07-17}} with a web-based video recorder that merged a user's karaoke performance to create a contest entry. The site received strong praise from industry experts including Walt Mossberg of the WSJ.{{cite web|title=WSJ Walt Mossberg reviews product|url=https://techcrunch.com/2006/11/16/yahoo-acquires-contest-site-bix/|publisher=WSJ|accessdate=2006-11-16}} Within a few months the site opened up contests for audio karaoke, videos, photos and text. In November 2006 the site switched to a faceoff style voting system, increasing votes from 5000 a day to 150,000 a day. Site votes reached as much as 1,000,000 in a day in 2007. Users voted 25 times per visit on average.
Bix's competitors included Singshot (discontinued) and Worth1000.
Yahoo! acquisition
Yahoo! acquired Bix on November 16, 2006.{{cite web|url=http://yhoo.client.shareholder.com/press/timeline.cfm |title=Yahoo! Inc. - Company Timeline |work=Wayback Machine |date=2008-07-13 |accessdate=2016-07-19 |url-status=bot: unknown |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080713214826/http://yhoo.client.shareholder.com/press/timeline.cfm |archivedate=2008-07-13 }}{{cite web|title=Techcrunch covers Yahoo acquisition of Bix|url=
https://techcrunch.com/2006/11/16/yahoo-acquires-contest-site-bix/|publisher=Techcrunch|accessdate=2006-07-17}} The company moved from downtown Palo Alto to Yahoo's main campus in March 2007. Bix generated revenue by running contests for corporate clients. Customers included Extra (TV series), Black Entertainment Television, The Game,{{cite web|title=Rapper The Game partners with Bix|url=http://www.hiphoppress.com/2006/10/hiphop_star_the.html|publisher=HipHopPress|accessdate=2006-10-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061102141208/http://www.hiphoppress.com/2006/10/hiphop_star_the.html|archive-date=2006-11-02|url-status=dead}} Capitol Records and Electronic Arts.
Bix was shut down by Yahoo June 30, 2009.{{cite web|title=Yahoo Shuts Bix Down. Did Anyone Notice?|date=4 August 2009 |url=https://techcrunch.com/2009/08/04/yahoo-shut-bix-down-did-anyone-notice-when/|publisher=TechCrunch|accessdate=2010-01-29}}
Patents for Bix
- Automated Reward Management for Network-Based Contests{{cite web|title=Automated Reward Management for Network-Based Contests|url=https://patents.google.com/patent/US20070244749
|access-date=2006-04-17}}
- Network Based Content Creation{{cite web|title=Network Based Content Creation|url=https://patents.google.com/patent/US20070244570
|access-date=2006-04-17}}
- Automated Administration of Networked-Based Contests{{cite web|title=Automated Administration of Networked-Based Contests|url=https://patents.google.com/patent/US20070244585
|access-date=2006-04-17}}
References
{{reflist|30em}}
Further reading
- [https://books.google.com/books?id=ugYSRiInQL0C&pg=PA339 Automata, Languages and Programming]. pp. 339– . {{subscription required}}
- Bruno, Antony (August 2009). [https://books.google.com/books?id=BKrMkpe3hGgC&dq=%22Bix%22+yahoo%21&pg=PT7 "Check the Mic"]. Billboard.
Category:American entertainment websites
Category:Discontinued Yahoo! services
Category:Internet properties disestablished in 2009