eBay buys Skype

Reuters has the news: eBay buys Skype. That means I now have an investment in Skype. Yeehaaa :) The total value of the deal is $4.1 billion while a part of this is paid only in 2008/9 dependent on reaching some revenue targets. Paud Kedrosky seems to be one of the first to find it and I just got it via Ben Barren. He says this comes in at 40 times revenue for this year. A Conference Call is going on soon and more information is here.

That press release holds in information why this is _VERY_ important:

_The acquisition also enables eBay and Skype to pursue entirely new lines of business. For example, in addition to eBay’s current transaction-based fees, ecommerce communications could be monetized on a pay-per-call basis through Skype. Pay-per-call communications opens up new categories of ecommerce, especially for those sectors that depend on a lead-generation model such as personal and business services, travel, new cars, and real estate. eBay’s other shopping websites — Shopping.com, Rent.com, Marktplaats.nl and Kijiji – can also benefit from the integration of Skype._

‘Nuff said.