Bebo may exit Australia after failure to dent Facebook’s dominance
Bebo, the AOL-owned social networking site, is reviewing its Australian operations which could lead to its closure, after failing in its fight against Facebook.
The company has told Mumbrella that it has laid off staff and is currently “exploring the possibility of centralising” a number of its business operations. However, it could not confirm at this stage if it would close its Australian operation altogether.
According to a Sydney Morning Herald report today it could leave before Christmas.
In a further response, Bebo said the company’s head of global operations Stephane Panier is leading the strategic review.
“As part of this process he is doing deep dives on all aspects of the business as well as meeting with employees across Bebo. Whilst Stephane and the leadership team are making progress on the new strategy, we have not announced that new strategy yet,” the company said.
AOL recently announced around 100 redundancies across its group, including Bebo, as part of its ongoing move to streamline its organisations.
Nielsen figures reveal that in October Australians spent 27.2 hours browsing online, with 7.55 hours of that total dedicated to Facebook.
In Australia, Bebo is headed by Francisco Cordero.
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