Huffington Post set for Australian launch

June 23, 2011 3:36

Online commentary behemoth The Huffington Post is set to launch in Australia, it has emerged at the Cannes Lions.

Speaking to a conference session, founder Arianna Huffington said that the site – seen as the world’s most influential blog – will roll out to the UK, followed by France, Latin America, India and Australia.

Huffington sold the site to AOL earlier this year for a reported US$315m.

Assuming the launch does occur, it will mark a return to Australia for AOL which effectively retreated from the country during the GFC.

The Huffington Post was launched in 2005. It features a mixture of content by volunteer bloggers, high profile personalities and a small team of staff writers.

The closest example to the site in Australia is News Ltd’s commentary site The Punch which launched in 2009.

Tim Burrowes

Tim Burrowes founded Mumbrella in 2008. He worked on Mumbrella until 2021. At various points he was editor, content director and editor-at-large. He now writes industry newsletter Unmade - subscribe at unmade.media

topics AOL Cannes Huffington Post Lions

Comments: 12

Freckle 23 Jun 11

Interesting movements. Did mention approx timings for launches?

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mumbrella 23 Jun 11

No – it was something of a throwaway comment.
Cheers,
Tim – Mumbrella

Freckle 23 Jun 11

Thanks for posting the report then, as said, I found it interesting. I hope your enjoying the South of France and it’s not all work.

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Duplo 23 Jun 11

Closest local example is The Punch?
I would say Crikey.
But then, that’s not even very close as I regularly use HuffPo for breaking news and political commentary, even sports. The Punch, to me, feels like journos blowing off steam.

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carrob 23 Jun 11

I wonder how many free contributors she will get after stiffing the many hundreds of volunteers in the US that made the site what it is? The campers in the US weren’t that happy to find out that they weren’t getting anything from the $300m that Arianna received.

A bit like Mumbrella really. eh Tim?

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Freckle 23 Jun 11

@carrob There is an interesting opinion article by Darren Woolley on “Ideas for Free”. Comments would be classed as your IP – How much do you want for your comments? Good debate on the ethics behind it. I would take care on cashing in for comments.

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Senexx 23 Jun 11

I’m not a big mumbrella reader but I read a few of your other related sites but I note the comment says “rollout in UK, followed by France…” and then others suggests its a long way way away to me.

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carrob 23 Jun 11

@Freckle Just winding Tim up. But there is a principle involved in user generated content and just who owns that IP. After all, I (Like I suspect many mumbrella readers) read mumbrella as much as for what Tim has to say as the conversation around the article. Not that Tim would choose an article that was controversial or in any way agitated his readers to comment on it…..

That is what makes mumbrella more interesting than (say) ad news.

The point here is that succesful websites have that level of engagement and passion around what largely amounts to user generated content. But it is ephemeral. And when you sell these media properties you run the risk of raising the ire of the very users who allowed you to get the valuation and hence price in a deal. This is what has happened in the US. Even Bill Maher semi jokingly quizzed Arianna on his show about when he would be receiving his cut from the $300m. Arianna was as uncomfortable as I have ever seen her.

Drawing a long bow here obv, but Tim gets a lot (if not all) his content for free. Unless of course those guest postings are paid for (suspect not). And not critisising it here either. In a B2B context, people who write “guest posts” for Mumbrella are pushing a barrow as well so it’s mutually beneficial. In a consumer publishing context it is different.

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Logic 23 Jun 11

Sounds like a flippant comment. AOL doesn’t have the cash to indulge in trying to create a site like HuffPo in a market that won’t warm to it.

Everyone talks big at conferences.

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Freckle 23 Jun 11

@carrob Well said. Love it.

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David Higgins 23 Jun 11

AOL has withdrawn from Australia more than once… They first launched their ISP here back in the dot com days and burned through $50 million before withdrawing.

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Russ 24 Jun 11

Just What australia needs. Another blog spreading unfactual, unresearched journalism of the kind I wouldn’t wipe my arse with. Next Jenny McCarthy will be reading the 6 o’clock news.

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