The nation's Internet advertising market is rebounding, with major Internet portals Yahoo-Kimo (
"We have seen a significant jump in our ad sales in the first half," Maureen Wu (
The US-based venture estimates that more than 80 percent of its sales this year will come from advertising.
Local player Yam.com also said the nation's Internet market is gradually recovering from last year's severe downturn in ad spending.
"For the first half of this year, our advertising sales jumped 20 percent over last year and the outlook is promising," Chen Jen-ran (
Chen said advertising would account for up to 60 percent -- or NT$300 million -- of Yam's sales this year.
A market researcher the Market Intelligent Center (MIC,
"We estimate that this year Taiwan's Internet advertising market may hit NT$1.1 billion -- a 34 percent jump over last year's NT$830 million," analyst Chen Jia-shien (
Of that amount, more than 80 percent of sales are expected to be generated at portal sites.
Chen said Web ad sales were recovering in step with the economy. "Companies are more willing to spend on marketing when their business outlook is good," the researcher said.
In addition, with an increasing number of users using high-speed Internet connections such as ADSL, Web ads that employ multimedia features are becoming more attractive to advertisers, Chen said.
Over the next year or two, Web advertising will continue to remain a major source of income for Internet portals, he said.
Meanwhile, local Internet portal PC Home Online (網路家庭) announced Tuesday that it will call off plans to charge for its e-mail service.
"Starting from Aug. 5, each PC Home user can have 10 megabytes of space for e-mail for free," said Vicky Tseng (
MIC's Chen said he wasn't surprised by PC Home's move. The researcher said the higher traffic resulting from the free e-mail service would make the Web portal more attractive to clients.
"Accessing e-mail is the most common activity for Internet users," Chen said. "Free e-mail has become a `must' service the public expects portal sites to offer."
According to NetValue, a Internet research center, more than 70 percent of Taiwanese have e-mail accounts. Each user receives or sends an average of 71.6 e-mails per month.
Major Internet portals such as Yahoo-Kimo, Yam.com, Sina.com (
Tseng said PC Home estimates that about 40 percent of its sales this year will come from selling Web advertising, while the remainder will come from e-commerce.
"Of course, we'd like to boost our advertising sales, since this sector's profit margins are higher compared to online shopping sales," she said.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) has approved a capital budget of US$31.28 billion for production expansion to meet long-term development needs during the artificial intelligence (AI) boom. The company’s board meeting yesterday approved the capital appropriation plan for purposes such as the installation of advanced technology capacity and fab construction, the world’s largest contract chipmaker said in a statement. At an earnings conference last month, TSMC forecast that its capital expenditure for this year would be at the higher end of the US$52 billion to US$56 billion range it forecast in January in response to robust demand for 5G, AI and
NEW MARKET: The partnership opens up India to the Dutch company, which already has a strong hold in the semiconductor market of South Korea, Taiwan and China ASML Holding NV entered into a partnership agreement with Tata Electronics Pvt Ltd aimed at ramping up India’s goal to develop domestic chip-manufacturing capabilities. The Dutch company’s technology would help power Tata Electronics’ planned 300 millimeter (mm) semiconductor foundry in Gujarat, according to a joint statement from the two companies on Saturday. The signing of a memorandum of understanding coincides with a visit by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the Netherlands, which is looking to deepen bilateral relations with New Delhi. ASML, whose top customers include Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (台積電) and Samsung Electronics Co, makes lithography machines that can print
PORTFOLIO REBALANCING: The adjustments in three global equity indices reflect rising investor appetite for semiconductor and artificial intelligence-related stocks Taiwan’s weighting in major global equity indices compiled by MSCI Inc is to rise modestly following the latest quarterly review, underscoring the market’s expanding role in emerging-market portfolios, as global investors continue to favor the nation’s technology sector. Taiwan’s weighting in the MSCI Emerging Markets Index is to increase by 0.30 percentage points to 23.76 percent, after the changes take effect at the close of the May 29 session. Its weighting in the MSCI All-Country Asia ex-Japan Index is to rise 0.37 percentage points to 27.16 percent, while that in the MSCI All Country World Index is to edge up slightly to
The Hsinchu County Government’s Labor Affairs Department yesterday said that it has received a plan from cosmetics brand Taiwan Shiseido Co (台灣資生堂) detailing mass layoffs at its plant in Hukou Township (湖口). While the labor authorities did not disclose the number of employees to be laid off, Japanese news media earlier in the day reported that the closure of the company’s factory in Hukou would result in 170 employees losing their jobs. Shiseido followed the law by reporting its layoff plan, the department said, adding that authorities would closely monitor negotiations between the management and affected employees and step in if any
RSS