USA Networks merger - what went wrong?
The right deals, smart acquisitions, savvy branding - that was the reputation Davis had built for Lycos by the beginning of 1999. It all makes the USA Networks episode all the more fascinating.
On paper, the merger made some sense. USA Networks had the 'old world' attributes of a 10 million television audience used to shopping over the phone, a 20 million credit card base with its Ticketmaster service, a call center able to handle 100 million inquiries a year, and a large distribution network. Add in the 30 million visitors to Lycos, and to Davis and Diller the cross-fertilization benefits were obvious. It appeared a match made in heaven.
Except the context was a little more complex than that. USA's foray ...
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