ITV sells Friends Reunited at £145m loss

My Account
Logout

Create an Evening Standard Account

Use your social network

Save time by using your existing account to sign in to Evening Standard

We'll never share your information or post anything to your account without your permission

Welcome! Sign in here

Use your social network

Save time by using your existing account to sign in to Evening Standard

We'll never share your information or post anything to your account without your permission

Forgot your password ?

Registration

* indicates fields that are mandatory

Email *

Password *

Confirm Password *

First name *

Surname *

Postcode *

Country *

Mobile phone number

Username *

Gender *

Year of birth *

When you sign up...

You will have access to all our online competitions, discounted offers and can post comments on our site.

You will also receive The Weekender newsletter sent every Thursday - it’s full of fantastic offers and ideas for the weekend. You can update your email preferences in your account page when you log in.

Other newsletters and emails

Homes & Property Newsletter - Yes I want to receive the weekly email with all the latest news on property in the capital

Occasionally we would also like to send you relevant emails detailing specific offers either from ourselves or carefully selected partners. If you would prefer not to receive these then please tick the appropriate boxes below. We will never pass on your details.

I do not want to receive additional offers and information from the Evening Standard

I do not want to receive additional offers and information sent by Evening Standard on behalf of carefully selected partners

Terms and Conditions

* I have read, understood and agree to be bound by the terms and conditions of Evening Standard

Registration

Mail Sent for Registration Confirmation.

A confirmation email has been sent. Please activate your account by clicking on the activation link sent in your mail box.

The struggling broadcaster offloaded the social network to publisher DC Thomson which already owns family history website FindMyPast.com.

DC Thomson plans to combine the website with Genes Reunited which was set up by Friends Reunited in 2003 and has more than nine million members worldwide. The deal creates the biggest family history website in Britain.

ITV today reported losses of £105 million for the first six months of the year as advertising revenues slumped.

DC Thomson has been publishing The Dandy since 1937 and The Beano since 1938. Its family history business has thrived since the creation of FindMyPast.com and genealogy is now one of the most popular hobbies thanks to an explosion of information on the internet and TV shows such as Who Do You Think You Are. FindMyPast.com operates the official 1901 and 1911 census websites.

Chris van der Kuyl, of Brightsolid, the DC Thomson subsidiary behind FindMyPast.com, said: "We are delighted with the deal. Friends Reunited is such an incredibly strong brand and Genes Reunited is one of the most recognised family history brands in the country.

"We see the acquisition as an exciting opportunity to provide new focus for and build on the Friends Reunited brands. These brands attract over three million unique users per month." Friends Reunited was launched in 2000 by Steve and Julie Pankhurst to put old school friends back in touch with each other.

ITV paid £170 million for it in 2005 but it struggled to retain members because it charged for access and faced competition from MySpace, Facebook and Bebo. Friends Reunited dropped its subscription charges in May last year and still has 20.6 million members.