Sohu Reports Fivefold Profit Growth
In recently years, Sohu.com Inc, the Chinese Web portal, has initiated its Olympic marketing strategy and became the official internet content sponsor for the Beijing Olympics in 2005. To avid fluctuations on the market, it has also been endeavoring to make revenue outside the online advertising sector.
Recently Sohu posted a nearly fivefold profit growth in its quarterly result, which is attributed to its sponsorship of the upcoming Olympics in Beijing and the success of an online role-playing game that it introduced last May.
Sohu’s revenue in the first quarter ended last month grew 156% to $84.8 million, while profit surged 383% to $21.6 million. Revenue from brand advertising reached $33.2 million, up 41% on a yearly basis while online game revenue increased 24 times to $41 million, boosting the company’s non-advertising revenue by 570% to $50.1 million.
A new report by Goldman Sachs indicates that the Beijng Olympics is expected to create an additional $65 million in terms of online advertising revenue for Chinese Internet companies, mainly from Olympic global partners like Samsung and Adidas that have been vigorously exploring the Chinese market.
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