TechCrunch AOL Deal Reported At $30 Million: Zennie62 Scores

TechCrunch's Michael Arrington Scores With AOL

AOL's acquisition of the blog and media company TechCrunch is, according to a number of sources including Ad Age, valued at just north of $30 million. That means the post written in this space calling the value of TechCrunch at $30 million was correct.

It's too bad the TechCrunch deal's not getting more attention outside of the tech and advertising media community, because it's a milestone development that should signal just how important blogs have become as part of the New Media environment that's developed over the past five years, the life of TechCrunch.

Blogs Have Become Acquisition Targets

TechCrunch's $30 million sale brings an estimated 7 million monthly unique visitors to AOL. Gawker Media, the network including blogs like Jezebel and Gawker, is three times larger than TechCrunch in traffic size, but without the conferences. Thus, this blogger pegs Gawker's value at roughly $70 million.

Gawker has achieved the point of size where it's buying other websites. In February, it purchased the NewYork blog and directory CityFile, it's first acquisition.

PerezHilton.com is not a network but a single blog site who's estimated value has been as high as $48 million in 2009 and $20 million in 2010.  The last reported deal proposed for Perez' site, which generates  an estimated 8 million monthly unique visitors, while at $20 million, is undervalued when the TechCrunch deal is considered (and Duncan Riley at Inquistr has a great post on this subject).  Fortunately, that deal did not go through.

TechCrunch To AOL Is A New Day

In the wake of the TechCrunch deal, watch for more blogs to network, increase their traffic, and form whole companies around their platforms in the future.  Blogs are now firmly at the center of the media landscape, signaling a new day.