Shit just got real.
ListHub, a subsidary of MOVE, Inc now owned by Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp just announced that starting in April they will stop sending listings to Zillow. Now this could just be a lot of saber rattling. But me thinks it might be real.
The topic/idea/theory of ListHub shutting down feeds to Zillow may seem familiar to Vendor Alley readers.
Back at the NAR Midyear meetings I got a chance to interview Steve Berkowitz, then CEO of MOVE. He stated that it would be “batshit crazy” to shut down ListHub to spite realtor.com competitors.
I guess Rupert Murdoch has been called worse. 2015 is starting off with a bang!
Inman News has an excelent post on this story so quit being a cheapskate and get a Select membership already!
This was a foregone conclusion when MOVE purchased the syndication asset from Point2. Tonto…you and I discussed it at some airport over a year ago. Again, it should come as no surprise to anyone who has followed this saga.
Does this end with Zillow (and presumably Trulia)? As Saul points out, this was a no-brainer. But is this a move specifically targeted at their largest portal competitor, or is this precursor to a larger movement to wind down listings feeds to all third party websites? If Move doesn’t want competition for Z/T, why would they want it from any of the hundreds of sites powered by LH?
Shit just got real! What an interesting year 2015 will be.
@Jonathan In the context of this story its about the agreement between Zillow and ListHub. It actually Zillow that is saying they are not renewing. So as other contracts come up we will have to see if MOVE plays nice or takes the hard line.
Great point Jonathan. I too believe that this more than an isolated incident. This is presents opportunities as well as threats. MOVE has a plan, rest assured. If anyone is thinking about signing any three year data contracts, you need to think again. Don’t give away the store just because you don’t know the value of what is inside the store.
Great point Jonathan. I too believe that this is more than an isolated incident. This is presents opportunities as well as threats. MOVE has a plan, rest assured. If anyone is thinking about signing any three year data contracts, you need to think again. Don’t give away the store just because you don’t know the value of what is inside the store.
It’s simple. Don’t enable the competitor who is eating your lunch and doing nothing to complement your business.
@GRob Are you sure it was Zillow that pulled the non-renewal trigger? My sense from the article was that Move/Rupert were the ones who exercised the non-renewal option.
@Jonathan According to the Inman article…
“We’ve not been able to come to terms with News Corp.” over renewing the ListHub agreement, Zillow Chief Revenue Officer Greg Schwartz said today.”
You can take that statement both ways. Was there an offer on the table that Zillow was unable to accept?
http://www.housingwire.com/articles/32531-zillow-ending-listing-agreement-with-listhub
Inman has tried to sensationalize the news without ensuring accuracy of details as i’ve noticed few other times.
For what it’s worth, this HousingWire article has the headline: “Zillow ending listing agreement with Listhub” and seems to fully suggest Zillow is ending it… http://www.housingwire.com/articles/32531-zillow-ending-listing-agreement-with-listhub
Zillow’s SEC filing is less clear who served notice of nonrenewal on who, though… http://investors.zillow.com/secfiling.cfm?filingID=1193125-15-2989&CIK=1334814
I agree with my colleagues that ‘shit just got real’ and that ‘this was a foregone conclusion’, but the rubber will really hit the road when MLS organizations ask their subscribers whether or not they want their listings on Zillow and if MLS should be the vehicle to put them there…
Great questions, Wes. Do they want them there? And is MLS the vehicle to do it?
Saul, history says there will be 800+ answers!
Please insert the word ‘unfortunately’ in my previous post.