Facebook in Play Again

This is a bit late but it looks like while I have been away, WSJ reported on rumors of an M&A conversation between Yahoo! and Facebook, with a price tag around $1b.  There is much conversation on the topic in blogland, so I'll let you read the various viewpoints yourself (if you have not, already) here, here, here and here.

I think, just like $580m a year ago, the $1b number is blowing people away. One needs to look at the deal from the acquirer's perspective.  I think it would be a mistake for Yahoo! to pay $1b for Facebook.  As many have pointed out, their problem is not reach.  However, the same deal, in my mind, makes more sense for someone like Viacom, who's got the content and is starving for attention.