It’s not just the job ads business where PBL’s
online game is coming under pressure – it’s been quietly losing the plot with
its finance offering as well.

Time was when Ninemsn’s money sites came second
to the ASX itself with daylight third, but now it’s running neck-and-neck with
Yahoo7 finance, sometimes in front,
sometimes behind. Perhaps that’s in
keeping with PBL’s general view of finance content – killing Business Sunday
and not pursuing much in the way of magazines either.

Nielsen’s “unique audience” count for the
latest month (June) shows the ASX clearly in front with 313,000,
followed by Ninemsn with 243,000 and Yahoo7 with 207,000. In May
though, Yahoo7 did 227,000
and Ninemsn 219,000.

The PBL organ has relaunched its Money
site, but Yahoo7 is also in the process of upgrading its finance offering,
aggressively pursuing content. The Ninemsn effort also means ditching its
Investor site and, soon, the Business Sunday site.

The thing about the finance web sites is
that they really do attract advertisers, so it’s a segment worth winning. Maybe
it says something about management’s lack of interest when it allows an upstart
in the space to thrive.