Caan kicks off his new column with a Facebook Live at 12.30pm on 18th October, giving Yahoo users the chance to ask him questions directly.

Serial entrepreneur and former Dragon’s Den star James Caan, CBE, is set to become an expert contributor for Yahoo Finance, offering regular advice to small businesses in the UK via an exclusive weekly column starting on Monday 17th October.

Drawing on his extensive career as an entrepreneur, investor and business mentor, James will share unique expertise and practical business advice, championing entrepreneurship and providing helpful insights for UK small businesses.

Each week, James will respond to specific questions from Yahoo users, tackling themes such as business planning, marketing strategy, and product development. Providing a glimpse of what readers can expect, James has shared exclusive comments on the effects of Brexit, urging UK small businesses to “embrace change” and “attract the right skills and talent”:

“With the Brexit Butterfly Effect, it’s true to say that every business will be affected, good or bad, in some way. On a positive note, 55% of small businesses recently surveyed by the FSB are still aiming to grow this year and that shows SMEs and new entrepreneurs remain resilient to the core. The challenge has been that there are fewer potential candidates, as the average employee does not want to risk changing jobs, maybe because they feel better protected in longer-term, ‘safe’ positions.

“There’s obviously no ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach to mitigate the potential effects of Brexit, but there are many small steps that small businesses should consider. For instance, developing a strategy to attract the right skills and the talent. A visionary business owner should be conducting an evaluation of their workforce and their skillset, mapping skills gaps and investing in training and development. Moreover, the ability to embrace change is crucial.”

James’ new Yahoo Finance column builds on an impressive profile in business advice and mentorship. As one of the ten ‘most followed’ people on LinkedIn, he reaches more than 2.7 million followers around the world, while his best-selling James Caan Business Secrets App provides advice and insights to over 260,000 regular users, straight to their smartphones.

To mark the launch of his new column, James will also host a Facebook Live stream at 12.30pm on Tuesday 18th October, via the Yahoo UK & Ireland Facebook page, when viewers will have the chance to submit questions in real time through the comments section.

Fans will also be able to submit their questions to James via LinkedIn, email, or by using the hashtag #AskJames on Twitter, giving them a unique opportunity to learn from one of the UK’s most successful entrepreneurs.

The column can be found here: https://uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/ask-james–former-dragon-s-den-judge-answers-your-small-business-questions-163533671.html

Latest activity follows the successful launch of Nationwide’s ‘MoneyStuff YouTube channel in February 2015

Following on from the launch of its MoneyStuff YouTube channel, Nationwide Building Society is today joining forces with Yahoo Storytellers to create a 12 months campaign on leading social channel, Tumblr, to further engage young people on how to manage their day-to-day finances.

Launching on 29 September, this year-long campaign sets out to help those aged 13 to 24 take control of their finances, with a particular focus on how to make, manage and save money. The MoneyStuff Tumblr page will provide a range of content, such as videos, graphics, Q&As and articles, that people can turn to when they need advice, support and inspiration, all of which will be easily shareable.

Since launching its FlexOne current account, Nationwide has found that money and financial matters are a worry for many young people, who are also asking questions and looking for credible guidance in the hope of understanding their finances better.

Alex Bennett, Nationwide’s Senior Manager – Digital Marketing, said: “We want to create a highly engaged online community where young people can understand money, as well as learn how to make, manage and save it. Tumblr is, therefore, the perfect channel for us to do this as it allows us to create and supply engaging content that is easily sharable.”

Edward Desbois, Head of Strategic Solutions, Yahoo Storytellers, said: “We’re excited to be working with Nationwide as it engages with young consumers at the very beginning of their financial journey. Given Tumblr is one of the most viewed platforms for millennials in the UK, this makes it the perfect home for engaging content aimed at this digitally savvy audience.”

PANDORA Jewellery ​is partnering with Yahoo Storytellers to creat​e a unique online campaign on Tumblr from an experiential event at London Fashion Week.

PANDORA’s ‘Retouch, Revitalise, Recharge’ lounge at the Ham Yard Hotel provided the setting to capture rich content to engage Tumblr’s millennial audience, which is now being remixed for the Tumblr community. Fronted by influential fashion blogger Lizzy Hadfield – from ‘Shot from the street’ – the lounge was visited by over 200 fashion and beauty bloggers during #LFW.

Bringing offline to life online, Yahoo’s content marketing studio, Yahoo Storytellers will create a range of content from the event, including cinemagraphs, stereoscopes, GIFs and time-lapse videos. Each piece is being shared on PANDORA’s dedicated blog to showcase the new Pandora Autumn/Winter collection.

On 25th September,​ PANDORA will have top billing on the Tumblr UK Dashboard for a 24-hour Tumblr Sponsored Day promotion. The campaign will also ​utilise Tumblr’s Sponsored Post and Sponsored Video ad offerings to distribute content to a discerning fashion audience.

Edward Desbois, Head of Strategic Solutions, Yahoo Storytellers said: “The digital landscape is in the midst of a content renaissance, with brands and influencers working together to remix creative content and explore new formats. Tumblr sits at the heart of this movement and this campaign for PANDORA is an excellent example of how at Yahoo Storytellers we’re putting into practice new and exciting ways of engaging with consumers.”

Carly Hunt, Digital Marketing Manager, PANDORA said: “As a brand we always want to be at the forefront of combining experiential, offline and online activity to create engaging content for our consumers. The partnership with Tumblr has given us the platform to drive awareness of PANDORA amongst the millennial audience during London Fashion Week.”

PANDORA’s Tumblr can be found here: http://uk-pandora.tumblr. The campaign was negotiated by Cream media agency.

Brands should focus on content creativity if they want to increase their sales, according to new research from Yahoo. A study into the attitudes of Tumblr users towards brand content has revealed that more than two thirds (68%) of daily users in the UK and Germany are more likely to buy from brands that share content they like on social media.

The findings show that the digital generation enjoy and appreciate brand content, with almost three quarters of respondents (74%) agreeing that brands can sometimes come up with the most entertaining content. A further 70% said that the source of content doesn’t matter, as long as it provides value and is something they want to read or watch.

The research showed that good online content can in fact be a gateway to better engagement at multiple levels:

• Opinion forming – 73% agree that content helps them to form an opinion of the brand
• Friendship building – 74% agree that brands which create content they like can become like friends on social media
• Brand loyalty – 73% agree they’re more likely to be loyal to a brand with a strong personality in its content

The key to creating and sharing this content lies in collaborating with the creative community, as three in four daily Tumblr users feel closer to a brand when it uses influencers to reach them. Whether graphic designers, photographers, writers, videographers, or other content innovators, these influencers have online audiences who share their passions and tastes.

The good news is that these creatives are ready to be engaged by brands, as 76% are open to entering into a commercial partnership with a brand. What’s more, two thirds consider themselves influential, with 70% specifically using social networks to provide advice. Brands can benefit from these influencers’ reach, but also the established voice and authenticity they have within their communities.

Michael Pennington, EMEA Director for Tumblr, said: “Some of the greatest content comes from brands collaborating with creatives and we’re incredibly proud that Tumblr is home to such a huge community of people who are passionate about what they do.”

“We’ve reached a point where brands are becoming like people and individuals are becoming brands. This means that content collaborations have to be truly symbiotic partnerships, and the right fit for both parties. When this happens, and brands open up their creative assets while creatives bring their unique voice to them, that’s when we see the most fantastic content.”

To help brands collaborate better with content creators, Yahoo has developed five guiding principles to consider when working together:

1.    Understand that consumers love brands – two thirds of daily Tumblr users like brands that respond and engage with them personally on social media. They’re already open to brand engagement, so working to create the most engaging and creative content you can is a winning strategy from the outset.

2.     Choose the right partner – not every content creator will be right for you. Before working together, make sure you research any creator’s previous work, voice, and visual aesthetic to ensure they fit with your brand. Remember, both advertisers and influencers should benefit: Advertisers should help influencers to develop their brand and grow their audience, while influencers should help brands to create and promote impactful content. A symbiotic relationship.

3.     Make it a two-way relationship – there’s a balance to be struck in any relationship. When it comes to brands and creators, communication should be regular and in both directions. Be transparent with your creators and work with them, not above them.

4.     Embrace mutual creativity – you must make sure that creators have creative freedom. Yes, they are creating content for your brand, but in order for it to resonate with their audience, it needs to be right for them too. You want them to create their own content with your brand in mind, rather than heavily branded content that doesn’t fit their usual style. Trust that they know their audience and what will work for them.

5.   Remember this is business – while creators will choose brands they want to work with, and believe in, this is still a business relationship. Offer meaningful perks, such as brand tools and resources to help elevate their content, and remember that ‘exposure’ is not a valid method of payment.

Methodology:

To examine and explore the importance of creativity in online content, Yahoo conducted in-depth qualitative and quantitative research.

This involved conducting interviews with professional marketers and academic experts, as well as a selection of Tumblr users in the UK and Germany. These findings were then supported by a survey of more than 1,500 Tumblr users in the UK and Germany.

yahoo:

Today is a big day for Yahoo! This is the email that I sent to Yahoos around the world today. Given the interest around our journey to this point, I wanted to share more about today’s announcement. –Marissa

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Dear Yahoos,

Moments ago, we announced an agreement with Verizon to acquire Yahoo’s operating business. This culminates a rigorous, thorough process over many months, and yields a great outcome for the company. Today’s announcement not only brings us an important step toward separating Yahoo’s operating business from our Asian asset equity stakes, it also presents exciting opportunities to accelerate Yahoo’s transformation. Among the many entities that showed interest in Yahoo, Verizon believed most in the immense value we’ve created, and in what a combination could bring our users, our advertisers, and our partners.

This is a good moment to reflect on Yahoo’s journey to date.

Yahoo is a company that changed the world.  Before Yahoo, the Internet was a government research project. Yahoo humanized and popularized the web, email, search, real-time media, and more.

What really sets Yahoo apart is the shared passion to create great products for our 1B+ users, and in doing so, transforming the world for the better. You can clearly see that spirit, that commitment, that fight in the work we’ve done together over the past few years. We set out to transform this company – and we’ve made incredible progress. We counteracted many of the tectonic shifts of declining legacy businesses, and built a Yahoo that is unequivocally stronger, nimbler, and more modern. We tripled our mobile base to over 600 million monthly users, we invested in and built Mavens from basically zero in 2011 into $1.6B of GAAP Revenue in 2015, we streamlined and modernized every aspect of our consumer products, and, with Gemini and BrightRoll, we dramatically improved our advertiser products. This only scratches the surface of what we’ve achieved… and we all know how much hard work it took to get here.

It’s because of that hard work and resilience, that Yahoo will realize amazing opportunities in its next chapter.

This sale is not only an important step in our plan to unlock shareholder value for Yahoo, it is also a great opportunity for Yahoo to build further distribution and accelerate our work in mobile, video, native advertising, and social. As one of the largest wireless and cable companies in the world, Verizon opens the door to extensive distribution opportunities. With more than 100 million wireless customers, a shared view of the importance of mobile and video ad tech, a deep content focus through AOL, Verizon brings clear synergies to the table. And with their aggressive aims to grow global audience to 2B users and $20B in revenue within the mobile-media business by 2020, Yahoo’s products and brand will be central to achieving these goals. Joining forces with AOL and Verizon will help us achieve tremendous scale on mobile. Imagine the distribution challenges we will solve, the scale we will achieve, the products we will build, and the advertisers we will reach now with Mavens – it’s incredibly compelling.  

The strategic process has created a lot of uncertainty, but our incredibly loyal and dedicated employee base has stepped up to every challenge along the way. Through the first half of the year, we met our operational goals and overachieved on plan. But, further, there are things that you cannot measure, like the passion of the people behind the products. The teams here have not only built incredible products and technologies, but have built Yahoo into one of the most iconic, and universally well-liked companies in the world. One that continues to impact the lives of more than a billion people. I’m incredibly proud of everything that we’ve achieved, and I’m incredibly proud of our team. For me personally, I’m planning to stay. I love Yahoo, and I believe in all of you. It’s important to me to see Yahoo into its next chapter.

As we work to close this agreement in Q1 2017, it’s more important than ever that we come together as one global team to continue executing on our strategic plan through the remainder of the year. We have delivered the first half of the year with pride, achieving our goals. Now, it is up to us to make Yahoo’s final quarters as an independent company count.

Yahoo is a company that changed the world.  Now, we will continue to, with even greater scale, in combination with Verizon and AOL.

Thanks,

Marissa

Important Additional Information and Where to Find It.

Yahoo will be filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) a proxy statement regarding the proposed sale of Yahoo’s operating business to Verizon Communications Inc., the definitive version of which will be sent or provided to Yahoo stockholders.  BEFORE MAKING ANY VOTING DECISION, YAHOO’S STOCKHOLDERS ARE STRONGLY ADVISED TO READ YAHOO’S PROXY STATEMENT IN ITS ENTIRETY (INCLUDING ANY AMENDMENTS OR SUPPLEMENTS THERETO) WHEN IT BECOMES AVAILABLE AND ANY OTHER DOCUMENTS FILED WITH THE SEC IN CONNECTION WITH THE PROPOSED TRANSACTION OR INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE THEREIN BECAUSE THEY WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT THE PROPOSED TRANSACTION.  Investors and stockholders will be able to obtain (when available) a free copy of Yahoo’s proxy statement, any amendments or supplements to the proxy statement, and other documents filed by Yahoo with the SEC (when available) in connection with the proposed transaction for no charge at the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov, on the Investor Relations page of Yahoo’s website investor.yahoo.net or by writing to Investor Relations, Yahoo! Inc., 701 First Avenue, Sunnyvale, CA 94089.

Yahoo and its directors and executive officers may be deemed participants in the solicitation of proxies from its investors and stockholders in connection with the proposed transaction.  Information concerning the ownership of Yahoo securities by Yahoo’s directors and executive officers is included in their SEC filings on Forms 3, 4 and 5, and additional information is also available in Yahoo’s annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2015, as amended, and Yahoo’s proxy statement for its 2016 annual meeting of stockholders filed with the SEC on May 23, 2016. Information regarding Yahoo’s directors, executive officers and other persons who may, under the rules of the SEC, be considered participants in the solicitation of proxies in connection with the proposed transaction, including their respective interests by security holdings or otherwise, also will be set forth in the definitive proxy statement relating to the proposed transaction when it is filed with the SEC.  These documents may be obtained free of charge from the sources indicated above.

This post contains forward-looking statements concerning the proposed sale of Yahoo’s operating business. Risks and uncertainties may cause actual results to differ materially from the results predicted. Potential risks and uncertainties include, among others: (i) the inability to consummate the transaction in a timely manner or at all, due to the inability to obtain or delays in obtaining the stockholder approval, necessary regulatory approvals for the transaction or satisfaction of other conditions to the closing of the transaction; (ii) the occurrence of any event, change or other circumstance that could give rise to the termination of the purchase agreement; (iii) the potential adverse effect on Yahoo’s partner, advertiser, vendor and customer relationships, operating results and business generally resulting from the announcement of the transaction; (iv) the implementation of the transaction which will require significant time, attention and resources of Yahoo’s senior management and others within Yahoo, potentially diverting their attention from other aspects of Yahoo’s business; (v) risks related to Yahoo’s ability to retain or recruit key talent; (vi) the costs, fees, expenses and charges related to or triggered by the transaction; (vii) potential adverse effects on Yahoo’s business, properties or operations caused by Yahoo implementing the transaction; (viii) the anticipated benefits of transaction to Yahoo’s stockholders may not be realized; and (ix) the initiation or outcome of any legal proceedings or regulatory proceedings that may be instituted against Yahoo relating to the transaction.  More information about other potential factors that could affect Yahoo’s business and financial results is included under the captions “Risk Factors” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in Yahoo’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2015, as amended, and Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2016, which are on file with the SEC and available on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. All information set forth in this communication is as of July 25, 2016. Yahoo does not intend, and undertakes no duty, to update this information to reflect subsequent events or circumstances.

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Verizon to acquire Yahoo’s operating business

Transaction will create a new rival in mobile media technology reaching over 1B users* with a roster of the world’s most beloved brands

BASKING RIDGE, NJ, and SUNNYVALE, Calif. – July 25, 2016 – Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE, Nasdaq: VZ) and Yahoo! Inc. (Nasdaq: YHOO) today announce they have entered into a definitive agreement under which Verizon will acquire Yahoo’s operating business for approximately $4.83 billion in cash, subject to customary closing adjustments.

Yahoo informs, connects and entertains a global audience of more than 1 billion monthly active users** – including 600 million monthly active mobile users*** – through its search, communications and digital content products. Yahoo also connects advertisers with target audiences through a streamlined advertising technology stack that combines the power of their data, content and technology.

Lowell McAdam, Verizon Chairman and CEO, said: “Just over a year ago we acquired AOL to enhance our strategy of providing a cross-screen connection for consumers, creators and advertisers. The acquisition of Yahoo will put Verizon in a highly competitive position as a top global mobile media company, and help accelerate our revenue stream in digital advertising.”

Yahoo will be integrated with AOL under Marni Walden, EVP and President of the Product Innovation and New Businesses organization at Verizon.

Marissa Mayer, CEO of Yahoo, said: “Yahoo is a company that has changed the world, and will continue to do so through this combination with Verizon and AOL. The sale of our operating business, which effectively separates our Asian asset equity stakes, is an important step in our plan to unlock shareholder value for Yahoo. This transaction also sets up a great opportunity for Yahoo to build further distribution and accelerate our work in mobile, video, native advertising and social.”

Mayer added, “Yahoo and AOL popularized the Internet, email, search and real-time media. It’s poetic to be joining forces with AOL and Verizon as we enter our next chapter focused on achieving scale on mobile. We have a terrific, loyal, experienced and quality team, and I couldn’t be prouder of our achievements to date, including building our new lines of business to $1.6 billion in GAAP revenue in 2015. I’m excited to extend our momentum through this transaction.”

Tim Armstrong, CEO of AOL, said: “Our mission at AOL is to build brands people love, and we will continue to invest in and grow them. Yahoo has been a long-time investor in premium content and created some of the most beloved consumer brands in key categories like sports, news and finance.”

Under Armstrong, AOL has invested in and grown global premium brands, including The Huffington Post, TechCrunch, Engadget, MAKERS and AOL.com, and market-leading programmatic platforms – including ONE by AOL for both advertisers and publishers.

Armstrong added, “We have enormous respect for what Yahoo has accomplished: this transaction is about unleashing Yahoo’s full potential, building upon our collective synergies, and strengthening and accelerating that growth. Combining Verizon, AOL and Yahoo will create a new powerful competitive rival in mobile media, and an open, scaled alternative offering for advertisers and publishers.”

The addition of Yahoo to Verizon and AOL will create one of the largest portfolios of owned and partnered global brands with extensive distribution capabilities. Combined, AOL and Yahoo will have more than 25 brands in its portfolio for continued investment and growth. Yahoo’s key assets include market-leading premium content brands in major categories including finance, news and sports, as well as one of the most popular email services globally with approximately 225 million monthly active users****. Additional technology assets in the advertising space include Brightroll, a programmatic demand-side platform; Flurry, an independent mobile apps analytics service; and Gemini, a native and search advertising solution.

The deal is subject to customary closing conditions, approval by Yahoo’s shareholders, and regulatory approvals, and is expected to close in Q1 of 2017. Until the closing, Yahoo will continue to operate independently, offering and improving its own products and services for users, advertisers, developers and partners.

Verizon will generally issue cash-settled Verizon RSUs for Yahoo RSUs that are outstanding at the close.

The sale does not include Yahoo’s cash, its shares in Alibaba Group Holdings, its shares in Yahoo Japan, Yahoo’s convertible notes, certain minority investments, and Yahoo’s non-core patents (called the Excalibur portfolio). These assets will continue to be held by Yahoo, which will change its name at closing and become a registered, publicly traded investment company. Yahoo will provide additional information about the investment company at a future date.

Yahoo intends to return substantially all of its net cash to shareholders and will determine and communicate a specific capital return strategy at an appropriate time.

LionTree Advisors, LLC, Allen & Company LLC, Bank of America Merrill Lynch and Guggenheim Securities, LLC are acting as financial advisors to Verizon. Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP, Covington & Burling LLP and Winston & Strawn LLP are acting as legal advisors to Verizon.

Goldman, Sachs & Co., J.P. Morgan Securities LLC and PJT Partners are acting as financial advisors to the Yahoo Board and its Strategic Review Committee. Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati and Weil Gotshal & Manges LLP are acting as legal advisors to Yahoo. Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP is independent legal advisor to Yahoo’s Strategic Review Committee.

Yahoo will hold an investor call at 5:30 a.m. Pacific/8:30 a.m. Eastern today. Investors can dial in at (866) 593-9949 and investors outside the U.S. can dial in at (973) 935-8154, using the conference ID 55971720. The call will be hosted by Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer and Yahoo CFO Ken Goldman. Yahoo will also make the Chair of the Strategic Review Committee, Tom McInerney, and Yahoo Chairman of the Board Maynard Webb available for questions.

Verizon will announce second-quarter 2016 results tomorrow, July 26. To provide further context for investors about this transaction and other strategic initiatives, McAdam will participate in Verizon’s earnings webcast beginning 8:30 a.m. Eastern tomorrow. Access instructions and presentation materials, including Verizon’s earnings release, will be available at 7 a.m. on Verizon’s Investor Relations website, www.verizon.com/about/investors/.

*Based on Yahoo internal metrics, Jan. 2016 and AOL Internal, June 2016

**Yahoo internal user metrics, Jan. 2016

***Yahoo internal user metrics, Jan 2016

****Yahoo internal user metrics, Jan. 2016.  Mail monthly active users includes 58M IMAP/POP only users – ie. Yahoo monthly users that access their mail using other companies mail application

About Verizon

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE, Nasdaq: VZ), headquartered in New York City, generated nearly $132 billion in 2015 revenues. Verizon operates America’s most reliable wireless network, with 112.6 million retail connections nationwide. The company also provides communications and entertainment services over America’s most advanced fiber-optic network, and delivers integrated business solutions to customers worldwide.

About AOL

AOL is a media technology company with a mission to connect consumers and creators through open marketplaces. AOL uses data to disrupt content production, distribution and monetization. The company connects publishers with advertisers across its global, programmatic platforms, tapping into Microsoft inventory and original content brands like TechCrunch, The Huffington Post and MAKERS, which reach over 500 million monthly global consumers. Within its mobile advertising network alone, AOL has a reach of roughly 600 million users. A subsidiary of Verizon, AOL is shaping the digital future.

About Yahoo

Yahoo is a guide to digital information discovery, focused on informing, connecting, and entertaining users through its search, communications, and digital content products. By creating highly personalized experiences, Yahoo helps users discover the information that matters most to them around the world – on mobile or desktop. Yahoo connects advertisers with target audiences through a streamlined advertising technology stack that combines the power of Yahoo’s data, content, and technology. Yahoo is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, and has offices located throughout the Americas, Asia Pacific (APAC) and the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) regions. For more information, visit the pressroom (pressroom.yahoo.net) or the Company’s blog (yahoo.tumblr.com).

Yahoo!, the Yahoo family of marks, and the associated logos are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Yahoo! Inc. Other names are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective owners.

Important Additional Information and Where to Find It.

Yahoo will be filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) a proxy statement regarding the proposed sale of Yahoo’s operating business to Verizon Communications Inc., the definitive version of which will be sent or provided to Yahoo stockholders.  BEFORE MAKING ANY VOTING DECISION, YAHOO’S STOCKHOLDERS ARE STRONGLY ADVISED TO READ YAHOO’S PROXY STATEMENT IN ITS ENTIRETY (INCLUDING ANY AMENDMENTS OR SUPPLEMENTS THERETO) WHEN IT BECOMES AVAILABLE AND ANY OTHER DOCUMENTS FILED WITH THE SEC IN CONNECTION WITH THE PROPOSED TRANSACTION OR INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE THEREIN BECAUSE THEY WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT THE PROPOSED TRANSACTION.  Investors and stockholders will be able to obtain (when available) a free copy of Yahoo’s proxy statement, any amendments or supplements to the proxy statement, and other documents filed by Yahoo with the SEC (when available) in connection with the proposed transaction for no charge at the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov, on the Investor Relations page of Yahoo’s website investor.yahoo.net or by writing to Investor Relations, Yahoo! Inc., 701 First Avenue, Sunnyvale, CA 94089.

Yahoo and its directors and executive officers may be deemed participants in the solicitation of proxies from its investors and stockholders in connection with the proposed transaction.  Information concerning the ownership of Yahoo securities by Yahoo’s directors and executive officers is included in their SEC filings on Forms 3, 4 and 5, and additional information is also available in Yahoo’s annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2015, as amended, and Yahoo’s proxy statement for its 2016 annual meeting of stockholders filed with the SEC on May 23, 2016. Information regarding Yahoo’s directors, executive officers and other persons who may, under the rules of the SEC, be considered participants in the solicitation of proxies in connection with the proposed transaction, including their respective interests by security holdings or otherwise, also will be set forth in the definitive proxy statement relating to the proposed transaction when it is filed with the SEC.  These documents may be obtained free of charge from the sources indicated above.

Verizon Forward-Looking Statements

In this communication Verizon has made forward-looking statements. These statements are based on our estimates and assumptions and are subject to risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements include the information concerning our possible or assumed future results of operations. Forward-looking statements also include those preceded or followed by the words “anticipates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “hopes” or similar expressions. For those statements, we claim the protection of the safe harbor for forward-looking statements contained in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The following important factors, along with those discussed in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), could affect future results and could cause those results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements: adverse conditions in the U.S. and international economies; the effects of competition in the markets in which we operate; material changes in technology or technology substitution; disruption of our key suppliers’ provisioning of products or services; changes in the regulatory environment in which we operate, including any increase in restrictions on our ability to operate our networks; breaches of network or information technology security, natural disasters, terrorist attacks or acts of war or significant litigation and any resulting financial impact not covered by insurance; our high level of indebtedness; an adverse change in the ratings afforded our debt securities by nationally accredited ratings organizations or adverse conditions in the credit markets affecting the cost, including interest rates, and/or availability of further financing; material adverse changes in labor matters, including labor negotiations, and any resulting financial and/or operational impact; significant increases in benefit plan costs or lower investment returns on plan assets; changes in tax laws or treaties, or in their interpretation; changes in accounting assumptions that regulatory agencies, including the SEC, may require or that result from changes in the accounting rules or their application, which could result in an impact on earnings; and the inability to implement our business strategies.

Yahoo’s Forward Looking Statements

This press release (including, without limitation, the quotations from management) contains forward-looking statements concerning the proposed sale of Yahoo’s operating business. Risks and uncertainties may cause actual results to differ materially from the results predicted. Potential risks and uncertainties include, among others: (i) the inability to consummate the transaction in a timely manner or at all, due to the inability to obtain or delays in obtaining the stockholder approval, necessary regulatory approvals for the transaction or satisfaction of other conditions to the closing of the transaction; (ii) the occurrence of any event, change or other circumstance that could give rise to the termination of the purchase agreement; (iii) the potential adverse effect on Yahoo’s partner, advertiser, vendor and customer relationships, operating results and business generally resulting from the announcement of the transaction; (iv) the implementation of the transaction which will require significant time, attention and resources of Yahoo’s senior management and others within Yahoo, potentially diverting their attention from other aspects of Yahoo’s business; (v) risks related to Yahoo’s ability to retain or recruit key talent; (vi) the costs, fees, expenses and charges related to or triggered by the transaction; (vii) potential adverse effects on Yahoo’s business, properties or operations caused by Yahoo implementing the transaction; (viii) the anticipated benefits of transaction to Yahoo’s stockholders may not be realized; and (ix) the initiation or outcome of any legal proceedings or regulatory proceedings that may be instituted against Yahoo relating to the transaction. More information about other potential factors that could affect Yahoo’s business and financial results is included under the captions “Risk Factors” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in Yahoo’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2015, as amended, and Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2016, which are on file with the SEC and available on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. All information set forth in this communication is as of July 25, 2016. Yahoo does not intend, and undertakes no duty, to update this information to reflect subsequent events or circumstances.

With Wales’ historic journey in Euro 2016 coming to an end last night, new data from Yahoo-owned Flurry shows this year’s tournament has been the most mobile-centric yet.

Sports app usage across the UK, Germany and France has rocketed by two thirds (65%) compared with 2015, as football fans rush to their mobiles to keep up with the latest results, analysis, and news.

The latest report from mobile analytics firm Flurry shows that UK mobile users enjoyed 44 per cent more sports app sessions during June 2016 compared with the same period in 2015. Euro 2016 has also been a particular boon for the sports media industry, as sports magazine apps have seen the highest growth in user attention by far, with time spent in them increasing to more than twelve times the 2015 levels (+1129%)!

Football fever has clearly gripped the UK, as The Dragons defied the odds to reach the semi-finals of one of the beautiful game’s top international competitions. In fact, Flurry analytics show we’ve been keeping up to date with all the latest news throughout the tournament via our mobiles, as the number of sports news app sessions has grown by 47 per cent year on year. It even seems that the tournament has ignited a passion for gaming in many football fans, as the number of sports gaming app sessions has climbed by more than a third (35%) when compared with 2015.

Overall, here in the UK the number of sports app sessions increased by 25 per cent per person YoY.

yahooadvertising:

By Andrew Balfour, Global Creative Innovation Lead

Time spent consuming media on mobile devices has surpassed traditional TV, and at Yahoo we’re working to build advertising solutions that help marketers take advantage of this growth. Today we’re excited to introduce Yahoo Tiles, a new mobile ad format that brands can leverage to reach consumers through engaging, interactive content.

Yahoo Tiles enables brands to tell visually compelling and immersive stories on mobile devices in a post-tap environment. When consumers click on a mobile ad, they are taken to a custom mobile landing page that can feature 360-degree content, including video and images, as well as dynamic and interactive features such as video, swipeable images, and social feeds. With its lightweight design, Yahoo Tiles delivers a more engaging and seamless consumer experience for mobile native, video and display ads.

Available for advertisers through Yahoo Gemini and BrightRoll, Yahoo Tiles ensures that brands tell a more creative and compelling story across Android and iOS devices. This format helps advertisers reach diverse audiences at scale, including more than 600 million mobile users on Yahoo and across our extended network. Brands can work with Yahoo’s ad creative tech team to build, support, and scale their mobile campaigns.

Early adopters of Yahoo Tiles are already seeing success. One QSR advertiser saw a 4x lift in user engagement when designing an experience for users to swipe through multiple flavors of their product. In another instance, a CPG brand built an immersive 360-degree dinner experience to draw in the consumer and saw a 5x lift in time-earned, or the average time a consumer spent viewing and interacting with the ad. Building on these early results, the team continues to work with advertisers to identify new ways for Yahoo Tiles to increase performance and tell rich brand stories.

Contact your Yahoo representative today to learn more about how Yahoo Tiles can help you achieve your brand’s objectives. Don’t have a rep? Request a callback.

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By Chris Kolk, Chair of the Yahoo Pride Employee Resource Group

Today at Yahoo, the LGBTQ and American flags are being flown at half-mast to honor the Orlando shooting victims. Our hearts and thoughts are with the family, friends and victims of this act of terrorism and hatred, and their lives will be remembered in all Pride activities this month at Yahoo.

This weekend as the Yahoo Pride Employee Resource Group, together with family and friends, stood proud to march in the L.A. Pride parade – those whose lives were forever changed by this senseless tragedy were at the forefront of our minds. In days like these, it is important for us to not only remember why we march but to celebrate the freedom and liberty that has been so hard fought. We will continue to stand with Orlando and are in discussions on specific ways we can honor all who were impacted. We will march forward and live authentically, as it’s important to remember that everyone deserves the opportunity and freedom to be their true selves.

Please join me in remembrance of those impacted by this tragedy.

England and France to the semi-finals.

As the UEFA EURO 2016 tournament approaches, the social stratosphere has erupted with fans shouting out about all things football across the web.  

Given the magnitude of social buzz, Yahoo research scientists were tasked with predicting a tournament winner based on a combination of scientific expertise and unique access to data from Yahoo Sport and Tumblr – one of the world’s largest social media platforms.

These research scientists waded through more than 24 million Tumblr blogs, comprising over 20 billion posts from the first five months of this year, to surface all EURO 2016 conversations on the platform. Next, they examined four years of Yahoo Sport data for each team in this year’s tournament. They then developed a statistical model for predicting the winners for each match, which predicts Germany to ultimately lift the trophy.

A victory would mark a golden age for Germany who would join the elite ranks of teams to hold both EURO and World Cup trophies simultaneously. This would put to bed the ghosts of EURO 2008 and the 2010 World Cup, where Spain’s triumphant runs left Germany defeated.

According to Yahoo’s predictions, England will face a familiar foe - Portugal - in the quarter-final stage. Portugal are England’s bogey team, having got the better of them in Euro 2000, Euro 2004 and World Cup 2006, but it looks like England will have revenge this year, with a predicted 2-1 victory in extra time.

A sterling performance is also expected from the Republic of Ireland in this year’s competition. They look set to beat Italy and Belgium to the top of their group, making it into the quarter-finals, despite Belgium being widely regarded as one of the favourites to lift the trophy.

Pre-tournament favourite and home team France is predicted to sail through the first three rounds, but will then face a dominant Germany, who historically seem to find extra gears at the latter stages of the knock-outs.

Check out the full Tumblr blog post for a more in-depth methodology on how our Yahoo research scientists developed their predictions, and stay tuned to Tumblr and Yahoo Sports throughout EURO 2016 for a comprehensive hub of analysis and breaking news.

See below and attached for graphical representations of Yahoo Research’s winners forecast.

Findings from Yahoo show that mobile screens are most effective to deliver ‘seamless moments’ for consumers

Brands must create ‘seamless moments’ to most effectively engage with consumers across multiple screens, according to new research from Yahoo. The study into the world of consumer screen engagement revealed that at least 50 per cent of these moments – which combine the user’s situation and context with an emotional connection – occur on mobile screens, even when consumers are watching TV.

Drawing on findings across the UK, Germany, Italy, and France, as well as qualitative analysis and biometric testing, the research explored how screens can be used to deliver contextually relevant emotive experiences at times when consumers are most receptive to them.

Through examining engagement with various screens in different contexts, the research found consumers are actively open to and want engagement from brands when shopping, travelling, or – in particular – relaxing. TV and mobile devices are the only screens where consumers are comfortable with being engaged by brands when relaxing.

The research showed that smartphones are the #1 or #2 device for all commercial opportunities. Nearly half of consumers said that mobiles are the preferred device for retail rewards (48%) and sharing event experiences (47%).

Looking to the future, the research also revealed growing opportunities for brands on newer screen categories such as smartwatches and wearables. Four in every five smartwatch owners (79%) intend to use their wearable device to show information from the world around them and two thirds (65%) hope to use their device to make payments. While over four-fifths (81%) of smartwatch users say they want to be able to control their homes from their wrists, whether that’s unlocking doors, turning on the lights or monitoring their heating.

Nigel Clarkson, Managing Director, Yahoo UK says, “As we evolve how brands get the right message to the right person, emotional and situational context must be part of the equation. This means considering the specific screen a consumer is using to consume content and the activity they’re engaged in when it’s delivered to them. Seamless moments must fit in with the primary activity at the time, via a channel where consumers are happy to be engaged.

“This isn’t a case of ‘smartphones vs TVs’, but rather appreciating what different screens can do for different campaigns and clients. Multi-screen thinking should factor into every modern marketer’s media planning process. These findings underline that targeted, cross-screen content marketing and native advertising have a lasting position in brands’ efforts to engage consumers. With 89% cross-screen recognition across 1 billion consumers globally, Yahoo is uniquely placed to offer data-driven campaigns to different screens.”

Looking further ahead, virtual reality will become increasingly important for engaging with consumers. Yahoo’s research also showed that over two thirds (68%) of consumers would wear a headset to experience a virtual world, opening the door to the next generation of emotive brand experiences.

Report methodology:

The ‘Seamless moments’ study was compiled using both quantitative and qualitative data. The quantitative research involved surveying 2,000 people in the UK, Germany, France, and Italy, all between the ages of 16 and 44, including 200 smartwatch owners. For the qualitative research, five in-depth interviews were conducted, with two of these incorporating extensive situational biometric testing.