Bauer ditches Ditto.net

by Sara Kimberley, mediaweek.co.uk 23-Jun-09, 07:30

LONDON - Ditto.net, the planned film and music consumer venture from Bauer Media, has been shelved following about £1m of development costs.

The service, which was due to launch in April last year, never came out of testing due to the "shift in the media landscape", according to Bauer Media.

The launch was due to be a major digital initiative for the publishing group following its acquisition of Emap's consumer magazines and radio businesses last year.

Hailed as a combination of music recommendation site Last.fm and online retailer Amazon, Ditto.net was positioned as a social network for film buffs and music enthusiasts that would act as an "entertainment matchmaker", introducing people who share the same tastes and preferences.

A Bauer Media spokesman said the site had not been shut down completely.

She said: "It was due to be a consumer-facing brand, but the best way now is for it to be used to support commercial partners."

The site will now be used by clients as a testing ground to measure how their brand interacts with each of their audiences.