Current Ownership and Corporate Parent
MySpace is currently owned by Specific Media, a digital media and entertainment company, which acquired the platform from News Corp in 2011. The transaction valued MySpace at approximately $35 million, a steep decline from the $580 million News Corp paid for the site in 2005. Specific Media, later rebranded as Viant Technology, operates MySpace as a niche music and entertainment discovery platform rather than a mainstream social network. The site's infrastructure and user base are managed under this holding structure, with the domain myspace.com remaining the primary access point for the service. As of the latest available public filings, Viant Technology continues to list MySpace among its portfolio of digital entertainment properties.
The ownership chain traces back to the original founders, Tom Anderson and Chris DeWolfe, who launched MySpace in 2003 and sold a controlling stake to News Corp in July 2005. After the 2011 sale to Specific Media, the platform passed through various corporate entities, including an interim period under the management of Justin Timberlake, who partnered with Specific Media in 2012 to relaunch the site with a focus on music and video content. Timberlake's involvement was structured as a joint venture and strategic partnership, not a direct equity acquisition by the singer. The current ownership remains tied to the corporate structure of Viant Technology, which has consolidated several acquired digital brands under its umbrella.
Acquisition History and Valuation Timeline
News Corp's acquisition of MySpace in 2005 for $580 million marked one of the largest internet deals of the era, driven by the platform's explosive growth and its status as the dominant social network before Facebook's rise. By 2011, MySpace had lost the majority of its user base and advertising revenue, leading to the sale to Specific Media for a reported $35 million. This transaction was structured as an asset purchase, meaning News Corp divested the platform, its user data, and the myspace.com domain. The sharp decline in valuation is frequently cited as a case study in the rapid erosion of market leadership in the social media industry.
In 2012, Specific Media partnered with Justin Timberlake to acquire and relaunch MySpace, with Timberlake taking on a strategic role to reposition the platform toward music and entertainment. The relaunch included new features for artists, streaming integration, and a redesigned interface, but it did not restore MySpace to its former scale. Viant Technology, the parent entity of Specific Media, has since managed the platform as part of a diversified portfolio of digital entertainment and media brands. The company's focus has remained on niche content discovery rather than competing with mainstream social networks for user growth.
Platform Status and Current Relevance
MySpace today functions as a music and entertainment discovery platform, with a drastically reduced user base compared to its peak of over 75 million monthly active users in 2008. The site now emphasizes artist profiles, music streaming, and video content, positioning itself as a legacy destination for music fans and independent artists. The platform's redesigns over the years have shifted its focus away from general social networking toward a more specialized entertainment experience. Current traffic and engagement metrics place MySpace far behind competitors such as Spotify, YouTube, and TikTok in the music streaming space.
The platform's ownership structure under Viant Technology means MySpace operates as a secondary property within a broader digital media portfolio. The company has not pursued large-scale user acquisition campaigns or major infrastructure overhauls for the platform in recent years. MySpace remains accessible at myspace.com, with the domain continuing to serve as the primary entry point for users and artists. The site's current role is more archival and niche than mainstream, reflecting the broader shift in social media dominance to platforms owned by Meta, Alphabet, and ByteDance.