Yahoo

What Yahoo does

Yahoo is a private technology and media company owned by Apollo Global Management since 2021 (acquired from Verizon for approximately $5 billion), headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, and operating consumer digital platforms and an advertising technology stack across 21 countries. Founded in 1994 by Jerry Yang and David Filo at Stanford University, Yahoo built its position through a portfolio of consumer internet properties including Yahoo Mail, Yahoo Finance, Yahoo Sports (with Yahoo Fantasy), Yahoo News, Yahoo Search, Yahoo Weather, Yahoo Shopping, and Yahoo Games, alongside sub-brands like Yahoo BOLD, elevAsian, and SOMOS targeting diverse audiences.

Yahoo's product and technology stack is anchored by an AI-powered search assistant (Yahoo Scout) built on Anthropic's Claude foundation model and Microsoft's "Grounding with Bing" tool, complemented by The Factual's credibility-scoring algorithm (acquired 2022) and Artifact's AI-driven news discovery technology (acquired 2024). On the advertising side, Yahoo operates a demand-side platform (Yahoo DSP) and native advertising products (Yahoo Native, Yahoo Prism), controlling significant global programmatic market share alongside Google DV360, The Trade Desk, and Amazon.

The business model combines advertising revenue (programmatic and native) as the primary stream, supplemented by subscription tiers (Yahoo Mail Plus, Yahoo Finance Plus, Yahoo Fantasy Plus, Yahoo Plus Secure Pro) and transaction-based fantasy sports entry fees. Yahoo serves four primary segments: consumer internet users, advertisers/brands, retail investors, and fantasy sports players, with a horizontal segmentation approach. Strategic priorities include AI product expansion, retail media partnerships (Walmart Connect), participation in industry standards bodies (IAB Tech Lab's Programmatic Governance Council, AdCP co-creation with PubMatic), and bolt-on acquisitions to enhance platform capabilities. In May 2026, Yahoo raised $1.6 billion in high-yield debt (including $900M in junk bonds at 11% yield) to refinance its original Apollo acquisition loans, indicating an ongoing capital structure optimization under private equity ownership.

Name

Yahoo

Legal name

Yahoo Inc.

Website

https://yahoo.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

Yahoo is an Apollo Global Management-owned technology and media company operating a diversified portfolio of consumer digital platforms (Mail, Finance, Sports, News, Search) and a programmatic advertising DSP, serving global consumers, advertisers, retail investors, and fantasy sports players.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Digital Media & Online Advertising

NAICS

Broadcasting and Content Providers (516), Web Search Portals and All Other Information Services (51929), Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers (5131)

SIC

Services-Advertising Agencies (7311), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330)

akta.pro primary industry

Newsletter & Email Digest Aggregators (MPACAKAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Fantasy Sports Monetization & Commerce (Subscriptions, Premium Tools, Marketplaces) (MPAEAHAI), Shopping/Deal & Affiliate Content Aggregators (MPACAKAK)

Keywords

• Digital media platforms
• Programmatic advertising
• Email services
• Online news aggregation
• Fantasy sports contests

Headquarters

HQ city

Sunnyvale

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Advertising: Primary revenue driver through Yahoo's advertising platform, DSP, and programmatic ad technology. Yahoo serves as both a major publisher and ad tech provider, controlling significant market share in programmatic advertising alongside Google DV360, The Trade Desk, and Amazon.
2. Yahoo Finance Premium Subscriptions: Subscription-based premium services for retail investors on Yahoo Finance, enhanced by the acquisition of Commonstock's social investing platform.
3. Paid Fantasy Sports: Paid fantasy sports contests including Daily Fantasy, Best Ball, and Public/Private Prize Leagues with entry fees and prize distributions.
4. Yahoo Mail Plus Subscriptions: Premium subscription tiers for Yahoo Mail offering enhanced storage and features.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Yahoo is a technology and media company that operates a portfolio of consumer digital platforms including Yahoo Mail, Yahoo Finance, Yahoo Sports, Yahoo News, Yahoo Search, Yahoo Weather, Yahoo Shopping, and Yahoo Entertainment, delivering news, financial data, sports content, search, and communications services to hundreds of millions of users. The company also runs a programmatic advertising technology platform (Yahoo DSP) that enables brands and agencies to purchase omnichannel ad inventory across connected TV, digital video, display, and native formats. Monetization is driven primarily by advertising on owned-and-operated properties, subscriptions (Yahoo Mail Plus, Finance Plus, Fantasy Plus), and transaction fees from paid fantasy sports contests.

Product overview

Yahoo is a diversified internet media company offering a broad portfolio of products and services organized around core verticals including Mail, Finance, Sports, News, Search, Weather, Shopping, and Gaming. The company operates an advertising technology platform including a demand-side platform (DSP) and native advertising solutions like Yahoo Native and Yahoo Prism. Yahoo also provides subscription offerings including Yahoo Mail Plus, Yahoo Finance Plus, Yahoo Fantasy Plus, and security products through partnerships with LastPass, Malwarebytes, and McAfee. The portfolio includes content initiatives like Yahoo BOLD, Yahoo elevAsian, and Yahoo SOMOS celebrating diverse voices. Yahoo has made strategic acquisitions including Artifact (AI news discovery), Commonstock (social investing), and The Factual (news credibility) to enhance personalization and content quality. The company is investing in AI through Yahoo Scout, an AI search assistant powered by Anthropic's Claude, and participates in industry standards bodies including the IAB Tech Lab Programmatic Governance Council.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Yahoo Mail: Email service platform
• Yahoo Finance
• Yahoo Sports
• Yahoo Fantasy
• Yahoo News
• Yahoo Search
• Yahoo Weather
• Yahoo Games
• Yahoo Shopping
• Yahoo Health
• Yahoo Entertainment
• Yahoo Tech
• Yahoo Life
• Yahoo Creators
• Yahoo BOLD
• Yahoo elevAsian
• Yahoo SOMOS
• Yahoo Prism
• Yahoo DSP
• Yahoo Scout

Products and services

• Yahoo Mail

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

AI capability5 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Microsoft (MSN Aggregator)coreTechnology or Integration · 24 June 2026TheSoul Group has established strategic partnerships with Microsoft (as official MSN aggregator), Yahoo, Banijay, and the Harlem Globetrotters. TheSoul distributes content across 60+ streaming platforms in 180 countries and operates 100+ family-friendly YouTube channels.
• KDDI / KDDI Digital LifeminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 23 June 2026KDDI, Okinawa Cellular, and KDDI Digital Life launched 'Giga Charge Cards' for povo mobile service eSIM data top-ups through Yahoo! Shopping in Japan. The cards enable povo customers to purchase additional data allowances through the Yahoo! Shopping platform, expanding distribution channels for KDDI's mobile service.
• Walmart ConnectcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 June 2026Walmart Connect announced expansion of offsite retail media strategy through new partnerships with Yahoo's demand-side platform and Magnite. This marks the first time Walmart is enabling advertisers to activate its customer data outside of its own DSP. The partnership allows agencies to access Walmart's purchase-based audiences through Yahoo's DSP.
• MagnitecoreTechnology or Integration · 28 May 2026Walmart Connect partnered with Yahoo and Magnite to enable programmatic activation of Walmart's first-party retail data against connected TV (CTV) inventory, starting with Vizio. Yahoo DSP serves as demand-side platform while Magnite handles supply-side decisioning.
• Butler/Till Agency PartnershipminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 15 May 2026Butler/Till, an agency, claimed to be the first to complete an agentic media buy, working directly with PubMatic's and Yahoo's seller agents to source inventory at lower-than-expected CPMs, demonstrating Yahoo's involvement in emerging AI-driven programmatic advertising workflows.
• AnthropiccoreTechnology or Integration · 6 May 2026Yahoo launched Scout, an AI search assistant built on Anthropic's Claude foundation model. This represents a strategic technology partnership for Yahoo's AI-powered search capabilities.
• MicrosoftcoreTechnology or Integration · 6 May 2026Yahoo Scout uses Microsoft's 'Grounding with Bing' tool as part of its AI search infrastructure, providing trusted information sourcing for the search assistant.
• Sports Business Content PartnerscoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 30 April 2026Yahoo Media Group launched sports business hub powered by partnerships with eight media outlets: Front Office Sports, Sportico, Sports Business Journal, Awful Announcing, Barrett Media, JohnWallStreet, Sports Business Radio, and The 4th Quarter. The platform targets combined 100+ million monthly visitors.
• IAB Tech Lab Programmatic Governance CouncilcoreTechnology or Integration · 22 April 2026Yahoo is a founding member of the IAB Tech Lab's Programmatic Governance Council, formed to improve transparency and governance in the $200 billion U.S. programmatic advertising market. Members include Dentsu, Omnicom Media Group, WPP, Disney, Magnite, PubMatic, Hearst, News Corp, Amazon Ads, The Trade Desk, Raptive, and Mediavine.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• ESPN (Disney): ESPN competes directly with Yahoo Sports for sports media audience and fantasy sports players. Yahoo's new GM Jarrod Schwarz previously led at ESPN, and the two compete across sports news, fantasy, and betting content.
• Bloomberg: Bloomberg competes with Yahoo Finance for retail investor and financial news audiences. Both offer market data, financial news, and increasingly subscription-based premium research tools targeting similar user personas.
• Magnite: Magnite is a leading independent sell-side ad platform and CTV-focused SSP. Yahoo partnered with Magnite for the Walmart Connect CTV integration, and both operate within the same programmatic advertising ecosystem with overlapping advertiser relationships.
• PubMatic: PubMatic is a programmatic advertising technology company working alongside Yahoo on industry standards (AdCP co-creation, IAB Tech Lab Programmatic Governance Council) and competing in overlapping sell-side and demand-side capabilities within programmatic advertising.
• The Trade Desk: The Trade Desk is a leading independent DSP competing directly with Yahoo DSP for programmatic advertising budgets. Both control significant share of the ~85% concentrated global programmatic market alongside Google DV360 and Amazon.
• AOL (Yahoo subsidiary history): AOL was merged with Yahoo by Verizon in 2017 and shares Yahoo's history as a legacy internet portal with email, news, and content properties. Both operate under Apollo's strategic oversight and represent similar consumer internet media business models.
• Microsoft (MSN, Bing, Outlook): Microsoft operates competing consumer portals (MSN), search (Bing), email (Outlook), and digital advertising platforms. Yahoo even partners with Microsoft (Bing for Yahoo Scout, MSN aggregator relationships), making them both competitors and partners across multiple verticals.

Broad incumbents

• Google (Alphabet): Google competes with Yahoo across search (Yahoo Search/Scout vs. Google Search), digital advertising (Google DV360 vs. Yahoo DSP), and consumer content (YouTube vs. Yahoo Video properties). Google has vastly larger scale and resources, and Yahoo even relies on Microsoft Bing as a counterweight.
• Reddit: Reddit is a digital content and community platform monetized through advertising. Yahoo Finance's integration of Commonstock mirrors Reddit's community-driven investment discussion model, and both compete for advertising dollars in similar user attention segments.
• Amazon (Advertising): Amazon competes with Yahoo in the DSP market (one of the ~85% programmatic share controllers), and through its broader consumer internet properties. Walmart Connect's partnership with Yahoo specifically positions Yahoo as a counterweight to Amazon's retail media dominance.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Yahoo
• Facebookfacebook.com/yahoo
• Instagraminstagram.com/yahoo
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/Yahoo
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/yahoo

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors4 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A126 records

Investments26 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Yahoo