The Oprah Factor: Skype Edition
Internet telephony and video service Skype has experienced a surge in worldwide subscribers and plenty of publicity since its launch five years ago but one of the biggest weapons in its PR arsenal recently has been Oprah Winfrey. The company's CEO Josh Silverman told the Congressional Internet Caucus's State of the Net conference on Wednesday that the talk show queen is passionate about his product and uses Skype regularly on her television program.
Winfrey uses the software's computer-based video calling capability to bring viewers and guests onto her show remotely. In the past, she would have had to spend money and resources on a satellite feed, he said during an on-stage lunchtime chat with Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., who co-chairs the caucus with Rep. Rick Boucher, D-Va. Silverman also noted that many local news outlets used Skype, which was acquired by Internet auction giant eBay in 2005 for $2.6 billion, at the Democratic and Republican national conventions last summer.
Silverman, whose company's main issue on Capitol Hill is network neutrality, has not been impacted much by the global economic downturn. "Our user metrics are growing quickly -- faster now than a year ago," he said. Skype has more than 370 million registered users globally and is used in almost every country on Earth. Additionally, users have made 100 billion minutes worth of free Skype-to-Skype calls, according to the company's Web site.
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