Mainstream Media (media group)

Mainstream Media Limited
Privately held company
Industry News media
Founded Bahrain (17 November 1996 (1996-11-17))
Headquarters United Kingdom
Area served
 Worldwide
Products Global network of news portals
Services News publishing
Parent Big News Network
Website www.themainstreammedia.com

Mainstream Media is a digital News media organization founded in 1996, that operates multiple news portals specific to the regions, countries and major cities in the world.[1][2][3]

Operation

The group was founded as a news distribution portal in 1996 in Manama, Bahrain. Mainstream Media claims it has progressively developed its network using the latest cutting edge technology, software innovations and interactive social media.[1][4][5]

Mainstream Media may have pioneered the development of news sites on a global basis.[6][7] It began registering generic news domain names with the news.net extension in 1999, picking up names for every available location.[8] According to Website Informer the company's ten most popular sites are The Las Vegas News.Net, Britain News.Net, The Japan News.Net, Asia Pacific News.Net, Pakistan News.Net, Brazil News.Net, Israel News.Net, Nepal News.Net, Australian News.Net and Indonesia News.Net.[9]

The group's network includes the oldest Philippines news site on the Web, Philippines News.Net. Reflecting the global nature of the readership of Mainstream's sites, Philippines News.Net is also one of two sites recommended by the Canadian Foreign Affairs Ministry on its website offering information for Canadians visiting the Philippines.[10]

Part of the news content displayed on the group's sites is drawn from Big news Network, while content is also obtained on a contract basis from other news agencies, and its own in-house journalists. The group has a stated objective of expanding its own unique content.[11]

History

Mainstream Media EC was incorporated in Bahrain on 17 November 1996. In November 2013 the company name changed to Mainstream Media Limited following a company restructure and the incorporation of the new entity in the United Kingdom.[12]

Development

With the ownership of Mainstream Media being Australian,[13] the initial site launched was Australian News.Net. New Zealand News.Net followed. By the end of 1999 the group had established sites for all countries in Asia including China News.Net, Singapore News.Net, Hong Kong News.Net, Thailand News.Net, Indonesia News.Net, and Pakistan News.Net. The inventory also included city sites such as Beijing News.Net, Shanghai News.Net, Seoul News.Net, Bangkok News.Net, Mumbai News.Net and Taipei News.Net. With events heating up in the Middle East, Israel News.Net, Palestinian News.Net and Middle East News.Net followed, then the network extended to the United States with US News.Net, New York City News.Net, Miami News.Net, Chicago News.Net, Los Angeles News.Net, and Houston News.Net among others coming on stream. In all, more than 60 of the group's sites are U.S. sites. Europe News.Net was then established together with a string of sites related to European countries and cities. Surprisingly Mainstream appears to own news.net domain names for almost all regions, countries and cities around the world.[14]

11 September 2001

The group's Afghanistan news website attracted hundreds of thousands of unique visitors in the immediate aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the United States, largely because of the understanding Osama bin Laden had launched the attacks from his base in Afghanistan. Afghanistan News.Net received thousands of angry and abusive emails and posts on its chat board, while hackers eventually took the site down, which resulted in the entire Mainstream Media network going down.[15] The United States Library of Congress included Afghanistan News.Net in its 11 September Web Archive of sites portraying expressions of individuals, groups, media and institutions in the wake of the 11 September attacks.[16]

Afghanistan News.Net is also a selected Internet resource on Afghanistan for Berkeley Library.[17]

Servers domain name hijacking

In August 2006 Mainstream Media's two hundred news portals went offline for several days when the domain name on which its Toronto-based servers were hosted was stolen and sold on eBay for $20,000. Mainstream sued several parties in California where the domain, www.fm.net, was registered. Shortly before the case was concluded the 'buyer' transferred the domain name to Afriregister S.A., a little-known domain name registry in Burundi, in Africa, which took the case out of the United States District Court for the Northern District of California jurisdiction.[18]

New South Wales, Australia Police investigated the theft of the domain name and arrested a former Mainstream employee working in the company's Sydney office who had hacked into Mainstream's computer system and transferred the domain to a fictitious person in July 2006. A month later the man sold the domain on eBay for $20,000. He was convicted and sentenced to community service and ordered to pay restitution of $25,800. The money was never paid.[19] Today Mainstream uses its corporate site to host its servers.[20]

Interaction with social media

Mainstream Media's sites are linked to major Social Media Networks reflecting the immense on-going change in news publishing, packaging and distribution taking place today, where news is not only being consumed – but is being shared, and added to – and where the biggest growth in traffic for news sites is coming from social media referrals.[6][21]

Affiliations

Mainstream Media was a forerunner to a broader enlarged group which brought in Big News Network around 2000 and led to the establishment of a network of online newspapers in collaboration with Midwest Radio Network beginning in 2002. At one point in 1999 Mainstream Media through a holding company owned just under 5% of ASX-listed public company Midwest Radio Limited, in which Midwest Radio Network also had a shareholding (39%).[22]

Network

Regional sites

  • The Africa News.Net – covers the African Continent
  • The Asia News.Net – early 1999 publication focused on the region
  • Asia Pacific News.Net – covers Japan, Philippines, Korea, China, Taiwan and Pacific nations
  • Britain News.Net – Great Britain site with main focus on England
  • Caribbean News.Net – displays news from individual island nations in the Caribbean Sea
  • Central America News.Net – focuses on El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Guatemala, Costa Rica and Belize
  • Central Asia News.Net – covers states bounded by the Caspian Sea, China, Russia and Afghanistan
  • Europe News.Net – displays regional and national news from across the European Union
  • Latin America News.Net – covers Spanish and Portuguese-speaking countries in the Americas
  • Middle East News.Net – reports on the Mideast and GCC countries
  • North America News.Net – covers Canada, Mexico and the United States
  • South America News.Net – news resource for the 16 countries of the region
  • Southeast Asia News.Net – long-established regional news site
  • US News.Net – composite site focused on the United States

Country sites

  • Afghanistan News.Net – historical news site recognized by the Library of Congress
  • Argentina News.Net – publishes news for and about the Argentine Republic
  • Australian News.Net – group's first site, came online in 1999
  • Azerbaijan News.Net – provides coverage of Central Asia and its largest country
  • Bahamas News.Net – portal servicing the Bahamas and the capital Nassau
  • Bahrain News.Net – site dedicated to the company's country of incorporation
  • Bangladesh News.Net – comprehensive news resource serving Bangladesh in South Asia
  • Barbados News.Net – reporting principally about the capital Bridgetown
  • Brazil News.Net – displays extensive news coverage from across Brazil
  • Brunei News.Net – one of the company's earlier sites, covers Brunei in Southeast Asia
  • Cambodia News.Net – includes coverage of the region as well as the Kingdom of Cambodia
  • Canada News.Net – publishes news from around the provinces, cities and the country
  • China News.Net – extensive news reports from around China and key cities
  • The Cuba News.Net – decade-old site covering Cuba, its largest city and capital Havana
  • Denmark News.Net – national news with a main focus on Copenhagen
  • Dominican Republic News.Net – publishes news of the capital Santo Domingo and the country
  • Egypt News.Net – frequented news site covering Egypt
  • El Salvador News.Net – current news of El Salvador and its capital San Salvador
  • The Fiji News.Net – one of the few independent news portals covering Fiji
  • France News.Net – portal focused on the largest country in Western Europe
  • Germany News.Net – online publication dedicated to the world's fourth largest economy
  • Guatemala News.Net – covers the country and the capital Guatemala City
  • Haiti News.Net – updates news from around Haiti and the Caribbean
  • Honduras News.Net – generates current news from Tegucigalpa and the rest of the republic
  • India's News.Net – news portal servicing the world's second most populous country
  • Indonesia News.Net – purveyor of national news from Indonesia since 1999
  • The Iran News.Net – long-established publication focused on the Islamic Republic
  • Iraq News.Net – reporting the news prior to, and since, the March 2003 invasion
  • Ireland News.Net – covers Ireland and news of Irish interest from around the world
  • Israel News.Net – relaying news about the Jewish state and the Middle East region since 2000
  • The Italy News.Net – features all the news from this country in Southern Europe
  • Jamaica News.Net – produces online news for the nation and its capital Kingston
  • The Japan News.Net – long-established site servicing Japan and East Asia
  • Jordan News.Net – publishes news from this Arab kingdom on the Jordan River
  • Kazakhstan News.Net – regional resource focused on the republic
  • Kenya News.Net – relays national news from around the nation and East Africa
  • Kyrgyzstan News.Net – coverage of Kyrgyzstan with a particular emphasis on Bishkek
  • Laos News.Net – focal point for this site is Vientiane, the capital
  • Lebanon News.Net – national news service for Lebanon in the East Mediterranean
  • Liberia News.Net – publishing news to English-speaking Liberia and its capital Monrovia
  • Malaysia News.Net – concentrates on Malaysia in Southeast Asia
  • Mexico News.Net – delivers news about Mexico to national and global readers
  • Mongolia News.Net – established in 1999, this site covers the country and the capital Ulan Bator
  • Morocco News.Net – from North Africa covers the country's capital Rabat and largest city Casablanca
  • Myanmar News.Net – legacy site for Myanmar (Burma), established in 1999
  • Nepal News.Net – streams news from this landlocked nation in South Asia
  • Netherlands News.Net – composite site with breaking news from Amsterdam and The Hague
  • New Zealand News.Net – focuses on the capital Wellington and the country's largest city Auckland
  • Nigerian News.Net – serves Nigeria in West Africa, the capital Abuja and largest city Lagos
  • North Korean News.Net – long-time resource for news about North Korea
  • Pakistan News.Net – 1999 vintage portal devoted to Pakistan in South Asia
  • Palestinian News.Net – taking in happenings in Ramallah and Gaza since 2000
  • Philippines News.Net – oldest Philippines online news site on the Web
  • Russia News.Net – national news resource for the world's largest country geographically
  • Saudi Arabia News.Net – breaks news from Saudi Arabia and the Arabian Peninsula
  • Sierra Leone News.Net – updates Sierra Leone news and headlines from West Africa
  • Singapore News.Net – provides current headlines from around the country
  • South Africa News.Net – resource for news about the country, Johannesburg, Cape Town and Pretoria
  • South Korea News.Net – encompasses the southern half of the Korean Peninsula with news primarily from Seoul
  • Spain News.Net – dedicated to Spain and bigger cities including Barcelona and the capital Madrid
  • Sri Lankan News.Net – covering Sri Lanka formerly known as Ceylon in South Asia
  • Sudan News.Net – focusing on Sudan with major stories from Khartoum
  • Sweden News.Net – presents news from Stockholm, Sweden and Scandinavia
  • Switzerland News.Net – tracks Swiss news from around the nation's bigger cities
  • Taiwan's News.Net – extends to the Taiwan borders and takes in Taipei
  • Tajikistan News.Net – reporting from and about the lands of the Tajiks since 1999
  • Thailand News.Net – comprehensive source for news for this South Asian nation
  • Trinidad News.Net – national news provider for the twin-island nation of Trinidad and Tobago
  • The Turkey News.Net – coverage extends from the capital Ankara to the country's biggest city Istanbul
  • Turkmenistan News.Net – focuses on Turkmenistan in Central Asia
  • UAE News.Net – covers the seven emirates
  • Uganda News.Net – news service for the Republic of Uganda from Kampala
  • United Kingdom News.Net – coverage of England, Scotland, Wales) and Northern Ireland
  • United States News.Net – national site covering the country and its major cities
  • Uzbekistan News.Net – established 8 years after Uzbekistan separated from the Soviet Union
  • Venezuela News.Net – frequented Venezuelan news site with coverage of Caracas
  • Vietnam News.Net – serving the capital Hanoi and largest city Ho Chi Minh City
  • Zambia News.Net – displays current news from Zambia in southern Africa with a key focus on Lusaka
  • Zimbabwe News.Net – covering Zimbabwe and the capital Harare

International city sites

  • Abu Dhabi News.Net – portal updating news from the UAE capital
  • Amsterdam News.Net – focuses on the Dutch capital with a broader national perspective
  • Auckland News.Net – updating news from the city and across the Auckland metropolitan area
  • Bangkok News.Net – reports from the city and the wider Bangkok Metropolitan Region
  • Barcelona News.Net – services Barcelona, Spain's second largest city
  • Beijing News.Net –news from around Beijing supplemented by national coverage
  • Bombay News.Net – established in 1999 this site covers Bombay and the broader state of Maharashtra
  • Brisbane News.Net – presents current news from Brisbane, Australia
  • Buenos Aires News.Net – publisher of news about the city and the Greater Buenos Aires area
  • Cairo News.Net – covers the city of Cairo and national stories from across Egypt
  • Calcutta News.Net – comprehensive site for Calutta and West Bengal
  • Copenhagen News.Net – local news site with additional reporting from around Denmark
  • Delhi News.Net – focuses on Delhi, India's largest city
  • Dubai News.Net – extensive news resource for Dubai and the United Arab Emirates
  • Dublin News.Net – breaks news from the city of Dublin and Ireland
  • Edinburgh News.Net – online news site devoted to Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland
  • Hong Kong News.Net – relays news of Hong Kong and Mainland China
  • Jakarta News.Net – serving the Indonesian capital and largest city
  • Johannesburg News.Net –portal concentrating on Joburg and South Africa
  • Karachi News.Net – servicing the largest metropolitan city in Pakistan
  • Kolkata News.Net – displays news from the city with additional coverage of India
  • Kuala Lumpur News.Net – includes local city, national, regional and international news
  • The London News.Net –news portal servicing the city, England and the UK
  • Macau News.Net – publication focused on Macau, includes headlines from China
  • Manchester News.Net – purveyor of news from the city and Greater Manchester
  • Manila News.Net – historic site covering the Philippines capital and Metro Manila
  • Melbourne News.Net – news of the city, the state of Victoria, and Australia
  • Mexico City News.Net – coverage of Mexico City, the nation and region
  • Montreal News.Net – publishes news from the largest city in Quebec
  • Moscow News.Net – online news site devoted to the Russian capital
  • Mumbai News.Net –updates news from metropolitan Mumbai and surrounds
  • New Delhi News.Net – capital of India news portal, online since 1999
  • Osaka News.Net –coverage of the third largest city in Japan
  • Paris News.Net –news from this global city on the River Seine in the north of France
  • Perth News.Net – covers the city with news of Western Australia and the nation at large
  • Rio de Janeiro News.Net – publication concentrating on the city and state of Rio de Janeiro
  • Scotland News.Net – news from major cities Aberdeen, Edinburgh the capital, and Glasgow
  • Seoul News.Net – online news site covering the capital city of South Korea
  • Shanghai News.Net – provides news from Shanghai, the most populous city in China
  • St Petersburg News.Net – news portal focusing on the second largest city in Russia
  • StockholmNews.Net – presents local and national news from the largest city in Sweden and Scandinavia
  • The Sydney News.Net – historic site concentrates on Australia's biggest city
  • Taipei News.Net – headlines news about Taipei and from across Taiwan
  • The Tokyo News.Net – publisher of news about the Greater Tokyo Area, the largest metropolis in the world
  • Toronto News.Net – updates news from Toronto, and Canada
  • Vancouver News.Net – covers the city, the Greater Vancouver area and British Columbia

U.S. city sites

References

  1. 1 2 "AME Info Directory", AMEinfo.com, Retrieved 13 September 2013.
  2. ↑ World Press. "World Newspapers and Magazines". Retrieved 18 March 2013.
  3. ↑ Konrad-Adenaver-Stiftung. "Media Programme Asia". Retrieved 20 March 2013.
  4. ↑ "United Arab Emirates News Media Guide". NewsWealth.com. Retrieved 20 March 2013.
  5. ↑ "Myanmar Publishing Company". Publishing Directory Asia. Retrieved 21 March 2013.
  6. 1 2 Wikidweb. "Wiki directory of the web". Retrieved 21 March 2013.
  7. ↑ "Bahrain Business Directory", Bahrain Yellow, retrieved 13 Sep 2013.
  8. ↑ PRLog. "Mainstream Media broadens news sources". Retrieved 21 March 2013.
  9. ↑ "10 most popular domains of this owner", website.informer, Retrieved 13 September 2013.
  10. ↑ "Cultural Information – Philippines ", Center for Intercultural Learning, Retrieved 13 September 2013.
  11. ↑ "Mainstream Media broadens news sources", PRLog, 20 March 2013, Retrieved 13 September 2013.
  12. ↑ "Mainstream Media Corporate Information", Mainstream Media, Retrieved 13 September 2013.
  13. ↑ "Business Listings", Yelp, Inc., Retrieved 13 September 2013.
  14. ↑ "News Net Directory", News Net Directory of Sites, Retrieved 13 September 2013.
  15. ↑ Afghanistan News.net. "About Afghanistan News.Net". Retrieved 11 April 2013.
  16. ↑ Library of Congress. "September 11 Web Archive". Retrieved 11 April 2013.
  17. ↑ "Afghanistan and the US: selected internet resources ", Berkeley Library, Retrieved 13 September 2013.
  18. ↑ Justia. "United States District Court" (PDF). Retrieved 24 March 2013.
  19. ↑ Justia.com. "Mainstream Media, EC, V Peter Riven, et al" (PDF). Retrieved 24 March 2013.
  20. ↑ Who.pho.to. "Who's behind that website?". Retrieved 24 March 2013.
  21. ↑ "News distribution in the age of social discovery". University of Oxford. Retrieved 18 April 2013.
  22. ↑ "ASX Announcements", Australian Securities Exchange, 27 October 1999, Retrieved 21 September 2013.
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