The Internet was supposed to cut out the middleman. And yet in online advertising, the middleman is bigger than ever. Microsoft, Google, and Yahoo have spent billions of dollars buying online-ad networks which broker banners. Now we hear Tribal Fusion, the sixth-largest online-ad network, may be on the block for $800 million to $900 million. No word on the buyer yet. But we note that Goodby Silverstein, an arm of the Omnicom ad holding company, ran a test with the Emeryville-based company and got "freakishly high" click-through rates. Does that mean Tribal Fusion deserves a freakishly high payday?

Contact information for this author is not available.