Myspace, the platform Facebook dethroned nearly two decades ago, is planning a full relaunch, this time as an anti-algorithm alternative built to hand control back to users.
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Myspace confirms return
According to CNBC and Fox Business, brothers Tim and Chris Vanderhook, who have owned Myspace since 2011 through Viant Technology, confirmed the plans in a 2026 documentary titled Myspace, directed by Tommy Avallone.
“We still own Myspace. We are stewards of the Myspace brand at this point, and we are going to relaunch Myspace. We’re just waiting for the right time to do it,” Tim Vanderhook said in the film. “And if that one doesn’t work, we’ll do it again.”
The revived platform leans on reduced algorithmic curation, customisable profiles and a chronological feed populated by people users actually follow, not content a machine recommends. Think Top 8 friends. Think profile songs.
Before Facebook, there was Myspace
Myspace peaked in 2008 with around 115 million monthly visitors before Facebook overtook it. The Vanderhooks bought it from News Corp in 2011 for roughly $35 million (down from the $580 million Rupert Murdoch paid in 2005) and quickly attempted a rebuild. It failed.
“It just became an onslaught of losses,” Tim said. “We lost a little over $150 million,” Chris added.
The timing may work in their favour. Platforms like Bluesky and Mastodon have already capitalised on anti-algorithm sentiment. But Kate Winick, a principal analyst at Forrester, told CNBC that nostalgia alone won’t sustain meaningful growth.
There’s also a regulatory wrinkle: the EU’s Digital Services Act already forces large platforms to offer a chronological, non-personalised feed, undercutting Myspace’s core pitch before it even launches.
No launch date has been set, and Myspace co-founder Tom Anderson, who sold his stake in 2005, isn’t expected to be involved.
Originally published by Cape{town}etc.
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