Numerous sources have now reported the rumor that NBC is buying Tribe, the struggling social network and classifieds site. paidContent estimates the price at less than $50 million. It seems that NBC is interested in Tribe's technology platform, which it hopes to integrate with iVillage, the social site it acquired earlier this year for $600M.
Tribe was started by entrepreneur Mark Pincus in 2003 - backers have included The Washington Post, Knight Ridder and The Mayfield Fund. The idea was a combination of Friendster and Craigslist, but it never really gained much traction - especially after Pincus stepped down as the CEO.
If NBC is trying to catch up with News Corp, they're failing badly. MySpace is a massive platform with huge mainstream appeal: Tribe is just another mediocre social network.