Business Promotion acquires Internet Marketing NewsWatch from Nroo

July 6, 2011 — Fusion DigiNet

Business Promotion, Inc. has acquired Internet Marketing NewsWatch from Nroo, Inc. Internet Marketing NewsWatch is an online news source for Internet marketing. Business Promotion has acquired the website, its associated newsletter and related assets.

Since 2006, IM NewsWatch has provided news of the Internet marketing industry, covering regulatory announcements, announcements by search engines, and other major service providers, as well as excerpts from blogs of note. IM NewsWatch also reports news about e-business, e-commerce, blogging, industry leaders and experts, new e-business and Internet marketing product launches, new seminars/teleseminars/webinars, as well as what’s new in authority IM e-zines and publications.

Maher Mograbi, president of Nroo, Inc., commented, “We have enjoyed operating IM NewsWatch and providing this news service to the IM community. However, we have other projects planned and felt that IM NewsWatch could better fulfill its mission if others were at the helm. We are pleased that Business Promotion and its president, Phil Cullum, accepted the leadership of this respected news source.”

Business Promotion, Inc.’s other ventures include http://ConversationsWithMarketers.com and http://WirelessSalesPros.com.

USa, Gardnerville, NV & Lexington, KY

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Net Communities acquires Podcast Voices and Video

July 6, 2011 — Fusion DigiNet

Net Communities has acquired Podcast Voices and Video, a production business specialising in the production of online audio and video.  Podcast Voices was established in 2005 when the word Podcast had just been invented, since then its clients have included leading advertising agencies and brands such as Lonely Planet, Sunday Times Destinations Show, MPH / Top Gear Live and Imago Tech Media (UCExpo/IPExpo). Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Podcast Voices Production Director and former shareholder said: “We are very excited about becoming a part of the Net Communities family, we have years of experience in producing online audio and video for a range of great clients, this move now gives us the opportunity to extend our offering to include the marketing and promotion of the audio and video programmes we create for our clients.  In addition we will now bring our skills in-house to enable the launch of sites like www.TechBuff.com, Net Communities new Photo and Video reviews site.”

Andy Evans Managing Director of Net Communities added “Wayne and his team are highly skilled in online audio and video production, we’ve used their services many times for bespoke projects created for clients like Sony Ericsson www.idealdayout.com and even for our own home page animated video.  I’m over the moon that we can now deliver in-house audio and video productions when creating innovative marketing solutions for our clients.”

UK, London

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Specific Media has acquired Myspace from News Corporation

June 30, 2011 — Fusion DigiNet

Digital media business Specific Media has acquired Myspace from News Corporation. As part of the agreement, News Corp will take a minority equity stake in Specific Media. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. However, it is being widely reported that News Corp sold Myspace for just $35 million in cash and equity. That’s a fraction of the $580 million that they paid to acquire the site six years ago when Myspace was the fifth-most-popular destination on the Internet, and well shy of its one-time $65 billion valuation.

“Myspace is a recognized leader that has pioneered the social media space. The company has transformed the ways in which audiences discover, consume and engage with content online,” said Tim Vanderhook, Specific Media CEO. “There are many synergies between our companies as we are both focused on enhancing digital media experiences by fueling connections with relevance and interest. We look forward to combining our platforms to drive the next generation of digital innovation.”

Specific Media is headquartered in Irvine, CA. It was founded in 1999 by brothers Tim, Chris and Russell Vanderhook.

As part of the deal, Emmy and Grammy winning artist Justin Timberlake will take an ownership stake and play a major role in developing the creative direction and strategy for the company moving forward. Specific Media and Timberlake plan to unveil their vision for the site in a press conference later this summer.

USA, Irvine, CA & Beverly Hills, CA

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Centaur Media plc to be restructured and to sell off some titles

June 30, 2011 — Fusion DigiNet

Centaur Media plc, the business information and events group, has announced today that the Group is being restructured into three main operating divisions: Business Publishing, Business Information and Exhibitions.

As part of the process New Media Age and Design Week will become digital only publications: The Ascent B2B portfolio is being sold to Ascent director Derek Rogers: The Logistics and Supply Chain and Recruiter portfolios are to be sold as are the two monthly engineering titles, MWP and Process Engineering.

Read the announcement here

paidContent have published CEO Geoff Wilmott’s memo to staff – here

The Group will publish a year end trading update on 14 July 2011.

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SPARK Ventures sells half its stake in Mind Candy valuing the business as US$200m

June 29, 2011 — Fusion DigiNet

SPARK Ventures has sold half of its stake in Mind Candy, the makers of kids pet monster games website moshimonsters.com, for $3.1 million. It values the business at US$200m based on the price paid for SPARK Ventures shares.

Moshimonsters has over 50m registered players worldwide, has successfully launched the sale of physical monster toys in major toy shops and launched the Moshimonsters magazine. Moshimonsters has a significant American and international client base. Mind Candy is headquartered in London and has around 70 staff.

Thomas Teichman, Chairman of SPARK Venture Management Ltd (which manages all SPARK’s assets) and Director of Mind Candy Inc. said ” At start up we backed the brilliantly creative and visionary founder of Mind Candy, Michael Acton Smith, in 2004, and are impressed and delighted by its rapid growth and popularity among children in over 180 countries. Its the second time we have successfully backed the founder in the last 12 years having backed Firebox.com, a successful B to C business, also at start up by Michael in 1999.”

UK, London

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News Corporation pays A$45 million for Kidspot

June 29, 2011 — Fusion DigiNet

According to the Australian Financial Review, News Corporation has paid an estimated $45 million (Australian) for Kidspot, which runs websites for expectant and new parents.

Kidspot was established by Katie May and underwritten by the former lord mayor of Melbourne, Irving Rockman, who passed away last year.  John Hartigan, chief executive of News Corp’s Australian business, News Limited, said the deal would make News “the leading player in the highly valuable online parenting market.”

Australia, Melbourne

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UK: RBI’s Variety Group to acquire TVtracker

June 29, 2011 — Fusion DigiNet

Variety Group, a division of Reed Business Information US,  has signed off a deal to buy online information provider, TVtracker. Terms of the deal have not been disclosed.

TVtracker is a premium entertainment research and data tracking service covering TV, film and the digital entertainment business for more than 250 leading brands in entertainment and media.

Variety Group president Neil Stiles said: “This is a major step forward for the organisation’s expansion, with research and data services a centrepiece of Variety’s online strategy.”

Neil added: “Variety aims to provide business information that is integrated into the desktop of industry executives.”

TVTracker’s founder Mark Hoebich will continue to oversee the operation, reporting into Neil.

Variety digital general manager Jennifer Collins said: “We anticipate being the market leader for not just TV, but also film data and information in the next year.”

USA, Los Angeles, CA

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bNET Communications acquires GoMo News

June 29, 2011 — Fusion DigiNet
bNET Communications has acquired the mobile-industry online blog site, GoMo News. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

“The acquisition of GoMo News brings together two well-known, respected brands in mobile to create a content powerhouse,” said Tony Sklar, COO and Host of bNET Communications. “Strategically growing the bNET brand required a daily mechanism to deliver content, which we have with GoMo News, and our goal now will be maximizing the value of both brands.”

GoMo News was founded in 2006 to provide news and analysis on the mobile industry, with an emphasis on mobile search and social networking, mobile advertising, and mobile barcodes. It has more than one million readers, a daily newsletter, and a mobile application.

USA, New York, NY

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LivingSocial acquires Ensogo, DealKeren and GoNabit

June 29, 2011 — Fusion DigiNet

Social commerce site  LivingSocial has acquired Ensogo, a shopping deal site in Thailand and the Philippines; DealKeren, an Ensogo company based in Indonesia; and GoNabit, a daily another deal business with a presence in four Middle Eastern countries. Terms of the deals were not released.

These three acquisitions bring the total number of countries in which LivingSocial operates to 21. Ensogo, with members in the Philippines, Thailand and Indonesia, marks the first LivingSocial acquisition in Asia.

“As with previous acquisitions, LivingSocial has again chosen to align with local companies that possess similar values and ways of doing business,” said Tim O’Shaughnessy, CEO and co-founder, LivingSocial. “We are excited to enter the dynamic Asian market and our presence in the Middle East and the Netherlands further strengthens our strategic global efforts to bring LivingSocial values to members across the globe.”

Launched in June 2010, Ensogo is a social shopping website in Thailand, Philippines, and Indonesia and currently serves more than 800,000 members. Ensogo is backed by Rebate Networks, an international VC specialising in the social commerce space.

GoNabit was co-founded by Dan Stuart and Sohrab Jahanbani in January 2010 and is based in United Arab Emirates. The site also presents offers, suitable for children and parents alike, with Dubai Family, as well as travel-specific deals through GoNabit Getaways. In addition to being the first group-buying site in the Middle East/North Africa, GoNabit is the first company of its kind to offer deals in Arabic. It has members in Abu Dhabi, Amman, Dubai, Beirut, Cairo and Sharjah Ajman.

USA, Washington DC, Thailand, Philippines and Indonesia, & United Arab Emirates

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EMAP’s annual report for year ended 31 December 2010 – Highlights

June 28, 2011 — Fusion DigiNet

EMAP International Limited, the media business jointly owned by funds managed by Apax Partners Europe Managers Ltd and Guardian Media Group plc, has published its annual report to year ending 31st December. During the prior period the Group changed its year-end from the 31 March to 31 December. Wherever possible this Fusion DigiNet article compares the 12 month performances of years ending March 2009 and March 2010.

Highlights

  • Operating profit before amortisation of intangible assets and exceptional items was £81m, (9 month period ended 31 December 2009: £58m)
  • Sales were £244m (9 month period ended 31 December 2009: £164m).

The group saw revenue and profit grow in its two largest divisions: online intelligence and exhibitions and festivals. It also saw strong growth in its smaller Middle East unit.

However, these gains were offset by reductions elsewhere relating to spending in the UK public sector, especially in health and local government. This impacted trading in the Group’s publishing division which saw a marked year on year reduction in spending in public sector recruitment advertising and in its conference unit which saw lower delegate attendees to its one day event programmes serving public sector interests.

The year on year revenue reduction from these two public sector related sources amounted to £10m. Growth in the rest of the business brought the Group’s total revenue back within 1% of the prior year total.

 Acquisition Activity

The Group made three acquisitions during the year. In September 2010 100% of the share capital of Best Energy Event Ltd and related magazines was acquired for £2.6m. The company runs the Energy Event and Water, Energy & Environment, a magazine in the same sector. In November 2010 the Group acquired the remaining stake in Broadcast Video Expo for £1.8 million, bringing ownership up to 100%. In December 2010 the Futuresource Event was acquired for £2.1m. Futuresource operates in the same sector as Recycling and Waste Management and the two exhibitions will be combined.

Emap sold its investment in its Professional Beauty assets to a new joint venture in which it retains a beneficial holding. A loss of £17m was realised on the disposal, however, Emap has retained the brand which is licensed to the new joint venture.

Cash flow and debt

The Group remains highly cash generative, generating £53m, (9 month period ended 31 December 2009: £45m) net cash inflow before financing activities. Cash generation accelerated in 2010, leading to a higher level of operating cash flows of £78m (9 month period ended 31 December 2009: £41m).

Performance of the five divisions

  • EMAP Inform – generated revenues of £53m (year ended 31 December 2009: £60m)
  • EMAP Data and Insight – generated revenues of £80m (year ended 31 December 2009: £78m)
  • EMAP Connect – generated revenues of £78m (year ended 31 December 2009: £77m)
  • EMAP Networks – generated revenues of £14m (year to 31 December 2009: £17m)
  • EMAP Middle East – generated revenues of £19m (year ended 31 December 2009: £17m)

Read the full report here.

UK, London

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