Six Apart Acquires NaturalPath Media

June 7, 2010 — Fusion DigiNet

Media company Six Apart has acquired NaturalPath Media an online advertising and media network for sustainable, healthy, and conscious lifestyles. The terms of the deal were not disclosed.

“NaturalPath Media is a valuable addition to the Six Apart Media network and strengthens our ability to help marketers reach highly influential green and healthy living consumers while they are engaging with content and conversations that are important to them,” said Chris Alden, CEO and Chairman of Six Apart. “By joining the Six Apart Media program NaturalPath Media publishing partners will be able to generate more revenue and increase traffic through our innovative conversational marketing programs which are sponsored by well known brands seeking to build awareness for their sustainability and cause-driven initiatives.”

NaturalPath Media was founded in 2006. It has a network of 200 publishers spans categories such as Eating Well, Eco Moms & Family, Green Living, Health & Wellness and Eco Tech and includes premium sites such as www.DrGreene.com, www.GreenLivingIdeas.com, www.ScientificAmerican.com and www.EcoSalon.com.

Location: USA, San Francisco, CA

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Lagardere acquires BEST (Blue Entertainment Sports Television)

June 7, 2010 — Fusion DigiNet

Paris based global media group Lagardere SCA through newly branded Lagardere Unlimited has acquired BEST (Blue Entertainment Sports Television), the sports and entertainment affiliate owned and operated as a portfolio company of Kentucky based private equity firm Blue Equity, LLC. The terms of the deal were not disclosed.

BEST is a unified, full-service sports and entertainment marketing, management and production firm.  BEST originally acquired the tennis, events and television/media divisions from Live Nation in August 2006, and has made multiple acquisitions thereafter in football, college sports, basketball and experiential properties.

Formerly headquartered in Louisville, KY, BEST currently has several offices, including locations in New York City, Beverly Hills and Washington, DC.  Besides its client roster  of professional athletes, entertainers and media personalities, BEST produces, owns and operates several high profile signature events and retains the television, production and distribution rights to several major sporting events worldwide. 

Location: USA, Louisville, KY & France, Paris

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Ziff Davis acquired by Vivek Shah and Great Hill Partners

June 6, 2010 — Fusion DigiNet

It’s almost 3 and a half years since troubled technology publisher Ziff Davis first tried to sell itself. If you want to follow the whole saga, paidContent have published a useful Ziff Davis’ Sale: A History In Links.

Ziff Davis has now been acquired. The buyer is former Time Inc. executive Vivek Shah in partnership with Boston-based investment firm Great Hill Partners.

The announcement says that the acquisition represents the first step in building a new digital media company that specializes in producing and distributing content for consumers making important buying decisions.

The nine Ziff Davis properties being acquired are PCMag.com, ExtremeTech, GearLog, GoodCleanTech, DL.tv, AppScout, CrankyGeeks, Smart Device Central and TechSaver.com, which reach over 7 million users per month.

“This is an unusual opportunity to acquire a recognized category leader with a very deep team of talent that has already fully transitioned to digital,” said Shah, who begins today as CEO of the new Ziff Davis. “Ziff Davis is an incredible foundation off which to build an exciting new digital media company focused on delivering fantastic content to our audience and unprecedented opportunities to marketers.”

GCA Savvian Advisors acted as exclusive financial advisor to Ziff Davis on this transaction. Specific financial terms of the acquisition are not being disclosed.

USA, NEW YORK, NY

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BSkyB acquires Virgin Media Television

June 6, 2010 — Fusion DigiNet

British Sky Broadcasting is acquiring Virgin Media Television (VMtv) from Virgin Media. The acquisition of VMtv involves Sky acquiring LIVING, LIVINGit, Challenge, Challenge Jackpot, Bravo, Bravo 2 and Virgin1. Sky will not license the Virgin brand and will announce the new channel brand for Virgin1 in due course.

Sky are paying a total consideration of up to £160 million in cash, with £105 million paid on completion and the remainder paid following the regulatory process.

Jeremy Darroch, CEO, BSkyB, said: “VMtv is an attractive investment opportunity which complements our existing content business and delivers strategic and financial benefits. We are pleased that, through commercial negotiation, we have been able to ensure wide distribution of our channels to a growing pay TV universe.”

Neil Berkett, CEO, Virgin Media, said: “The sale of our channels business has generated substantial value. Together with the new commercial agreements we’ve announced today, it will allow us to focus more closely on our strategy of exploiting Virgin Media’s super-fast connectivity to offer our customers a range of the very best content through a highly versatile next generation entertainment application.”
Location: UK, Isleworth, Middlesex 

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Hearst Corporation acquires iCrossing

June 6, 2010 — Fusion DigiNet

Hearst Corporation has acquired iCrossing, one of the largest independent digital marketing services providers in the world. Don Scales, president and CEO, iCrossing and all key members of iCrossing management, will continue in their present roles following the transaction’s close. The financial details were not disclosed.

The acquisition gives Hearst extensive global digital marketing capabilities, including paid search, search engine optimization, Web development, mobile and social marketing, and data analytics. iCrossing works with leading companies like Bank of America, Toyota, Travelocity and The Coca-Cola Company to help them connect with customers via digital platforms and increase search effectiveness and consumer engagement. iCrossing will continue to work with and grow its own client base while simultaneously collaborating with other Hearst divisions to bring clients and consumers new and innovative solutions.

Commenting on the deal, Frank A. Bennack, Jr., vice chairman of Hearst said: “Search and online marketing expertise will be an important asset for us as we continue to look for new ways to reach key audiences through digital marketing for our brands and our clients. iCrossing has built a great business and has consistently been recognized as a leader in its field; its strong relationships with top brands and companies are a perfect complement to our own.”

Matthew Petersen, senior vice president of Hearst Magazines, will head a new line of business, Hearst Marketing Services, which will include oversight of iCrossing.

Location: USA, New York, NY & UK, Brighton, West Sussex

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Nielsen plans to raise $1.75 billion through an IPO

June 3, 2010 — Fusion DigiNet

Nielsen Holdings BV, a global information and media company best known as a television ratings and consumer research company, plans to sell up to $1.75 billion in shares in an initial public offering when it floats on the New York Stock Exchange. Full details are available in the S1 regulatory filing – click here.

The filing does not disclose what percentage of the company’s shares are to be sold so the information can not be used to calculate a company valuation.

For the year ending 31 December 2009 Nielsen revenues were $4,808 million ($4,806 million in 2008). Net Loss attributable to Nielsen stockholders were $491 million ($589 million in 2008). The reconciliation from net loss attributable to Nielsen stockholders results in an adjusted EBITDA of $1,312 million ($1,205 million in 2008).

The filing says they have now and will continue to have a significant amount of indebtedness. As of March 31, 2010, they had total indebtedness of $8,558 million. The proceeds from the IPO will be used to help pay down the debt.

The lead underwriters are J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. and Morgan Stanley, along with Credit Suisse Group AG, Deutsche Bank AG, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and Citigroup Inc.

The Company was founded in 1923 by Arthur C. Nielsen, Sr., who invented an approach to measuring competitive sales results that made the concept of “market share” a practical management tool. Nielsen Holdings B.V. is a Dutch private company with limited liability , incorporated under the laws of the Netherlands. The registered office is located at Diemen in the Netherlands. The company headquarters are located in New York, USA. The Nielsen Company B.V. and its subsidiaries were purchased on May 24, 2006 through Nielsen Holdings by a consortium of private equity firms – AlpInvest Partners, The Blackstone Group, The Carlyle Group, Hellman & Friedman, Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. and Thomas H. Lee Partners. Subsequently, Centerview Partners invested in the Company. David Calhoun was appointed Chief Executive Officer in August 2006.

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The Nielsen Company Acquires Video Technology Leader GlanceGuide

June 3, 2010 — Fusion DigiNet

Here’s one we missed from earlier this month.

PRESS RELEASE:  New York, NY and Palo Alto, CA, MAY 4, 2010 – The Nielsen Company has acquired GlanceGuide, a leading video analytics and technology company in Palo Alto, CA.  GlanceGuide’s advanced analytics capabilities have been immediately integrated into Nielsen’s online video measurement tools to deliver more actionable daily insights to media publishers, agencies and advertisers.  Nielsen clients now have access to better understand who is watching online video each day, and how consumers interact with online video content and advertising.

GlanceGuide’s technology provides insights into how consumers interact with the video they watch online.  The acquisition of GlanceGuide enables Nielsen to provide its global clients new and critical business intelligence.   This offering introduces a new and powerful Nielsen metric to the online video advertising industry– the attentiveness score— which aggregates key variables like viewing duration, video visibility, and audio volume to provide a composite ‘score’ for a piece of video content or advertising. This acquisition also comes on the heels of Nielsen’s recent announcement in the U.S. to provide clients, through its “Extended Screen” initiative, with the ability to see how the same piece of content performed on TV versus how it performed online.

In 2009, in response to global client feedback, Nielsen selected GlanceGuide as the technology partner to help streamline the video data collection process.  The integration between Nielsen & GlanceGuide provided clients with a single technology solution that enables audience measurement, advertising effectiveness research, and robust analytics and optimization. When combined with new demographic insights, the newly integrated solution enables media companies and advertisers to understand how different groups of consumers respond to online video and advertising, which in turn can feed into media sales & advertising optimization efforts.

“Nielsen is fully committed to providing our clients with actionable, comprehensive and immediate insights about online video consumption,” explains Dave Osborn, senior vice president of online product leadership for The Nielsen Company. “GlanceGuide is a leader and innovator in video technology and analytics, so this was a natural and exciting extension of Nielsen’s current offerings to the advertising community.”

“This is truly a match where the sum is much greater than the parts,” added GlanceGuide co-founders Indra Mohan and Desikan Jagannathan.    “Our integration with Nielsen will enable media clients to better sell their audience, while providing marketers with the tools to improve the effectiveness of their advertising.” 

About The Nielsen Company

The Nielsen Company is a global information and media company with leading market positions in marketing and consumer information, television and other media measurement, online intelligence, mobile measurement, trade shows and business publications. The privately held company is active in approximately 100 countries, with headquarters in New York, USA. For more information,  please visit www.nielsen.com.

About GlanceGuide
GlanceGuide offers a hosted service for web video analytics that captures and analyzes every video event once viewers hit Play. The service helps clients make decisions on how to optimize and better monetize online video content and ad assets. The results are compiled in interactive reports that display everything from viewing time metrics to demographics. Unique to GlanceGuide is the Attentiveness Score, a single number that quantifies the overall quality of a viewer’s experience with videos and ads.

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Thomson Reuters to Acquire Complinet

June 3, 2010 — Fusion DigiNet

Thomson Reuters is to acquire Complinet, a leading provider of global compliance information solutions for financial services institutions and their advisers. Terms of the deal, expected to close in the second quarter, were not disclosed.

Complinet was founded in 1997. It is headquarted in London, with offices in offices in New York, Sydney, Singapore and Dubai. The company has more than 200 employees.

Complinet services are provided to industry professionals in more than 1,900 firms across 81 countries. Complinet’s services will complement the Thomson Reuters existing professional information and software assets in the global legal and financial markets.

Chris Pilling, Complinet CEO and founder, said the deal with Thomson Reuters is the important next step in Complinet’s natural evolution. “The acquisition by Thomson Reuters will allow Complinet to fully realize its vision, backed by the reach and resources of Thomson Reuters,” he said. “Current customers will only see improvements to the unique services and quality they have come to expect from Complinet. Moving forward, we will see the true potential of this business when aligned with the scale and global footprint of Thomson Reuters.”

Pilling will continue to lead Complinet and the business will continue to serve its clients as before. Pilling will report to Peter Warwick, chief executive officer of Thomson Reuters, Legal, and will work closely with businesses pan-Thomson Reuters to fully leverage current global regulatory compliance assets within both the Markets and Professional divisions.

Location: USA, New York & UK, London

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National Association of Corporate Directors to Acquire Directorship

June 3, 2010 — Fusion DigiNet

The National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD), an organisation dedicated to exemplary board leadership, is to acquire the assets of Directorship LLC which include NACD Directorship Magazine, www.directorship.com, the Global Boardroom Forum and the Directorship 100 Forum – media properties celebrating the most influential people in the boardroom and board governance. The transaction is expected to be completed by the end of June 2010. Directorship LLC provides corporate governance news, research, and boardroom intelligence for directors of public companies.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

“As the current environment is rapidly changing and expanding the needs of directors, the new combined organization will enable us to better leverage our intellectual capital and extend our service leadership position with our members, business partners and stakeholders,” said Ken Daly, President & CEO, NACD.  “NACD is dedicated to improving our members’ knowledge, skills and performance.  Bringing together our resources with Directorship’s, will further extend NACD’s position as the Voice of the Director.”

“We at Directorship are excited about our future with NACD as one organization in which leading board directors can more easily access the widest range of resources in the areas of director education, corporate governance news, and boardroom research. The combination will clearly enhance NACD’s role as the go-to partner for directors seeking to build a more dynamic board culture and drive efficiency and effectiveness in the boardroom,” said Jeffrey M. Cunningham, CEO, Directorship. In the new organization, Jeff Cunningham is to become a managing director and senior advisor to Ken Daly, President & CEO, NACD.

Location: USA, Washington, MA

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Centaur Media has acquired for Taxbriefs £1.9 million

June 2, 2010 — Fusion DigiNet

Centaur Media PLC has acquired Taxbriefs Holdings Ltd for a consideration of £1.9 million, payable in cash.
  
Taxbriefs is a leading provider of tax information and advice to the retail financial products community. It produces a variety of paid for financial publications and content-based marketing support materials for independent financial advisers (IFAs), life and pension companies, financial examination providers and tax specialists. Taxbriefs also organizes a number of technical conferences.

Taxbriefs was founded in 1975. The company directors were Danby Bloch, editorial director and with the company from the start; Mark Hayes-Newington, CEO; Helen Macdonald, publishing director; Robert McKay, non-executive director.

The announcement says, “Taxbriefs has established an excellent reputation over many years as a supplier of high need content to the IFA community.  We are very excited by the opportunities that this acquisition is expected to bring.  Under Centaur’s ownership, Taxbriefs will enjoy significant marketing advantages through its association with Money Marketing.  In addition, following the recent launch of the Money Marketing Academy, the acquisition of Taxbriefs strengthens Centaur’s position as the leading provider of specialist information to support IFA training and professional development in the more demanding environment which is being introduced by the recent Retail Distribution Review.”

Location: UK, London

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