XLMedia acquires un-named Scandinavian website network

July 7, 2014 — Fusion DigiNet

XLMediaJersey based XLMedia, a provider of digital performance marketing services, has acquired an un-named Scandinavian website network within the online gaming sector for $2.3 million in cash.

The company said that the network reviews a large number of online casino and poker websites, mainly in Denmark, generating “high value added content”.  The acquisition provides a geographic footprint to XLMedia’s existing Scandinavian presence and extending its reach into Denmark, a fully regulated market.

The acquisition follows two acquisitions of domains in the North American market during H1 2014, also aimed at extending into new territories and further establishing a presence in fully regulated markets.

The Group said it will continue to buy domains and websites as part of its ongoing growth strategy as well as continuing to evaluate an increased presence in fully regulated markets.

Commenting on the acquisition, CEO, Ory Weihs said, “Since our IPO in March this year, we have continued to make good progress with positioning XLMedia to capitalise on the significant growth opportunities in the online gaming sector. This acquisition represents a complementary fit for our business, strengthening our reach in Scandinavia and providing entry into Denmark, a fully regulated territory.”

UK, St Helier, Jersey

Posted in Content Media, Games, Internet Media, ~Europe. Tags: , , , . Leave a Comment »

ECI invests in ATG Media

July 6, 2014 — Fusion DigiNet

atgmediaECI Partners has invested in ATG Media, a pioneer of webcast and timed online auction platforms. ECI will partner with ATG’s management and existing investor Mobeus Equity Partners to help drive the company’s ongoing international expansion.

ATG operates the-saleroom.com, i-bidder.com, BidSpotter.co.uk and BidSpotter.com as well as publishing the antiques industry bible, Antiques Trade Gazette.

ATG’s platforms allow bidders from around the world to browse fully illustrated sale catalogues and place bids over the internet in real time, with live audio and video feeds delivering the auction room atmosphere. Bidders are also able to participate in timed, online only auctions.

ATG’s growth has been driven by the continued shift of bidders online and ATG’s ability to provide auctioneers with a larger bidder base.

Tom Wrenn, Partner and head of TMT at ECI, commented: “We are delighted to be partnering with ATG Media as the company transitions into its next growth phase. As a growth focused investor we were attracted to ATG by its market leading technology and strong brand recognition, attributes that have driven its market penetration.
“We look forward to working with Anne’s team and Mobeus to help drive ATG’s continued expansion in the UK and internationally.”

UK, London

Posted in Content Media, e-Commerce, Internet Media, Private Equity, ~Europe. Tags: , , . Leave a Comment »

Belgian publisher De Persgroep buys Mecom for just under £200m

June 30, 2014 — Fusion DigiNet

persgroep-logo-belgieBelgian publisher De Persgroep has agreed to buy Mecom for just under £200 million. Each Mecom Shareholder will be entitled to receive 155 pence in cash for each Mecom Share they hold, which values the entire issued and to be issued share capital of Mecom, on a fully diluted basis, at approximately £196 million.

mecomMecom, a company incorporated under the laws of England, is a European media group, with leading positions in the news and information publishing business in the Netherlands and Denmark. Mecom’s Dutch division comprises the Koninklijke Wegener (Wegener) and Media Groep Limburg (Limburg) businesses. Wegener is the largest publisher of regional daily newspapers and free door-to-door newspapers in the Netherlands. Limburg is the leading regional newspaper business in the Dutch province of Limburg. The Dutch division has a total daily readership of approximately 2.5 million and publishes content in print and in online, mobile and e-paper form. The Danish division publishes two daily national titles and one weekly national title as well as seven daily regional titles and 17 free weekly titles. In total, the Danish division has a daily readership of approximately 500,000. Mecom also operates national and local radio stations, with total listeners of approximately 1 million.

De Persgroep, a company incorporated under the laws of Belgium, is a major operator in the Belgian and Dutch media markets. De Persgroep’s activities consist of news media, magazines, television, radio and online services.

The Transaction will be funded by a combination of existing cash resources and a new debt facility provided by BNP Paribas Fortis S.A./N.V.

Commenting on the Transaction, Christian Van Thillo, Chief Executive Officer of De Persgroep, said: “This announcement is consistent with our successful strategy in our publishing activities and with our belief that consolidation in our industry is necessary in order to transform our publications into multimedia brands in a profitable way. Mecom is a leading publishing group with strong and respected news brands in the Netherlands and Denmark.

It further underscores our ongoing commitment to develop innovative multi-media news brands that offer readers a richer experience through printed and digital newspapers, news sites and apps. In addition to operational breadth and depth, the combined business will be better positioned for transformation towards a media group that is leading in print and online.”

Norway, Oslo & UK, London & Belgium, Kobbegem

Related articles:

 

Posted in Content Media, Internet Media, Publishers, ~Europe. Tags: , , . Leave a Comment »

Felix Dennis 1947 – 2014

June 23, 2014 — Fusion DigiNet

Felix DennisFelix Dennis, the magazine publisher, poet, entrepreneur and philanthropist has died at his home in Dorsington, Warwickshire, aged 67. He was diagnosed with cancer in 2012.  The family announcement said he died peacefully surrounded by his loved ones on Sunday.

“We are deeply saddened to announce that Felix Dennis passed away yesterday surrounded by his loved ones. After a long and painful battle with cancer, Felix died peacefully at his home in Dorsington, aged 67.”

“Felix was a publishing legend, famed for his maverick and entrepreneurial style and, more lately, a successful and much loved poet. He will be greatly missed.”

“Thank you to the support and kindness of those who share our feelings for Felix, and we ask that you respect our privacy during our time of grief.”

Felix Dennis’s  company, Dennis Publishing, pioneered computer and hobbyist magazine publishing in the United Kingdom. Famously, he was co-editor of Oz, which led to him being one of the “Oz three” defendants eventually found not guilty following the 1971 Old Bailey obscenity trial about the title’s content. In 1987, he co-founded MicroWarehouse, with Peter Godfrey and Bob Bartner, a company that pioneered direct IT marketing via high quality catalogues.  It was sold to a private investment group in January 2000. This created the bulk of Dennis’ personal wealth.

UK, Warwickshire

Related articles:

Posted in Conference/Exhibitions/Events, Content Media, News, Publishers, ~Europe. Tags: , . Leave a Comment »

Zoopla Property Group IPO Offer Price

June 18, 2014 — Fusion DigiNet

zooplapropertyOn 22 May 2014, Zoopla Property Group announced its intention to make an IPO on the London Stock Exchange. DMGT intends to sell a maximum of 40% of its current 52.1% stake in Zoopla, retaining a stake of at least 31%. The maximum that DMGT could receive would be £190 million as a result of its participation in the IPO. This maximum includes DMGT’s contribution to the Member Offer, the Institutional Offer and Over-allotment

Offer highlights

  • The offer price has been set at 220 pence per Share.
  • Based on the Offer Price, the total market capitalisation of the Company will be £918.8 million
  • The Offer comprises 159,977,620 Shares, representing 38.3% of the Company’s issued share capital on Admission, excluding the Over-allotment Option
  • The Offer comprises the sale by selling shareholders of existing Shares only. No new Shares will be issued pursuant to the Offer
  • The Principal Selling Shareholders have granted an Over-allotment Option in respect of 15,997,755 Shares. If the Over-allotment Option were exercised in full the total gross proceeds raised by the Principal Selling Shareholders in the Offer would be approximately £369.9 million
  • 4,179,624 Shares have been applied for by Eligible Members under the Member Offer. As a result the Institutional Offer will comprise 155,797,996 Shares

Admission and dealings

  • Conditional dealings in the Shares will commence on the London Stock Exchange at 8:00 am today (18 June 2014) under the ticker ZPLA
  • Admission to the premium listing segment of the Official List and to trading on the main market for listed securities of the London Stock Exchange, and the commencement of unconditional dealings in the Shares on the London Stock Exchange, are expected to take place at 8:00 am on 23 June 2014. At Admission, the Company will have 417,642,460 Shares in issue
  • The Pricing Statement relating to the Offer will be submitted to the UKLA and will be available free of charge at the Company’s registered office at Harlequin Building, 65 Southwark Street, London, SE1 0HR. In addition, the Pricing Statement will be published on the Company’s website at http://www.zpg.co.uk/ipo

Alex Chesterman, Founder & Chief Executive Officer of Zoopla Property Group Plc said: “We are delighted with our successful listing on the London Stock Exchange. Today’s announcement marks an important milestone for our business following a number of years of strong growth and having built a market-leading proposition. We have received a significant level of institutional investor support in our business which once again underlines the growth potential of Zoopla Property Group. We have also received strong support from our members who have also participated in our IPO through our exclusive Member Offer and have become shareholders in our business. We are looking forward to life as a public company and to welcoming our new shareholders to the business.”

Further information

  • The Principal Selling Shareholders (other than Alex Chesterman and Simon Kain), are locked up for 180 days and the Directors and Senior Managers are locked up for 365 days in respect of their holdings of Shares following Admission, subject to the consent of the Joint Global Co-ordinators and to certain customary exceptions. The Company will also be subject to customary lock-up arrangements for 180 days following Admission, subject to the consent of the Joint Global Co-ordinators and to certain customary exceptions
  • Following Admission, before any exercise of the Over-Allotment Option, DMGT will hold 33.7% of the Shares and the Principal Selling Shareholders (other than Alex Chesterman and Simon Kain) will hold, in aggregate, 52.6% of the Shares. The Directors and Senior Managers will hold, in aggregate, 6.2% of the Shares, before any exercise of the Over-Allotment Option
  • It is expected that the Company will be eligible for inclusion in the FTSE UK Index Series at the quarterly review in September 2014
  • In relation to the Offer and Admission, Credit Suisse Securities (Europe) Limited and Jefferies International Limited are acting as Joint Sponsors, Joint Global Co-ordinators and Joint Bookrunners, and Canaccord Genuity Limited is acting as Co-Lead Manager
  • As stabilising manager, Credit Suisse Securities (Europe) Limited has been granted the Over-allotment Option, exercisable no later than thirty days from today, by the Principal Selling Shareholders over up to 15,997,755 Shares, representing 10% of the Shares comprised in the Offer

UK, London

Previous reporting:

Related articles:

Posted in Content Media, Internet Media, News, Publishers, ~Europe. Leave a Comment »

Elsevier acquires Amirsys, provider of healthcare information solutions

June 12, 2014 — Fusion DigiNet

elsevierElsevier has acquired Amirsys. The financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Focused on visually oriented medical disciplines like radiology, pathology and anatomy, Amirsys provides healthcare providers with expert information and clinical decision support tools.

amirsys“This acquisition bolsters Elsevier’s comprehensive set of point-of-decision solutions, providing our customers around the world with a greater ability to improve the quality of care and patient outcomes,” said Jay Katzen, President, Elsevier Clinical Solutions. “In addition, because radiology, pathology, anatomy and their associated content and data-rich images are foundational elements of other disciplines, we believe Amirsys will improve our ability to better inform diagnostic and treatment decisions across a broad scope of other specialties.”

Amirsys also created sophisticated technology tools to develop and maintain current imaging content, and Elsevier expects to be able to adapt those tools to serve other visually rich specialties. Amirsys products include STATdx, RADPrimer, ImmunoQuery, AnatomyOne and Amirsys Imaging, Pathology, and Anatomy Reference Centers.

Amirsys will be integrated with the Elsevier Clinical Solutions suite, which includes clinical workflow and decision support, clinical reference and patient engagement, including ClinicalKey, CPM CarePoints, ExitCare, and InOrder by Elsevier.

USA, Philadelphia, PA &  Salt Lake City, UT.

 

 

Posted in Content Media, Internet Media, Market Data & Information, Publishers, ~North America. Tags: , , . Leave a Comment »

ITE acquires 50% of DUBM in Indonesia

June 11, 2014 — Fusion DigiNet

ITEInternational trade exhibitions and conferences group ITE Group, is acquiring 50% of the shares in PT Debindo Unggul Buana Makmur (“DUBM”) from a group of three private individuals. The acquisition is subject to the approval of the Indonesian Investment Coordinating Board. This is anticipated to be received within two months.

The Sellers, who are the original founders of the business, will retain the remaining 50% of the shares and will continue to manage the business.

DUBM owns the Indobuildtech exhibitions which serve the building and construction industries in Indonesia and the surrounding region. The largest event is held in Jakarta in June each year and is the leading event of its kind in Indonesia. The 2013 exhibition was the 11th edition which sold approximately 12,000m2 net and was attended by over 33,000 professional visitors. The upcoming event opens in the Jakarta Convention Centre on 11th June 2014. In addition, satellite events are held in Surabaya, Bandung, Makassar and Bali.

Commenting on the acquisition, ITE’s Chief Executive Officer, Russell Taylor, said: “Indobuildtech is the leading building exhibition in Indonesia. The addition of this exhibition to ITE’s Build portfolio is consistent with our strategy of building market leading positions in core markets and sectors. The building industry is a growth sector in developing markets and with this complementary acquisition, ITE will leverage its international exhibition expertise to develop further its position and benefit from a strengthened portfolio within this sector.”

UK, London

Related articles:

Posted in Conference/Exhibitions/Events, Content Media, ~Asia, ~Europe. Tags: , , . Leave a Comment »

Wasserstein & Co. to by back ALM Media from Apax at a discount

June 5, 2014 — Fusion DigiNet

ALM2Private equity and investment firm Wasserstein & Co has announced that it is buying back ALM Media, the publisher of American Lawyer and other titles, from its current owners, Apax Partners and the Royal Bank of Scotland. Ontario Pension Board, Pantheon, the Honeywell pension, and HighVista Strategies LLC are co-investing in the transaction alongside Wasserstein.

incisive_logo_newAccording to the New York Times, terms aren’t expected to be disclosed, but a person briefed on the matter said the price was about $417 million. In the summer of 2007, Wasserstein & Company sold ALM Media to Apax’s Incisive Media, the London-based trade magazine publisher, at the top of the market for $630 million.

Headquartered in New York City, ALM is an integrated media company and a provider of specialised business news, research and information, focused primarily on the legal and commercial real estate sectors. The company was created by the late Bruce Wasserstein. Later Wasserstein & Company was created as the investment vehicle of Bruce Wasserstein. ALM has nearly 700 employees across 16 offices worldwide. ALM’s portfolio of over 350 print and digital publications include The New York Law Journal, The American Lawyer, Corporate Counsel, Law.com, and The National Law Journal.

Michael Struble, Managing Director of Wasserstein & Co., added, “We are delighted to have the opportunity to own ALM again and look forward to working with ALM’s experienced management team to strengthen and unify its media brands and expand into value-added digital subscription products and services.”

Financing for the transaction will be provided by Macquarie Capital (USA) Inc. Jones Day served as legal advisor to Wasserstein & Co. Jefferies LLC acted as financial advisor to the Company, the Apax Funds, and RBS. Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP served as legal advisor to the Company and the Apax Funds. DLA Piper LLP (US) served as legal advisor to RBS.

The transaction is expected to close in the third quarter of 2014.

USA, New York, NY & UK, London

Related articles:

Posted in Conference/Exhibitions/Events, Content Media, Internet Media, Market Data & Information, Publishers, ~Europe, ~North America. Tags: , , , . Leave a Comment »

Ziff Davis acquires emedia from RBI

June 5, 2014 — Fusion DigiNet

Ziff Davis, the Digital Media Division of j2 Global,has acquired emedia Communications LLC, a provider of research to IT buyers and leads to IT vendors, from Reed Business Information.

An agreement has also been signed to acquire the UK-based division of emedia, which will transfer to Ziff Davis following a period of employee consultation. emedia will become part of the Ziff Davis B2B.

The terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

USA, New York, NY & UK, London

Related articles:

Ziff Davis

Reed Business Information

Posted in Content Media, Internet Media, Marketing/Advertising, Publishers, ~Europe, ~North America. Tags: , . Leave a Comment »

Zoopla Property Group IPO Price Range

June 5, 2014 — Fusion DigiNet

zooplapropertyOn 22 May 2014, Zoopla Property Group announced its intention to make an IPO on the London Stock Exchange. (See previous DigiNet reporting and an overview of the offer.) DMGT intends to participate in the IPO and reduce its stake in Zoopla. DMGT currently holds a 52.6% stake in Zoopla.

The price range is set at 200 pence to 250 pence per share. The mid-point of the price range implies a market capitalisation for Zoopla of approximately £940 million. The base deal offer size is in the region of 111 million to 179 million shares, representing between 27% and 43% of Zoopla’s existing issued share capital. The Offer comprises the sale of existing shares only.

Final pricing is currently expected to be announced on or around 19 June 2014, with conditional dealings in the shares on the London Stock Exchange beginning the same day. Admission and unconditional dealings in the shares are expected to commence on or around 24 June 2014.

UK, London

Related articles:

Posted in Content Media, Internet Media, Market Data & Information, ~Europe. Tags: , , , , . Leave a Comment »
« Older posts
Newer posts »