GMG rejects improved Apax offer

September 24, 2013 — Fusion DigiNet

tradermediagroupThe FT is reporting that Guardian Media Group has rejected an improved offer by Apax to purchase GMG’s 50.1% stake in Trader Media. The new offer valued Trader Media at about £1.5bn, including net debt of about £560m. Apax’s previous offer valued the business at £1.2 billion. An IPO now seems the most likely outcome.

UK, London

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Euromoney revenues for the fourth quarter increase by 9%

September 24, 2013 — Fusion DigiNet

Euromoney logoEuromoney Institutional Investor PLC, the international online information and events group, has issued a pre-close trading update ahead of the announcement of its results for the year to September 30, 2013.

Since issuing its Interim Management Statement on July 25, 2013, trading has continued in line with the board’s expectations.  The recovery in US markets, and in particular in the profitability of US financial institutions, has continued, while European markets have remained weak and emerging markets have settled down after the uncertainty earlier in the summer.

Revenues for the fourth quarter are expected to show a headline increase of 9% on the same period last year, and an underlying increase, excluding acquisitions, of 5%.  The improvement in advertising highlighted in the July IMS has continued, with advertising revenues returning to growth for the first time in two years.  Underlying subscription revenues, excluding acquisitions, increased by 4%, helped by the reversal of timing differences from the third quarter.

Total revenues for the year to September 30, 2013 are expected to show a headline increase of approximately 2% on 2012, of which half has come from acquisitions.

Exchange rate movements have not had a significant impact on headline or underlying revenues.

The group expects to announce an adjusted profit before tax* of not less than £114 million for the year to September 30, 2013 (2012: £106.8 million) including a contribution from acquisitions, after financing costs, of nearly £2 million.

At current exchange rates, group net debt at September 30, 2013 is expected to be no more than £10 million, against £38 million at March 31.  This reflects the group’s traditionally strong second half operating cash flows as well as acquisition payments of £13m in the period.

The year end results will be announced on November 14, 2013.

UK, London

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Haynes Publishing Group reports falls in revenue and profits

September 23, 2013 — Fusion DigiNet

Haynes Publishing Group P.L.C., the publisher  of automotive and motorcycle repair manuals, has reported falls in revenue and profit in its results for the year ended 31st May 2013. However, the profits were slightly ahead of market expectations.

Financial highlights

  • Revenue of £27.6 million (2012: £29.8 million)
  • EBITDA of £6.6 million (2012: £7.7 million)
  • Operating profit of £3.8 million (2012: £5.1 million)
  • Profit before tax slightly ahead of market expectations at £3.6 million (2012: £4.7 million)
  • Basic earnings per share of 16.4 pence (2012: 20.0 pence)
  • Final dividend declared of 4.0 pence per share, giving a total dividend of 7.5 pence per share (2012: 15.7 pence)
  • The largely contractual HaynesPro revenue was 13% ahead of 2012
  • Australian revenue 9% ahead of 2012
  • Operating profit to cash conversion ratio of 184% (2012: 170%)
  • Healthy balance sheet with net funds up 27% at £6.1 million (2012: £4.8 million). Net funds after the acquisition of Clymer and Intertec Manuals on 17 September 2013 were c.£2.4 million. In addition there are 1.2 million ordinary shares held in treasury

Business highlights

  • Clymer and Intertec Manuals acquired from Penton Business Media 
  • Successful completion of strategic review (post year-end), resulting in new focus on high margin titles
  • UK automotive and general publishing editorial teams to be merged
  • Embarking on the development of a new, interactive consumer website, available in multiple languages, and accessible on a variety of media devices
  • Continued development of Haynes multimedia digital platforms
  • Digital manual range extended to over 350 titles; print manual range also expanded
  • Completion of rebranding of European professional product range as ‘HaynesPro’ (formerly Vivid), with strong twelve month growth and two new products launched for professional automotive aftermarket
  • Expanded technical team in Romania to further improve digital capabilities
  • Continuing to review new acquisition opportunities

UK, Yeovil, Somerset & Overland Park, KS

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Mash Media acquires International Confex from UBM Live

September 21, 2013 — Fusion DigiNet

mashmedia-logoPublisher and event organiser Mash Media has acquired International Confex, the exhibition for the meetings and events industry, from UBM Live. The terms of the deal were not disclosed.
 
“

I am delighted to officially welcome such a well-loved event as International Confex into the Mash stable,” said Mash Media MD Julian Agostini. “I have been an admirer of the show for many years and this is an exciting and significant acquisition for the company. We are relishing the challenge of continuing UBM’s good work by making International Confex the essential exhibition for the meetings and events industry.”

confexIn June 2012 Mash Media acquired The Event Production Show from Ocean Media Group, alongside the Event Production Awards, Access All Areas magazine, and directory The White Book.

International Confex runs from 11-13 March at ExCeL London.

UK, Wimbledon, Surrey

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September 20, 2013 — Fusion DigiNet

nielsenNielsen Holdings N.V. , the global provider of information and insights into what consumers watch and buy, has reached an agreement with the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to gain clearance for its proposed acquisition of Arbitron Inc. (NYSE: ARB) which is now, subject to customary closing conditions, expected to close on September 30, 2013. The FTC has issued a Decision and Order dated September 20, 2013 that embodies the agreement.

As previously reported on Fusion Diginet, Nielsen entered into an agreement on December 17, 2012 to acquire all of the outstanding common stock of Arbitron for $48 per share or a total of $1.3 billion purchase price, funded by cash on hand and minor debt financing. Nielsen expects $0.26 of accretion to adjusted net income per share in the first full year of operations, and $0.32 of accretion to adjusted net income per share after the second year, reflecting an incremental $0.06 in year two.

“We are pleased to have the regulatory process behind us and are excited to be closing the Arbitron acquisition,” said David Calhoun, CEO, Nielsen. “We are looking forward to providing all of the benefits of the combined company to our new clients in the radio industry and their advertisers, driving incremental value for them as well as our shareholders.”

Nielsen’s agreement with the FTC is intended to preserve the competitive landscape in place before its announced intent to acquire Arbitron. It does not affect the strategic rationale of the acquisition or the anticipated benefits to Nielsen from the transaction. No Nielsen assets are affected by the FTC’s order. The FTC’s order effectively enables the continuation of a cross-platform project measuring TV, radio, PC, mobile and tablet engagement which was announced by Arbitron in concert with ESPN and comScore, Inc. in September 2012. In the event that an FTC-approved third-party elects to agree to licensing terms and other requirements, Nielsen would make available for license Arbitron PPM and related data as well as software and technology currently being used in the ESPN project for the sole purpose of cross-platform measurement1 for up to eight years.

A summary of Nielsen’s agreement with the FTC is available at http://nielsen.com/investors.

USA, New York, NY

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Groupon acquires SideTour

September 18, 2013 — Fusion DigiNet

grouponGroupon has acquired SideTour, a marketplace that helps people discover, book and host  local activities. The terms of the deal were not disclosed.

SideTour events are intimate gatherings, averaging 12 attendees, and span food, drink, architecture, history, art and much more. SideTour currently offers more than 500 public and private events with more than 400 hosts using the platform. Hosts include chefs, artists, Olympic medalists, casting directors and sommeliers.

“The addition of SideTour’s curated local experiences furthers our vision of Groupon as the go-to place for consumers to find just about anything, anywhere, anytime,” said GrouponLive General Manager Greg Rudin. “By offering these highly personalized activities, tours and memorable things to do through Groupon, we can deliver even more fun ways for our customers to explore and discover the best local experiences.”

Founded in 2011, SideTour will continue to operate as a separate entity for some time, and Groupon will distribute their events to its  active customers through its email, web and mobile channels.

USA, Chicago, IL

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Haynes Publishing Group acquires Clymer and Intertec Manuals

September 18, 2013 — Fusion DigiNet

HaynesLogoHaynes Publishing Group P.L.C. , the UK based publisher of automotive and motorcycle repair manuals, has acquired the assets of Clymer and Intertec Manuals from Penton Business Media for $9.25 million (£5.85 million) in a cash and debt deal, with around 60% of the funding for the acquisition coming from internal cash. Clymer is located in Overland Park, Kansas in the United States.

Founded by Floyd Clymer (1895-1970), Motorcycle Hall of Fame’s ‘pioneer in the sport of motorcycling’ Clymer is a publisher of DIY repair manuals for Motorcycle owners. It also has a significant share of the DIY Marine (Inboard and Outboard) Manuals market; publishes a range of DIY manuals for personal watercraft and snowmobiles; and, under the Intertech name, publishes manuals for farm equipment including Tractors, publishing 432 manuals across thousands of models in digital and print. For the financial year ended 31 December 2012, Clymer had net assets of $2.8 million (£1.8 million), unaudited revenue of $4.3 million (£2.7million) and unaudited pre-tax profitability of $1.0 million (£0.633million).

The acquisition will be earnings enhancing and also release significant efficiencies in the areas of print cost, warehousing and distribution, and editorial/origination, with additional digital offerings representing further opportunities for growth.

Commenting on the acquisition, Eric Oakley, Group CEO of Haynes, said “Clymer is a business that we have been interested in for some time and we are delighted that we are now bringing such an iconic name, particularly among motorcycle owners and DIYers, into the Haynes Group.  We see many synergies between our two businesses, in terms of products and values, and we see real opportunities for revitalisation and growth.”

With almost 60% of the funding for the acquisition coming from internal cash, the Group remains financially well placed to continue its pursuit of other new opportunities as they arise.

UK, Yeovil, Somerset & Overland Park, KS

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David Levin to step down as CEO of UBM

September 16, 2013 — Fusion DigiNet

David LevinDavid Levin is to step down as Chief Executive Officer of UBM plc by 31 July 2014.

UBM’s Chairman, Dame Helen Alexander is to lead a search for Levin’s successor. Levin will remain in his current role until a successor is found.

Levin joined UBM as CEO in 2005 and has led the transformation of UBM from a broad media conglomerate focused primarily on the UK and the US into an events and communications business with a significant proportion of its business in emerging markets.

David Levin, said, “I have really enjoyed leading the transformation of UBM’s business over the past eight years, together with a great group of colleagues. During this time UBM has completed more than 100 acquisitions and more than a dozen disposals, and we have returned more than £900m of cash to shareholders. UBM’s two main businesses, Events and PR Newswire, offer significant opportunities for growth, both organic and by acquisition. UBM has built its businesses in the emerging markets of China, India, Brazil, Turkey and the ASEAN region while strengthening its largest position in the USA. This has been underpinned by a profound shift in UBM’s culture. I feel that it is the right time to look for my next challenge. I look forward to the future and, in the meantime, it is business as usual.”

UK, London

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LexisNexis acquires Enclarity

September 15, 2013 — Fusion DigiNet

enclarityLexisNexis Risk Solutions has acquired Enclarity, a health care provider data and information solutions company.

LexisNexis will add Enclarity’s health care provider data to its existing analytics platforms and workflows. The acquisition follows the transfer of clinical-analytics-focused MEDai into LexisNexis Risk Solutions from LexisNexis sister company Elsevier in July 2013 and the autumn 2012 purchase of EDIWatch, a provider of fraud, waste and abuse technology solutions.

“This acquisition demonstrates our continued commitment to helping health care organizations address cost-containment head-on by improving effectiveness and efficiencies, applying clinical analytics and reducing costs and offering greater identity transparency,” said Lee Rivas, CEO Public Sector and Health Care.

The terms of the deal were not disclosed.

USA, Georgia, GA

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Livefyre acquires social storytelling platform Storify

September 14, 2013 — Fusion DigiNet

livefyreLivefyre has acquired Storify, the drag-and-drop storytelling tool. Livefyre will integrate Storify into its StreamHub platform.

Founded in 2010, Storify was created to help journalists sift through the massive amounts of social content around news events to create multimedia stories that can be embedded anywhere. PR agencies use the social curation tool to hand-select social content for websites, microsites and advertising campaigns. Storify is  used by nearly one million journalists, agencies and brands to tell stories online, including the BBC, CNN, Al Jazeera, EA Sports, Ford, GE, HBO, IBM, Microsoft, Marc Jacobs, Samsung, The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times.

storify“Acquiring Storify made perfect sense,” said Jordan Kretchmer, founder and CEO of Livefyre. “Livefyre powers social media and user engagement on the largest media properties and brands on the web. Storify also delivers a unique and vital curation tool for journalists and editors at many of those same companies. Now our enterprise users will be able to manage Storify content from the same centralized Livefyre dashboard where they’re already managing all of their social and user-generated content. With the addition of Storify, StreamHub is now the only real-time platform that enables both editorial and automated content curation from all the major social networks including Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.”

Storify currently offers three levels of service to its users: Free, Business and VIP. With this acquisition, the Storify Free product will continue to be offered as it is now. The teams will merge Storify’s multiple paid tiers into a single enterprise offering that will include additional new features such as single sign-on to create stories, centralised story and editor management, Storify galleries, user participation tools, automated media filtering and engagement analytics.

Storify co-founder Burt Herman added: “We created Storify to unite journalism and social media, helping to tell stories that come alive with eyewitness reports from where news is happening. Joining Livefyre means our users, including journalists and now brands and agencies, will be able to integrate social media easily across their websites, and also into mobile apps, ads and TV broadcasts. We can now also help publishers make more revenue through native ads.”

Co-founders Xavier Damman and Burt Herman will join the Livefyre team, along with Storify employees from product, engineering and support. Damman will continue to oversee the Storify product, and Herman will lead relations for all of Livefyre’s editorial users and partners.

Storify becomes the first acquisition by Livefyre since its founding in 2009.

USA, San Francisco, CA

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