Hearst Corporation and Lagardère SCA have confirmed that they have entered into an agreement providing for exclusive negotiations until January 30, 2011 for the acquisition by Hearst of Lagardère’s international press and magazine business in an all cash transaction. Fusion DigiNet first reported the story on December 21, 2010,
USA, New York, NY and France, Paris
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Platts, a global provider of energy and metals information and a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. has completed for an undisclosed cash sum its acquisition of BENTEK Energy, LLC, a privately held energy market analytics company headquartered in Evergreen, Colorado. DigiNet first reported the acquisition on December 14, 2010. Bentek, which provides analytics and information services to a blue-chip customer base in North America, is widely recognized as the industry leader in natural gas market fundamental analysis.
“Bentek’s expertise in utilizing data modeling to provide clients with business-critical analytics and insights strengthens Platts’ analytical capabilities and enables us to enhance the content and value of our North American and European natural gas products,” said Larry Neal, president of Platts.
Bentek will continue to operate under its current name with its current management.
USA, New York, NY & Evergreen, CO
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Information Services Group, an information-based services company, has acquired Compass, the United Kingdom-based independent global provider of business and information technology benchmarking, performance improvement, data and analytics services.
The acquisition unites ISG unit TPI, the sourcing data and advisory firm, with a leading global brand for benchmarking. Together, TPI and Compass will have more than five decades of global leadership in information and advisory services, more than 600 employees in 21 countries on six continents, and a track record of significant achieved or identified client savings.
“We are pleased to welcome Compass into our company, immediately enhancing the data, analytics and advisory capabilities we can deliver to our clients. By combining an approach grounded in real-time data collection and fact-based analysis, TPI and Compass can together take advantage of the robust demand for insight and operational expertise required by our clients around performance improvement and transformational change in these organizations,” said Michael P. Connors, Chairman and CEO of ISG. “Importantly, this acquisition also represents the next step in executing our strategy of building ISG into a premier global information-based services company.”
“The combination of ISG, TPI and Compass is strategically powerful, timely and capable of creating substantial growth opportunities over the near and long term,” continued Connors.
Founded in 1980 and headquartered in the UK, Compass has 180 employees in 16 countries including the U.S., Canada, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Spain, Italy and Australia, serving nearly 250 clients worldwide. The company pioneered the aggregation and application of sophisticated metrics to understand root causes of organizational performance issues. Today, the company provides state-of-the-art benchmarking and analysis as well as transformational consulting services to global blue-chip clients such as Credit Agricole, HSBC, ING, Kraft, Old Mutual, Sony and Total.
In addition to global data and analytic capability, Compass’ Fact-Based Consulting® http://www.compassmc.com unit generates tangible improvements in client businesses through sourcing advisory programs, recommendations in operational excellence and support in implementing transformational change in business operations. Compass uses benchmarking to support fact-based decision making, analysis to optimize cost reduction, and tools and techniques to manage business performance.
“We see great opportunities for Compass to provide ISG with a new platform of information and data-based advisory capabilities to capture additional market share, grow revenue, increase our returns and fuel future acquisitions,” added Connors. “Together, we have the world’s foremost database of performance improvement benchmarking and sourcing metrics that will provide global reach for sales, project execution and advisory services– real data from real clients.”
“Compass is delighted to be joining ISG and we look forward to partnering with expanded resources and services for the benefit of our clients,” said David Whitmore, CEO of Compass, who also becomes ISG Vice Chairman. “ISG is well-known and respected in the global information services industry. Its people are committed to driving the growth of our business so we can better serve the needs of our clients and our employees in partnership with TPI.”
ISG is acquiring Compass from its current shareholders who include the founder, Olof Soderblom, senior management and a syndicate of private investors. Marek Gumienny, an investor in Compass and Chairman of Candover Partners, a UK based private equity firm, has agreed to purchase an additional 500,000 shares of ISG following the consummation of the transaction. This will bring his ISG holdings up to approximately 4.7% of the total outstanding shares.
UK, Surrey & USA, Stamford, CT
USA TODAY has acquired Reviewed.com, a group of 12 product-review websites that provide comprehensive reviews for technology products such as digital cameras, camcorders and high definition televisions. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. Company management will continue in their current roles and the company will remain in Boston, Mass.
“USA TODAY’s acquisition of Reviewed.com is an important step as we develop our integrated consumer media strategy. We believe this combination of our consumer technology coverage and access along with their reviews and audience will be a winning one for our customers,” said Dave Hunke, president and publisher of USA TODAY.
Reviewed.com, LLC provides comprehensive reviews in multiple categories. Each site features standardized, lab-tested, scientific reviews and comparison tools. Reviewed.com conducts its testing in dedicated facilities that feature lab quality imaging, acoustic and display testing equipment.
The Reviewed.com network of technology review publications includes: www.DigitalCameraInfo.com, www.TelevisionInfo.com, www.CamcorderInfo.com, www.PrinterInfo.com, www.HeadphoneInfo.com as well as international editions. The network reaches an average of 1,000,000 monthly unique readers.
“This acquisition by USA TODAY allows us to further our goals of creating a more transparent marketplace for consumers by providing them with the most accurate and unbiased product information available to make informed purchases,” said Robin Liss, founder, president and CEO of Reviewed.com.
USA TODAY was founded in 1982 and is owned by Gannett Co.
USA, McLean, VA
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Asset International, a global provider of data and analytics, workflow tools, research, marketing support and events for the asset management industry worldwide, has acquired Plan for Life, a leading provider of business intelligence data and research for the Australian managed fund and life insurance markets.
Headquartered in Melbourne, Plan For Life (PFL) is an independent source of sales and related data on the managed fund and life insurance markets in Australia and New Zealand for fund managers, life offices, analysts, dealer groups and government bodies.
Simon Solomon, Founder and Managing Director of Plan For Life, commented, “Joining forces with Asset International is an exciting opportunity for me and my team at PFL, the company I started more than 20 years ago. AI’s asset management focus, passion about data, close customer relationships and global resources will facilitate the expansion of our services to our many friends and clients.”
Plan For Life will become a part of AI’s Strategic Insight division, the New York, London and Hong Kong-based supplier of data, tools, and research to the global asset management industry.
As examples of anticipated synergies, Mr. Solomon cited Plan For Life’s ability to introduce Strategic Insight to its more than 100 clients in Australia, the world’s fourth largest mutual fund market. Plan for Life’s data also will be incorporated into Strategic Insight’s global services, and the combined firms’ Melbourne and Hong Kong Offices are expected to enhance service coverage of AsiaPac clients. “There is an increasing interest among many investment managers around the world to participate in the growth of the Australian asset management industry,” Mr. Solomon observed.
According to Jim Casella, Asset International’s Chief Executive Officer, “Plan For Life allows us to expand our services as a primary resource of business intelligence for asset managers and asset owners worldwide.” He observed that Plan For Life shares valuable attributes with AI’s other divisions, including an asset management focus, market leadership, loyal customers served over decades, and unique business intelligence data distinguished by its depth and integrity.
Jag Alexeyev, Senior Managing Director of Strategic Insight Global commented, “PFL and Strategic Insight have assisted the mutual fund industry for more than two decades and share cultural affinities. This acquisition anchors our future collaboration and provides Strategic Insight with an opportunity to offer detailed Australian data to more than 250 subscriber organizations in Asia, Europe and the US, as well as bring our timely global insights to Australian clients.”
Daniel Enskat, who leads Strategic Insight’s global consulting from AI’s recently opened Hong Kong office, suggested that Australia offers lessons and opportunities to the retirement savings industry around the world, noting that Australia already enjoys the highest household ownership of mutual funds among developed nations (averaging about $150,000 per household, significantly above even the maturing US).
Mr. Casella, Asset International CEO added that AI, with financial backing from Austin Ventures and a credit facility with Goldman Sachs, continues to look to add to its strong organic growth with additional acquisitions of specialized information providers to the asset management industry worldwide. “Through AI’s companies, global asset managers can now access a broad spectrum of business intelligence information and technology in a comprehensive rather than fragmented manner,” he asserted.
USA, New York, NY
National Publisher Services, a provider of outsourcing solutions for publishers, announced today that Henry and David Fry have acquired a 50-percent interest in NPS. Additionally, NPS announced that it has acquired Circulation Specialists Inc. and that industry veteran John LeBrun has joined NPS as a partner and as chief executive officer of CSI.
“We are excited to start the new year with such great news,” said NPS CEO Mark Harris. “Partnering with Henry Fry, the president and owner of Fry Communications, and David Fry, chief technology officer, allows us to combine our resources in offering publishers a total strategic solution to meet today’s publishing challenges. The acquisition of CSI fits perfectly into our combined strategic growth plans, and John LeBrun’s background in circulation and marketing, along with his history of developing strong teams in the publishing industry, makes him the ideal executive to manage the acquisition.”
The Frys made the investment through NPI Ventures, their vehicle for non-print initiatives and investments. “The affiliation with Fry Communications provides a platform for growth for both NPS and its customers,” Harris added.
LeBrun, a publishing veteran with more than 30 years of direct marketing and circulation experience, said, “I am thrilled to be joining NPS and leading CSI, along with former CSI owners Greg Wolfe, president, and Beverly Chaloux, executive vice president, who will continue on in their roles. The marriage of NPS and CSI is a publisher’s dream. When you add the experience of Henry and David Fry to the mix you really have an unprecedented combination of skills. I look forward to working with and learning from the teams at our respective companies and am excited to bring my experience into the equation.”
USA, Edison, NJ
The AdMedia Partners annual survey of senior executives interviews senior executives in leading content (traditional media and digital media) and services (marketing services, digital marketing and marketing technology) businesses. They were asked for their views on the prospects for industry mergers and acquisitions in the year ahead.
Respondents believe that M&A activity will increase in 2011 – with 78–86% (of content and services respondents, respectively) expecting more M&A activity from strategic buyers and 63–68% expecting more M&A activity from financial buyers.
On the services side, approximately half of respondents considered EBITDA multiples of 8x or greater to be reasonable for companies providing analytics/optimization, mobile marketing, social marketing and marketing technology services. The median multiples for content firms were in the 5–6x EBITDA range, with the exception of online media achieving the highest valuation expectations of 7–8x. Consumer media and business-to-business media both showed significant gains in valuation expectations, jumping from 4x EBITDA in last year’s survey to 6x EBITDA this year.
The full report can be downloaded from here
USA, New York, NY
Ignites Asia is reporting that Asset International, the New York-based parent company of research house Strategic Insight, is acquiring Plan for Life, which provides product-and firm-level data and research on Australia’s fund and life insurance space. Both firms say the deal will boost their coverage of fund flows, which may give their respective clients additional tools for benchmarking regional business.
Melbourne-based Plan for Life, with its key analysts on board, will become part of Strategic Insight, which has offices in New York, London and Hong Kong. That will allow Strategic Insight to combine data feeds from most of the world’s major investment markets to chart product and distribution trends on a global level.
Plan for Life currently provides quarterly reports and data to more than 80 core clients, which include global fund managers with business in Australia, such as Vanguard; consultants and accountants, such as Deloitte; and regional sponsors of funds, retirement solutions and insurance products, such as National Australia Bank. Sell-side analysts, from firms like Goldman Sachs and Merrill Lynch, also use the research to cover public fund companies.
USA, New York, NY & Australia, Melbourne
Jesta Group has acquired Fox Mobile Group (FMG) from News Corporation. A leading global entertainment provider, FMG includes such well-known consumer brands as Jamba, Jamster, Mobizzo and iLove, as well as Bitbop, a mobile video service and entertainment platform launched in the U.S. in early 2010. FMG, which will be renamed and become a part of Jesta Mobile Holdings, is co-headquartered in Berlin, Germany, and Beverly Hills, California, and operates in North America, Europe, South America and Australia.
“We believe that mobile entertainment is an important emerging market and we are excited about this acquisition and the opportunities for growth it presents”, said Jason Aintabi, president of Jesta Group. “FMG’s unique ten-year history in mobile entertainment services; its stature as a trusted partner with carriers and device manufacturers; and its many successful consumer brands give it a clear advantage in this rapidly developing sector. We look forward to working with the many talented and dedicated global employees of FMG and to a very bright future for the company and its brands.”
Mark Anderson, COO of FMG, added: “We are all very excited to grow this business under Jesta Group’s leadership, and to build upon the solid base established under News Corp.’s stewardship.”
Jesta Group is a diversified company with a long history as a leading investor in all classes of global real estate and hospitality as well as in other important sectors of the economy, notably in the fields of manufacturing, technology and aviation. Jesta is headquartered in London, Paris, Montreal and New York.
Allen & Company LLC served as financial advisor to News Corporation on the transaction.
The transaction was completed on December 22, 2010. Financial details were not disclosed.
USA, New York, NY
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According to Reuters, Lagardère is nearing a decision to sell its portfolio of international titles to one of two bidders: U.S.-based Hearst Corp or Germany-based Bauer Media Group.
Media group Lagardère would reap about 600 million to 700 million euros ($785.52 million to $916.44 million) from the sale, according to a source with knowledge of the talks.
Lagardère is being advised by JPMorgan and Rothschild, according to two sources.
France, Paris
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