News Corporation acquires Skiff and makes an investment in Journalism Online

June 15, 2010 — Fusion DigiNet

News Corp. has acquired Skiff, Hearst Corporation’s e-reading platform designed to deliver premium journalism to tablets, smartphones, e- readers and netbooks. The Company also announced an investment in Journalism Online, the venture dedicated to enabling newspapers, magazines and online-only publishers of quality content to collect revenue from their online readers. The financial terms of both agreements were not disclosed.

“Journalism co-founder Gordon Crovitz added, “We’re especially pleased with this investment because News Corp. is the industry leader in making the case that there is value in journalism online for which readers will be willing to pay.”

“Today’s developments underscore News Corporation’s ongoing commitment to create strong business models that support journalism at a time of great change in our industry,” said Jon Miller, Chief Digital Officer, News Corporation. “Both Skiff and Journalism Online serve as key building blocks in our strategy to transform the publishing industry and ensure consumers will have continued access to the highest quality journalism.”

“We’re delighted by this investment and this vote of confidence,” said Journalism Online co-founder Steven Brill. “Journalism co-founder Gordon Crovitz added, “We’re especially pleased with this investment because News Corp. is the industry leader in making the case that there is value in journalism online for which readers will be willing to pay.”

Location: USA, New York

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Forbes Media is to sell its financial education web site Investopedia

June 14, 2010 — Fusion DigiNet

Forbes Media has announced that it is to sell its financial education web site Investopedia. The Jordan, Edmiston Group has been retained as the adviser for the sale.

Edmonton‐based Investopedia was acquired by Forbes Media in 2007. The web site offers unique and valuable financial and investor education through its extensive financial dictionary with over 9,000 terms used in personal finance, banking, and accounting and through its content generated by financial experts and editorial staff. Forbes say that the move is part of a larger strategy shift for Forbes Digital.

Location: Canada, Edmonton, AB 

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Martini Media Network raises $6 million led by Reed Elsevier Ventures

June 14, 2010 — Fusion DigiNet

Martini Media Network, a media company targeting affluent consumers online, has closed a $6 million Series B financing.  The round was led by Reed Elsevier Ventures and joined by Granite Ventures and Venrock. 

Reed Elsevier Ventures is the corporate venture capital fund for Reed Elsevier, the media giant thaat has recently been selling off its magazine businesses. Reed Elsevier Ventures was founded in 2000 and has made investments in the US, Europe and Israel.  Initially seeded with $100m, the fund focuses on investments in internet, media and technology companies. Current Investments include Fina Technologies,  Healthline Networks, Intelligize, Palantir Technologies, PartMiner and Recruiting.com.

“Martini is a very compelling investment opportunity for Reed Elsevier Ventures.  The company’s approach to this market segment is highly differentiated,” said Kevin Brown, partner at Reed Elsevier Ventures.   “There is deep value in capturing key consumers in both their professional and personal lives and Martini Media is the emerging expert in targeting the affluent for premium advertisers.”

Location: USA, San Francisco, CA

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Sugar Inc acquires FreshGuide

June 8, 2010 — Fusion DigiNet

Sugar Inc. has signed a definitive agreement to acquire FreshGuide Inc., which operates FreshGuide.com and BookFresh. FreshGuide.com is an online women-focused city guide that provides access to exclusive daily offers from a selection of local businesses in beauty, health and fitness, dining, travel getaways and other relevant categories. BookFresh provides an online booking service for local businesses, such as spas and salons.

Sugar Inc. is a diversified women’s media company that includes PopSugar Network and PopSugar TV, producing original content and social community for women, and ShopStyle, a social shopping service that brings together the most fashionable stores and the best brands. Sugar has had rapid organic audience growth since inception four years ago and today reaches over 16M monthly unique visitors globally. The company is privately held and backed by investor Sequoia Capital.

“We are constantly striving to add innovative offerings that entertain and delight our audience,” said Brian Sugar, founder and CEO of Sugar Inc. “We felt there were tremendous synergies between Sugar and FreshGuide that could be achieved by combining our large audience with their local service. We are very excited to be able to bring to our readers exclusive daily offers at the best places to eat, exercise, shop and relax in their local areas.”

FreshGuide was founded in 2008 by Ryan Donahue, a veteran of Pay Pal, and launched its first service, BookFresh, later that year. In January 2010, the company launched Freshguide.com to provide local offers by city. Currently, FreshGuide operates in four markets: San Francisco, Silicon Valley, Los Angeles and Seattle. FreshGuide will continue to operate under Sugar Inc. as a separate brand.

“FreshGuide is focused on providing exclusive, local offers for women. By integrating our service with the PopSugar Network’s addictive editorial content, we are creating a city-based editorial and offers of unmatched quality in the market,” said Donahue. “This acquisition will also allow us to dramatically expand our reach and accelerate our growth. We plan to launch FreshGuide in 30 additional cities over the next 18 months in the U.S. and internationally in the UK, France, Germany and Australia where Sugar Inc. has operations.”

Location: USA, San Francisco, CA

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Thomson Reuters has acquired Brazil Publishing House Revista dos Tribunais

June 8, 2010 — Fusion DigiNet

Thomson Reuters has acquired leading Brazilian legal publisher, Revista dos Tribunais. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

“Revista dos Tribunais is a strong complement to our global portfolio of legal research, software and services,” said Gonzalo Lissarrague, senior vice president of Latin America for Thomson Reuters Legal, who will oversee the combined operations. “This acquisition gives us tremendous advantage in the emerging Brazilian legal information market by providing an all-in-one service that will give Brazilian professionals quick access to the most accurate legal content available. Revista dos Tribunais brings a strong local brand, high-caliber content and authors, and deep customer relationships that will help build our online business in Brazil.”

Antonio Belinelo, who will remain as general manager of Revista dos Tribunais at Thomson Reuters, added: “The Thomson Reuters Westlaw platform and the company’s depth of experience helping legal professionals around the world with online services presents an extraordinary opportunity and will make the most of our combined knowledge and experience for our customers in Brazil. We are excited to join Thomson Reuters, and to build our business in alignment with the growing Brazilian legal information market.”

Revista dos Tribunais which was founded 98 years ago, has nearly 300 staff members in Brazil. Their catalogue lists more than 2,000 published titles, they are read by judges, lawyers, notaries, and any professional or institution consulting on legal matters.

Location: Brazil, Sao Paulo

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Thomson Reuters has acquired UAE legislation Library from Affinitext for $10 million

June 8, 2010 — Fusion DigiNet

This is a story we missed from April. It has not been widely reported and details are limited.

Thomson Reuters has acquired UAE legislation Library from Affinitext for $10 million. The deal completed on April 6, 2010.

UAE Legislation Library provides online access anywhere to thousands of UAE Federal and individual Emirate laws with powerful online search and navigation in a branded portal tailored for individual organisations.

Chris Thornes and Fraser Dawson of Allen & Overy LLP acted as legal advisor for Thomson Reuters.

Location: USA, New York

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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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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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