MacTech Conference acquires US NSConference

January 20, 2011 — Fusion DigiNet

MacTech Magazine and iDeveloper TV (part of The Mac Developer Network Limited) today announced that MacTech is acquiring the US version of NSConference and merging it into MacTech Conference: For Apple IT Pros and Developers. While iDeveloper TV will continue to operate NSConference UK independently, NSConference organizers will now be a part of the MacTech Conference team. The yet-to-be-announced MacTech Conference 2011 is slated for Fall 2011.

NSConference UK is March 21-23, 2011 in Wokefield Park, outside of London. The sold-out event focuses on sessions presented by some of the world’s top OS X and iOS developers.

MacTech Conference 2011 will be a US-based event that delivers content for both IT Pros, and OS X/iOS Developers on the Mac. NSConference’s head, Steve Scott (Scotty), will join the MacTech Conference 2011 team as Sessions Chair for the Developer Track, working with Edward Marczak (who will continue to oversee the IT Track as well as the sessions overall) andNeil Ticktin and Andrea Sniderman who oversee the entire event.

“It’s clear that we hit a home run with MacTech Conference 2010. When attendees give the event a standing ovation at the close, and 100% say that they would recommend the conference, you know you’ve done something right,” said Neil Ticktin, Editor-in-Chief/Publisher of MacTech Magazine. “I’m incredibly proud of our team for 2010. And, with Scotty joining us as Sessions Chair for the Developer Track, it just gets that much better.”

“I couldn’t be happier to work with someone so well known and respected in the Mac development world,” said Edward Marczak, Executive Editor, MacTech Magazine, and MacTech Conference Overall Sessions Chair. “Working together, we’re going to be able to serve the Mac community much better than working separately.”

“NSConference has proven its ability to bring great content to a great base of attendees,” says Steve Scott (Scotty) from iDeveloper TV and Developer Sessions Chair for MacTech Conference 2011. “This deal allows iDeveloper TV to bring its intimate relationship with Mac OS X and iOS developers together with MacTech’s excellent conference skills to provide an incredible event for developers based in the USA.”

USA, Westlake Village, CA & UK, Tetbury

 

 

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Amazon to acquire LOVEFiLM International

January 20, 2011 — Fusion DigiNet

Amazon.com has reached an agreement to acquire the remaining shares in LOVEFiLM International.

LOVEFiLM is a leading European subscription entertainment service which combines the benefits of online DVD and games rental-by-post as well as streaming films and TV shows instantly over the internet to PCs, internet enabled TVs and Playstation 3. LOVEFiLM operates today in the UK, Germany, Sweden, Norway and Denmark. Amazon already has a significant minority shareholding in LOVEFiLM and does not itself operate any similar business in Europe.

“LOVEFiLM has been innovating on behalf of movie rental customers across Europe for many years and with the advent of the LOVEFiLM player, they are further delighting customers by streaming digital movies for their immediate enjoyment,” said Greg Greeley, Amazon’s Vice President of European Retail. “LOVEFiLM and Amazon have enjoyed a strong working relationship since LOVEFiLM acquired Amazon Europe’s DVD rental business in 2008, and we look forward to a productive and innovative future.”

“The deal is a winner for the members who love LOVEFiLM because of its value, choice, convenience and innovation in home entertainment,” said Simon Calver, Chief Executive of LOVEFiLM International. “With Amazon’s unequivocal support we can significantly enhance our members’ experience across Europe.”

The acquisition is subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory approvals, and is expected to close in the first quarter of 2011.

USA, Seattle, WA & UK, London

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Mixbook acquires Scrapblog

January 19, 2011 — Fusion DigiNet

Personalized photo publishing business Mixbook has acquired Scrapblog, an online scrapbooking service. Terms of the deal are not disclosed.

“This acquisition solidifies Mixbook as the definitive source for online digital scrapbooking and personalized photo publishing,” said Andrew Laffoon, CEO of Mixbook. “Digital scrapbooking has surged in popularity over the past few years, with the scrapbook industry reaching billions of dollars in annual sales. Scrapblog’s users will now have access to an improved user experience via Mixbook’s thousands of free designs, state-of-the-art software and industry-leading customer service.”

“Scrapblog’s award-winning online scrapbooking service is a great match for Mixbook’s growing platform,” said Carlos Garcia, founder of Scrapblog. “I am excited that our users will be in trusted hands given Mixbook’s track-record of excellent service.”

USA, Silicon Valley, CA

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EWTN acquires National Catholic Register

January 19, 2011 — Fusion DigiNet

EWTN Global Catholic Network has signed a letter of intent to acquire the National Catholic Register, a leading Catholic newspaper.

“I am very pleased and excited that the Register will now be a part of the EWTN family,” said Michael P. Warsaw, the Network’s president and chief executive officer.  “All of us at EWTN have great respect for the Register and the role it has played throughout its history. It’s a tremendous legacy that deserves to not only be preserved, but also to grow and to flourish.”

“I believe that EWTN will be able to provide the stability that the Register needs at this time as well as to give it a platform for its growth in the years ahead. We’re proud to be able to step in and carry on both the Register’s name and its tradition of faithful Catholic reporting on the issues of the day,” noted Warsaw.

Under the terms of the transaction, no cash will be exchanged between the parties. EWTN will take over the ongoing operational expenses of the Register and will assume the paper’s future subscription liabilities.

The acquisition of the Register is the latest in EWTN’s efforts to expand its news presence in the global Catholic digital and multimedia market. At the start of 2010, EWTN entered into a partnership with the Catholic News Agency (CNA), a Denver-based independent Catholic news media outlet with bureaus in North and South America and Europe. Under that agreement, EWTN and CNA are sharing news resources and have created a joint news service found at http://www.ewtnnews.com.  That arrangement was recently expanded to include a new original Spanish-language news service, EWTN Noticias, launched in January 2011.

The National Catholic Register grew out of Denver’s Catholic Register, which began on Aug. 11, 1905. Under the leadership of Msgr. Matthew Smith, the Register System of Newspapers was developed, with the first national edition appearing on Nov. 8, 1927. It was acquired by the Legion of Christ in 1995.

USA, Irondale, AL

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US Financial Technology & Information Industry M&A trends report shows deal value has grown by 27% since 2009

January 19, 2011 — Fusion DigiNet

Berkery Noyes has released its 2010 Financial Technology & Information M&A Trends Report. The report analyses merger and acquisition activity in the US Financial Technology Industry in 2010 and compares it with activity in the three previous years.

Both total transaction volume and value saw marked increases this year.  Total transaction volume increased by 30 percent from 183 in 2009 to 238 in 2010 and total transaction value increased by 27 percent from $16.14 billion in 2009 to $20.52 billion in 2010.

Capital Markets remained the largest segment by deal volume in 2010, yet only Insurance has made gains in each of the past four years.  Indeed, Insurance saw its largest growth in the last four years, rising 19 percent in deal activity over 2009.

Based on known transaction values, almost one third of 2010’s transactions took place at values between $7.4 and $54.6 million.  This figure is calculated on a logarithmic scale using the known transaction values and a Gaussian distribution.

“More deals have been done in the investment research vertical than any other,” said Christopher Young, a managing director in the Berkery Noyes FinTech group.  “Due to continued low trading volumes, the elimination of federal funds and the continued level of issuer lawsuits, it is anticipated that consolidation will continue into the near future.”

Morningstar, Inc. was the most active acquirer in the space, which serves as further evidence that the independent investment research industry is experiencing consolidation.

To view the full report click here

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Comcast and GE receive regulatory clearance for NBC Universal transaction

January 19, 2011 — Fusion DigiNet

Comcast and General Electric have received regulatory clearance from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the Department of Justice for the joint venture that will consist of the NBC Universal businesses and Comcast’s cable networks, regional sports networks and certain digital properties. The joint venture will be 51 percent owned by Comcast, 49 percent owned by GE and managed by Comcast. The transaction is expected to be completed by the end of January.

“This is a proud and exciting day for Comcast,” said Brian L. Roberts, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Comcast. “We are grateful for the leadership of FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski, Assistant Attorney General Christine Varney, the other FCC Commissioners and their staffs for the months of hard work that went into reviewing an unprecedented number of documents and public comments.”

“The NBC Universal joint venture will be well positioned to compete, innovate, and bring new choices to consumers,” Mr. Roberts continued. “Our original vision for the combination remains intact so that consumers will benefit, and our competitors will be treated fairly. We are pleased that many of the voluntary commitments we proposed beginning the day the transaction was announced and continuing throughout the process have been incorporated into the FCC’s Order.”

Under the terms of the transaction, GE will contribute to the joint venture NBC Universal’s businesses, including its cable networks, filmed entertainment, televised entertainment, theme parks and unconsolidated investments. Comcast will contribute its cable networks, including E!, Versus and the Golf Channel, its regional sports networks and certain digital media properties, and make a payment to GE subject to certain adjustments based on various events between signing and closing.

GE Chairman and CEO Jeff Immelt said, “NBCU has been a great business for GE over the past 20 years, generating an average annual return of 11 percent. Reducing our ownership stake from 80 percent to 49 percent allows GE to continue sharing in NBCU’s growth while also providing significant cash to invest in our high-technology infrastructure businesses, growing an attractive dividend, and continuing our buyback program. This transaction will have generated approximately $8 billion of cash at closing with an expected small after-tax gain. We are confident the NBCU team will continue to be in good hands under Brian Roberts, Steve Burke and the Comcast team’s leadership.”

“Bringing the legendary assets of NBC Universal together with the content assets and technology expertise of Comcast will create many new opportunities for consumers. The combination of these assets will allow us to bring the future of anytime, anywhere media faster to consumers in America and around the globe,” said Steve Burke, who will become Chief Executive Officer of NBC Universal at the official close of the transaction.
Additional information regarding the transaction can be found at http://www.comcast.com/nbcutransaction.

USA, Philadelphia, PA & Fairfield, CT

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Adobe acquires Demdex

January 19, 2011 — Fusion DigiNet

Adobe Systems Incorporated has acquired privately held Demdex, a leading data management platform company.

“Our customers rank among the world’s largest advertisers and publishers and they have been asking us to help them optimize how they buy and sell online ads,” said Brad Rencher, vice president and general manager, Omniture Business Unit, Adobe. “With the addition of Demdex, the Adobe Online Marketing Suite will enable advertisers to be smarter with their advertising spend and publishers to leverage their audience data to generate more revenue. With audience optimization, Adobe is literally changing how online ads are bought and sold.”

“Adding our technology to the capabilities and vision of Adobe is a powerful combination for advertisers and publishers,” said Randy Nicolau, chief executive officer, Demdex. “We will continue to evolve our technology as part of the Adobe Online Marketing Suite to help customers stay ahead of the rapidly evolving online ad market.”

“As a leading technology media company, our audience data is incredibly valuable to our business and our advertising partners,” said Vivek Shah, chief executive officer, Ziff Davis. “With Demdex becoming part of the Adobe Online Marketing Suite, we expect Adobe solutions to help us find even more ways to create value for our advertising partners and customers.”

“Online media is poised to capture a greater share of advertising revenue based on audience size, engagement and capabilities, but the complexity and isolation of metrics have impeded its past success,” said Andrew Frank, research vice president, Gartner, Inc. “The incorporation of data and technology into marketing and advertising processes will fundamentally change the nature of the online media business.”

USA, San Jose, CA

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Strobe Promotions, RedStapler and Zezza Network merge to form Tenthwave

January 19, 2011 — Fusion DigiNet

Strobe Promotions, RedStapler and Zezza Network have merged to form Tenthwave, a fully integrated digital marketing agency headquartered in New York.  Lead by former i33 Communications Founder and Chairman Drew Rayman, Tenthwave reunites Rayman with former colleagues Steve Caputo and Rob Kaplan; Brian Hack and Mike Mazar; and Eric Schwamberger, the respective founders of Strobe, RedStapler and Zezza.

Tenthwave will provide digital and social marketing, promotions, web design and development from ideation through implementation for clients including CBS Consumer Products, eBay, Visa, Pepperidge Farm, Jim Beam, Hearst Magazines, and Sports Illustrated, among others.  Drew Rayman and Steve Caputo will serve as the agency’s managing partners with Brian Hack, Eric Schwamberger, Mike Mazar and Rob Kaplan serving as agency partners.

USA, New York, NY

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Deloitte expands energy analytics capabilities with acquisition of Altos Management Partners and MarketPoint

January 14, 2011 — Fusion DigiNet

Deloitte has acquired substantially all of the assets of Altos Management Partners, a consultancy to energy companies that was founded in 1995, as well as those of MarketPoint, an Altos sister company best known for MarketBuilder, an analytic suite for energy market modeling and price forecasting.

The acquisition will provide Deloitte’s clients with the ability to gain a better understanding of market fundamentals for energy commodities, including oil, gas, refinery products, electricity and coal.

“Supply, demand and price analytics are critical to energy companies,” said Greg Aliff, vice chairman and U.S. energy and resources sector leader, Deloitte LLP. “In order to be leaders, these companies must understand the future better than their competitors and act first. The acquisition of Altos and MarketPoint, combined with Deloitte’s existing solutions and services, will provide our clients with tools and services to improve their planning for future markets, enabling them to act faster and more comprehensively with greater confidence, and giving them a leg up in an increasingly competitive market.”

Andy Dunn, a partner at Deloitte & Touche LLP, explained that the acquisition is the foundation for a newly created offering named Deloitte MarketPoint, which is located within the Deloitte Center for Energy Solutions. Dunn, who will manage Deloitte MarketPoint, said the acquisition “will allow Deloitte to provide the energy industry with decision support solutions, including MarketBuilder, its models and data, in addition to consulting services.”

As part of the acquisition, Dale Nesbitt, Ph.D., has joined Deloitte. Nesbitt founded MarketPoint in 1995 and is well known in the energy industry for his market analysis modeling tools, including the North American Regional Gas Model, the World Gas Trade Model, the World Oil Model, the Western European Gas Model, and the North American Regional Electricity Model. MarketPoint’s models have been widely used by companies in the North American energy industry, as well as in energy markets in Europe, Asia, the Middle East, South America and Australia.

According to Nesbitt, “The success of MarketPoint, combined with the strength and quantitative experience of Deloitte, will bring a wide array of advanced analytics services to energy and resources companies of all varieties.”

USA,

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RockYou acquires social game developer Playdemic

January 14, 2011 — Fusion DigiNet

Social entertainment company RockYou has acquired social game developer Playdemic. Based in Manchester, Playdemic will operate independently as Playdemic, a RockYou studio, and develop Facebook games for the mainstream audience. The acquisition brings extensive game development talent and an established Facebook game, Gourmet Ranch, to the company. Playdemic’s management team has held senior positions at major publishers including Ubisoft, THQ and Eidos. Ian Livingstone, co-founder of Games Workshop and life president of Eidos, was a chief investor in Playdemic. Paul Gouge, CEO and Founder, will lead the studio as VP and General Manager. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.
“At RockYou we place great value on the art of game-making,” said Jonathan Knight, RockYou’s SVP of Games, “and we’re elated to welcome the Playdemic team into our studio system. Playdemic will retain their culture and creative control, as they bring their significant game industry experience to making social games of today and tomorrow.”

“Being a part of RockYou gives us the opportunity to remain creatively independent, while leveraging RockYou’s vast network and expertise at scale to reach a wide audience with our games,” Paul Gouge said. “We see a massive opportunity to expand the depth and quality of social games, and have found an ideal partner in RockYou.”

RockYou will grow the user base for Gourmet Ranch, Playdemic’s first title that is currently playable on Facebook with half a million monthly active users. A combined farming and baking simulation, Gourmet Ranch invites players to grow organic crops, raise animals and prepare and serve meals to their friends. Players can use cash to build and decorate their own homestead in a mountain wilderness, trading and helping friends to increase the value of their properties.

USA, Redwood, CA & UK, Manchester

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