Nielsen acquires Harris Interactive

February 5, 2014 — Fusion DigiNet

harris-logo-newNielsen Holdings N.V., a  global provider of information and insights into what consumers watch and buy, has completed the tender offer by Nielsen and its wholly owned subsidiary, Prime Acquisition Corp., to acquire all outstanding shares of common stock of Harris Interactive, Inc., a global market research firm. Nielsen completed the acquisition of Harris through a merger under Delaware law.

Harris Interactive will be integrated into Nielsen’s Buy business segment, which provides information and insights to manufacturers and retailers that helps them make more informed and impactful business decisions. Nielsen will retain The Harris Poll® brand.

“Harris Interactive is a natural fit with Nielsen’s portfolio of solutions, as the organization shares Nielsen’s commitment to deliver robust and integrated insights to clients to drive business outcomes,” said John J. Lewis, President, Americas, Nielsen. “This acquisition enables deeper insights into consumer sentiment as well as what consumers are, watching and buying while also expanding our footprint with important industry verticals including pharmaceutical, automotive and financial services.”

USA, New York, NY & Rochester, NY

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AOL acquires Gravity for $83M

January 23, 2014 — Fusion DigiNet

aol AOL is to acquire Gravity, a  company that provides multi-screen content optimisation and personalisation, for approximately $83 million. An additional $7.7 million of consideration will be deferred and paid over two years following closing. As part of the transaction, AOL will acquire approximately $12 million of net operating losses, which is expected to result in a future cash tax benefit to AOL of approximately $5 million. AOL expects the acquisition to close in the first quarter of 2014.

Gravity personalises the Internet beyond search and social by applying a personal and real-time filter to the ever-growing volume of digital information available for consumption. Gravity’s  technology creates Interest Graphs based on individuals’ interests, preferences and habits and allows publishers to offer a tailored and relevant selection of editorial and advertising content to readers.

“The web is moving to the era of personal, and a personal web filter will reshape how consumers get information and services,” said gravityAOL Chairman and CEO Tim Armstrong. “Gravity is joining AOL to lead the personalization transformation of AOL’s brands and platform partners.”

The Gravity product and team will report to AOL Brand Group Head of Product, Luke Beatty.

USA, New York, NY

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TechMedia Network acquires BuyerZone from RBI

January 23, 2014 — Fusion DigiNet

techmedianetwork_logoTechMedia Network, Inc. has acquired BuyerZone, the  online marketplace for buyers and sellers of business products and services, from Reed Business Information. The terms of the deal were not disclosed.

BuyerZone’s marketplace features over one million registered buyers and a network of more than 8,500 sellers across 150-plus product and service categories, including business phone systems, POS systems, digital copiers, payroll services, and security systems.

“The addition of BuyerZone to our growing portfolio of properties brings us closer to our goal of becoming the go-to resource for consumers and business professionals looking to simplify complex purchase decisions,” said Greg Mason, CEO, TechMediaNetwork. “The powerful combination of our award-winning content, commerce-driving capabilities, and expert user communities, uniquely position us to simplify the information gathering and sales processes for consumers and businesses, instilling buyer confidence and enabling smarter purchase decisions.”

USA, New York, NY & Waltham, MA

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Hemisphere Media to acquire three Spanish-language cable TV networks

January 23, 2014 — Fusion DigiNet

HemisphereHemisphere Media Group, a Miami-based publicly traded pure-play Spanish language media company, is to acquire three Spanish-language cable television networks from Media World, a company owned by Imagina US, for approximately $102.2 million. The acquisition is structured as an asset purchase and is expected to be funded with cash on hand. The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2014.

The networks acquired are:

  • Pasiones, dedicated to showcasing the telenovelas and series, distributed to approximately 3.8 million subscribers in the U.S. and 7.2 million subscribers in Latin America;
  • Centroamerica TV, a network targeting the third largest U.S. Hispanic group, featuring news, entertainment and soccer programming from Central America with over 3.3 million subscribers in the U.S.; and
  • •TV Dominicana, a network targeting Dominicans living in the U.S., featuring news, entertainment and baseball programming from the Dominican Republic, with over 2.2 million subscribers in the U.S.

Together, these assets are expected to have generated approximately $12.2 million of EBITDA in 2013, resulting in an effective purchase price multiple of 8.4 times.

Alan Sokol, CEO of Hemisphere, stated, “We are thrilled to be bringing Pasiones, Centroamerica TV and TV Dominicana to our world-class portfolio. These networks target valuable, growing and underserved segments of the Hispanic audience. With this acquisition, Hemisphere will own five leading U.S. Hispanic cable networks, two Latin American cable networks, and WAPA-TV, the #1 network in Puerto Rico, expanding our leadership position in Hispanic television. We believe that we can add significant value to these channels through improved programming, marketing and distribution efforts, and these networks will expand our commercial inventory and cross-selling opportunities in the U.S. and augment our Latin American offerings.”

Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP served as legal counsel to Hemisphere. Rothschild served as financial advisor and Kirkland & Ellis, LLP served as legal counsel to Media World.

USA, Miami, FL

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The Gores Group acquires Zmags

January 23, 2014 — Fusion DigiNet

The Gores Group, a Los Angeles-based investment firm, has acquired Zmags Corp. through its Small Capitalization Partners investment fund. The terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Headquartered in Boston, MA, Zmags is a provider of digital publishing and eCommerce Software-as-a-Service solutions with additional offices in Copenhagen, Denmark and London. The company’s self-service platform works across all digital media including tablet, mobile, social and web channels.

“Digital experiences are rapidly evolving and The Gores Group is very excited to add a well-respected company at the forefront of that change in Zmags,” said Victor C. Otley, Managing Director for The Gores Group. “Zmags adds a unique platform for growth to our portfolio and we look forward to partnering with management and employees to continue to build on its success and enable them to better serve their customers.”

USA, Los Angeles, CA & Boston, MA

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Sway Group acquires Massive Sway, SITS Girls, and Bloggy Boot Camp Conferences

January 19, 2014 — Fusion DigiNet

swaygroup_logoSway Group, a management agency for bloggers, has acquired Massive Sway, SITS Girls, and the Bloggy Boot Camp conference series. The terms of the deals were not announced.

Massive Sway is a 50,000-strong network of diverse female publishers. SITS Girls is a blogging community. Bloggy Boot Camp is a conference series for women in social media.

“Since 2011, our company has grown from a three-person startup to a company of 15 full-time employees,” said Danielle Wiley, CEO of Sway Group. “Bringing Massive Sway, SITS Girls, and the Bloggy Boot Camp conferences under the Sway Group umbrella, along with its founders Tiffany Romero and Francesca Banducci, is incredibly exciting, because these fast-growing communities of talented publishers allow us to create a truly amazing variety of programs. Now we can offer brands and agencies an even broader scale of services and targeting capabilities, including the ability to drill down by region, demographic, content vertical, and social network.”

USA, Chicago, IL

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Publicis acquires public relations firm Qorvis Communications

January 13, 2014 — Fusion DigiNet

qorvispublicisPublicis Groupe has acquired independent public relations firm Qorvis Communications. The agency will become part of MSLGROUP, Publicis Groupe’s strategic communications and engagement network.

Founded in 2000 by Managing Partner Michael Petruzzello, Qorvis employs over 80 professional and counts numerous high-profile sovereign nations, organizations and global brands among its clients, such as AAMCO, Cisco Systems, The Mayo Clinic, The United States Institute for Peace and the American Pharmacists Association.

As part of the Qorvis acquisition, MSLGROUP also acquires the full-service Clarus Research Group, led by Dr. Ronald A. Faucheux, Ph.D., a public opinion and public affairs analyst. Faucheux will also play a leadership role in MSLGROUP North America’s overall planning and analytics offering.

The combined MSLGROUP and Qorvis operations in Washington, D.C. will operate under the name of Qorvis MSLGROUP with Petruzzello as President. He will also be the agency’s North America Practice Director of Public Affairs and will report to Renee Wilson, President of MSLGROUP North America.

“The acquisition of Qorvis allows us to bring our clients around the world important new relationships and capabilities inside the Beltway and beyond,” said Renee Wilson, President, of MSLGROUP North America.

France, Paris & USA, Washington, DC

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Groupon acquires online flash fashion retailer ideeli for $43 million

January 13, 2014 — Fusion DigiNet

grouponGroupon has acquired ideeli, an online flash fashion retailer for $43 million in cash.

Ideeli provides its  of members with access to leading brands in women’s and men’s apparel and accessories and home decor at discount prices. Founded in 2007 and based in New York, ideeli is one of the largest independent fashion flash sites.

“We are thrilled to add ideeli and their team to our company,” said Groupon CEO Eric Lefkofsky. “Ideeli extends our fashion presence and brings great relationships with many of the top brands in apparel. Our customers have a ideeli[1]demonstrated appetite for these offers, and by broadening our reach in this space Groupon is even better positioned as the place you start when you want to do or buy just about anything, anytime, anywhere.”

Ideeli will maintain its headquarters in New York and will continue to operate as a separate website.

USA, Chicago, IL & New York, NY

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Mood Media sells its residential Latin American music operations to Stingray Digital

January 10, 2014 — Fusion DigiNet

Mood Media Corporation is to sell its residential Latin American music operations to its long-term independent affiliate and operating partner, Stingray Digital for $16.3 million.

Under the terms of the agreement, Mood Media will receive an initial cash payment of $10 million and an intercompany settlement of $1.4M. Upon the residential Latin American operations’ achievement of certain key performance indicators, Stingray will pay Mood Media the remaining amount over a period of 18 months.

“This transaction strengthens our balance sheet as we execute our strategy to broaden audio, visual, mobile, scent and experiential solutions to support current and prospective clients,” said Steve Richards, Chief Executive Officer and President. “We are pleased to achieve this milestone, further underscoring Mood’s commitment to delivering growth and enhanced returns for stakeholders. We will continue to evaluate opportunities to simplify our portfolio, leverage Mood operating infrastructure and resources to deepen relationships with clients, and create heightened value for shareholders. We remain focused on achieving our vision for ensuring Mood Media is recognized as the global leader for In-Store and In-Office Experiential Solutions.”

Canada, Toronto & Latin America

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Yahoo acquires Aviate

January 7, 2014 — Fusion DigiNet

Yahoo has acquired Aviate, a startup produces an app, which is still in beta, to organises the apps on the home screen of Android devices. Aviate is the first product from San Francisco-based startup ThumbsUp Labs. The terms of the deal were not disclosed.

The acquisition was announced by Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer during her keynote speech at the 2014 International CES.

You can see Mayer’s keynote speech here.

Aviate

Talking about the acquisition, Mayer said, “It is no secret we are amidst a massive and continuing shift to mobile,” Mayer said onstage at one of the world’s largest tech events. “But the shift is not just about proliferation, it’s also about how much time we are spending on phones. Weather, mail, finance, news — mobile puts them in your pocket and makes them a daily habit. We acquired Aviate because we believe home screens should be smarter and more personalised.”

It is Yahoo’s first acquisition announcement of 2014. Yahoo acquired 28 startups in 2013.

USA, Sunnyvale, CA & Palo Alto, CA

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