Google acquires Wavii for $30M

April 23, 2013 — Fusion DigiNet

waviiGoogle Inc has acquired natural language processing startup Wavii for around $30 million in cash. Google outbid Apple who wanted the company for its voice-activated personal assistant Siri division.

It is only one month ago that Fusion DigiNet reported Yahoo had acquired mobile news aggregator Summly,  Wavii’s main competitor, for a similar amount.

The Wavii team, including founder Adrian Aoun, will  relocate to Google’s Knowledge Graph division Mountain View, California.google

USA, Mountain View, California & Seattle, WA

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Scripps Networks Interactive Acquires Asian Food Channel

April 18, 2013 — Fusion DigiNet

afcScripps Networks Interactive Inc. has acquired Asian Food Channel (AFC), a food-focused pay television network. The Asian Food Channel, which is based in Singapore, reaches about 8 million subscribers in 11 markets.

“Asia and the rapid growth in pay television households throughout the region hold great promise for Scripps Networks Interactive and its international ambitions,” said Kenneth W. Lowe, the company’s chairman, president and chief executive officer. “Acquiring the Asian Food Channel significantly expands our presence in key growth markets and provides us with a solid foundation on which to build a growing lifestyle media business in the region. The channel aligns perfectly with our lifestyle programming focus.”

The Asian Food Channel broadcasts 24 hours a day, seven days a week and leverages a substantial library of acquired Asian and international video content as well as a growing number of originally-produced programs. The network generates revenues through regional and local advertising sales as well as fees from pay television operators.

Derek Chang, who was appointed recently as managing director of the Asia Pacific region for Scripps Networks Interactive, will oversee the management and integration of the Asian Food Channel. He also will oversee operations of Scripps Networks Interactive’s existing networks in the region.

USA, Knoxville, TN & Singapore

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USA TODAY Travel Media Group acquires Tripology

April 18, 2013 — Fusion DigiNet

USA TODAY LOGOUSA TODAY Travel Media Group has acquired Tripology. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.

Tripology is an interactive travel referral service focused on connecting travelers with experienced travel specialists. Available free to consumers, Tripology utilises proprietary technology to match traveler requests with travel professionals. USA TODAY plans to offer Tripology.com referral services across Gannett media outlets.

“The acquisition of Tripology fits well into our overall growth strategy. The USA TODAY Travel Media Group has been expanding its tripologydigital portfolio of travel news, products and services over the past year. For decades, we’ve provided our audience with helpful and easy to use travel content and now we’re adding more tools to help consumers with their travel experience,” saidJohn Peters , president of USA TODAY Travel Media Group. “Time-starved travelers researching and booking cruises, honeymoons, family reunions, and other complicated travel often require the services of a travel professional and Tripology can match them with a specialist.”

USA, McLean, VA

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Thomson CompuMark acquires the trademark business of Onscope

April 18, 2013 — Fusion DigiNet

compumarkThomson CompuMark, a Thomson Reuters Intellectual Property & Science business has acquired the trademark business of Onscope, a provider of trademark searching, monitoring and online screening in Canada. The terms of the deal was not disclosed. Onscope’s search support services for the Canadian Intellectual Property Office and its linguistics and translation services were not included.

Headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, Onscope is a  provider of trademark search and watch services offered in French and English.

“The addition of Onscope’s trademark business to our IP Solutions portfolio solidifies Thomson CompuMark as the preeminent source ofonscope trademark research and protection offerings across Canada,” said Viji Krishnan , vice president of Thomson CompuMark. “Onscope’s clients will benefit from the extensive trademark expertise Thomson CompuMark provides, including access to the world’s largest, global network of trademark data, around-the-clock service throughout the business week, and a host of offerings to drive brand value and protect intangible assets.”

USA, North Quincy, MA & Canada, Montreal, Quebec

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April 9, 2013 — Fusion DigiNet

tripadvisorTripAdvisor has acquired Jetsetter.com, a members-only private sale site for hotel bookings.  The Jetsetter brand will continue to operate out of New York City and will be incorporated into Smarter Travel Media. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

“Jetsetter is an outstanding brand and I am absolutely delighted to welcome the Jetsetter team to the TripAdvisor family,” saidSteve Kaufer , co-founder and CEO TripAdvisor, Inc.  “With Jetsetter and our own SniqueAway brand, we now have two leading travel private sale sites under one roof.  We are excited by the opportunities this provides to continually help drive amazing value for our travelers staying at some of the world’s most highly-rated hotels.”

USA, Newton, MA & New York, NY

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Next Fifteen Communications Group acquires Connections Media

April 9, 2013 — Fusion DigiNet

next15Next Fifteen Communications Group plc has acquired an 80% stake in Connections Media LLC, a Washington DC based, full service digital agency specialising in politics and public affairs.

Connections Media has been acquired from Jonah Seiger (CEO & founder), Phil Lepanto (Chief Technology Officer) and Andy Weishaarcmlogo (Chief Creative Officer). The initial consideration is $1.85 million, paid in cash at completion. Deferred consideration may be payable over the course of the next 5 years subject to the achievement of revenue and profit performance targets. Any deferred consideration that becomes payable will be satisfied by cash or up to 25% in Next Fifteen shares, at the option of Next Fifteen.

 

For the year ended 31 December 2012 Connections Media had revenues of $2.65 million and profit before tax of $0.85 million. The gross assets at 31 December 2012 were $1.15 million. The business will be acquired with $0.55 million of net working capital.

Seiger, Lepanto, Weishaar and the Connections Media design, development and client services leadership team will remain with the company post-acquisition, with Seiger serving as CEO and Operating Manager.

“Connections Media is a great addition to the Group. As political and corporate worlds becomes more social and digital, the products and services offered by Connections Media become increasingly valuable. Being able to offer such services helps us accelerate our transition from being a PR only group into a full service digital and social communications group,” said Tim Dyson, CEO of Next 15.

UK, London & USA, Washington, DC

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Time Out Group acquires Time Out Chicago

April 8, 2013 — Fusion DigiNet

Time Out Group has acquired Time Out Chicago. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

“Chicago offers something for everyone – from foodies and art aficionados to film fans and theater buffs and we will continue to provide expert recommendations and inspiration for all Chicagoans to get the most out of their city,” said Jennifer Morgan , President of Time Out North America.

Aksel Van Der Wal CEO of Time Out added, “Chicago is an extremely valuable market for us and this acquisition underscores our continued commitment to expanding our digital offering, while remaining the source for authoritative, dynamic content.”

USA, New York, NY & Chicago, IL

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IHS acquires Fekete Associates

April 8, 2013 — Fusion DigiNet

ihs_logo_mpInformation and analytics company IHS Inc. , has acquired Fekete Associates, a provider of integrated reservoir management software and services to the oil and gas industry. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

“The acquisition of Fekete plays an important role in better supporting our customers as we continue to seamlessly connect IHS information and expertise with the right tools and technologies linked to key energy workflows,” said IHS Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Jerre Stead. “The products and services offered by Fekete build on existing IHS Energy solutions and provide new opportunity to expand Fekete offerings to a high-growth global energy marketplace.”

Fekete is a provider of integrated reservoir and production engineering tools and workflow solutions to the oil and natural gas exploration and production industry. Headquartered in Calgary, Alberta, Canada and with an office in Houston, the company’s digital solutions help customers find and develop new oil and gas reserves, and optimize production from new and existing assets by processing, analyzing, interpreting and modeling digital subsurface information.

“Combining Fekete workflow tools with IHS Energy information will create new efficiencies for customers and speed time to decisions in exploration and production. In a very dynamic global energy environment, providing integrated solutions that improve productivity and allow an even greater level of insight in making investment decisions is a great outcome for our customers and for IHS,” said IHS President and Chief Operating Officer Scott Key.

USA, Englewood, CO & Canada, Calgary, Alberta

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Tampa Media Group acquires Clearwater Gazette

April 8, 2013 — Fusion DigiNet

Revolution Capital Group portfolio company, Tampa Media Group, has acquired weekly newspaper Clearwater Gazette from Chuck and Sandy Pollick.

“For six decades, Clearwater Gazette has been an influential and important voice in the community, and we’re impressed with the quality of the publication put together by the owners, Chuck and Sandy Pollick,” says Gary Alcock, Managing Director of Revolution Capital Group.

“The content and viewpoints of Clearwater Gazette mesh well with our existing portfolio of media properties in the region. In addition to that, it’s also an exceptionally well-run business,” says Jim Towers, a Senior Associate with Revolution.

Revolution Capital Group formed Tampa Media Group in October 2012 to purchase The Tampa Tribune from Media General. Clearwater Gazette is Revolution’s fifth acquisition.

USA, Los Angeles, CA

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LIN Media acquires majority ownership in HYFN

April 4, 2013 — Fusion DigiNet

linLIN TV Corp., a local multimedia company, has acquired a majority ownership position in HYFN, a full service digital agency that develops and implements mobile, social and web experiences for some of the world’s largest brands. Morgan Harris, founder of HYFN, will continue in his role as Chief Executive Officer.

“Our acquisition of this growing and successful company is part of our continued investment to build our digital media ecosystem in a strategic way that drives synergies and positions us as the leading one-stop-shop for all marketing needs,” said Vincent L. Sadusky, President and Chief Executive Officer of LIN Media.

Founded in 2000 with offices in Los Angeles, California and New York, New York, HYFN is a collective force of strategic, creative, engineering and client service specialists that deliver results-driven campaigns for mid-size, Fortune 500 and global companies that want to reach and engage their target audiences wherever they are, on any device.

“The demand for robust social and mobile marketing solutions that break through the clutter continues to grow at a rapid pace,” said Robb Richter, Senior Vice President Digital. “We’ve been extremely impressed with HYFN’s digital capabilities, business model and the strength of their management team. There are important competitive advantages that result from having the agency’s creative talent in the same room as their engineers.”

USA, Providence, RI

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