Welsh Independent TV production company Tinopolis acquires BASE Productions

August 8, 2011 — Fusion DigiNet

Welsh Independent TV production company Tinopolis has acquired US production company BASE Productions.  The deal followings Tinopolis’s recent US acquisition, A. Smith & Co.  BASE Productions, founded by its joint CEO’s John Brenkus and Mickey Stern, is a vertically integrated production company with its own studio and production facilities at its headquarters in Burbank, California and offices in Washington DC.  BASE is a supplier of television to many networks.  Amongst its best known programs are Sport Science, a long-running series for ESPN, Known Universe and Fight Science for National Geographic, Police POV for Tru Tv with its innovative use of police actuality footage and Fact or Faked: Paranormal Files.

Tinopolis, backed by private equity firm Vitruvian Partners, owns Question Time producer Mentorn, sports production company Sunset+Vine, Pioneer and US network producer A. Smith & Co.  The company produces around 1,600 hours of drama, factual, entertainment and sports programming each year for more than 200 broadcasters worldwide.  The acquisition is part of its diversification and growth strategy and strengthens its already substantial US factual entertainment business.

BASE Productions will be able to tap into the company’s worldwide resources and enjoy enhanced access to the UK for its non-scripted productions.  It will continue to maintain its independence as a production company.  Mickey Stern joins the main board of Tinopolis and will continue to lead BASE alongside his co-CEO, John Brenkus.

Tinopolis Executive Chairman Ron Jones said: “We have admired the Company built up by John and Mickey for some time.  They have established a business based on great creativity and impressive business common sense.  BASE is a producer trusted and respected throughout the industry and alongside A. Smith & Co we now have a US business with depth and breadth of coverage. BASE has experience and formats with the potential to be successful world-wide.  This will be a major opportunity for our distribution company, MINT, and reinforces our plans to build a portfolio of brands and formats that work internationally.”

UK, Carmarthenshire & USA, Los Angeles, CA

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Guardian Media Group and Apax split £100M dividend from Trader Media Group

August 8, 2011 — Fusion DigiNet

Guardian Media Group and private equity firm Apax Partners are splitting a £100M special dividend from Trader Media Group after a debt refinancing deal.

GMG will use its share of the payout to top up its investment fund, which was set up two years ago as a hedge against declines in the newspaper industry.

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Hearst Corporation completes UK portion of Lagardère Global Acquisition

August 6, 2011 — Fusion DigiNet

Hearst Corporation has completed the UK portion of its international transaction with Lagardère SCA.

The deal unites National Magazine Company, Hearst Corporation’s principal UK business, and Hachette Filipacchi UK Ltd. The new organisation has been rebranded as Hearst Magazines UK.

With the acquisition of Hachette Filipacchi, Hearst Magazines UK has the UK publishing rights to global media superbrands ELLE and ELLE Decoration, along with Psychologies; and the ownership of Red, All About Soap, Inside Soap, Digital Spy and Sugarscape.

The combined business, comprising 26 magazines, 22 digital assets and other branded properties, will make Hearst Magazines UK one of the biggest media players in the country, reaching more than 16 million adults in print and 20 million monthly unique users online.

This UK deal forms part of Hearst Corporation’s acquisition of Lagardère’s international press and magazine business, which includes nearly 100 titles, 50 websites and numerous mobile and tablet applications in 14 markets including the U.S., Russia, Ukraine, Italy, Spain, U.K., Japan, The Netherlands, Hong Kong, Mexico, Taiwan, Canada, Germany and China (which will close later this year).

Arnaud de Puyfontaine, Chief Executive, Hearst Magazines UK, and Executive Vice President, Hearst Magazines International said: “This move consolidates our status as a leading UK media owner. NatMag and Hachette Filipacchi have built a stable of world-class brands,and this combined portfolio gives us a unique opportunity to develop and expand our commercial potential. We very much look forward to working with our new colleagues on this exciting venture.”

UK, London

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Intertek acquires environmental impact specialist RDC Environment

August 6, 2011 — Fusion DigiNet

Intertek has acquired RDC Environment, which specialises in environmental impact measurement, life cycle analysis (LCA), carbon footprinting, eco-labeling, greenhouse gas inventory and energy auditing for consumer products companies, and water and waste management projects for both private and public companies.

RDC Environment, established in 1992 and managed by Bernard de Caevel and Michael Ooms, provides companies with environmental impact solutions for their products, raw materials or packaging. RDC Environment also carries out water footprint and environmental analysis for public authorities.

“The European expertise offered by Intertek-RDC enhances Intertek’s existing network of qualified experts located in Asia and North America, to provide a global service for environmental impact solutions for companies, products,packaging and supply chains,” said Christophe Liebon, Vice President of Intertek Environmental Impact Solutions.

“The market is growing in Europe, particularly in France where possible future legislation on environmental labeling and the obligation for companies with more than 5,000 employees to perform carbon footprinting are under consideration,” said Bernard de Caevel, RDC Environment.

France, Heudeboulville & Belgium, Brussels

 

 

 

 

 

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Silver Spring Networks files for proposed IPO

August 6, 2011 — Fusion DigiNet

Silver Spring Networks has filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission for a proposed initial public offering. The number of shares to be offered and the price range for the offering have not yet been determined.

The Form S1 statement

Silver Spring Networks provides a networking platform and solutions that enable utilities to transform the power grid infrastructure into the smart grid.

Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, Goldman, Sachs & Co., and Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC are acting as joint book-running managers for the offering, and Jefferies & Company, Inc., Piper Jaffray & Co., Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated,  Robert W. Baird & Co., Canaccord Genuity Inc., Evercore Group L.L.C., and Pacific Crest Securities LLC are acting as co-managers.

USA, Redwood City, CA

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Clean Urban Energy secures $7M Series A From Battery Ventures and Rho Ventures

August 6, 2011 — Fusion DigiNet

Clean Urban Energy (CUE), an energy storage and smart grid performance optimisation technology provider, has secured $7 million in Series A financing. The investment was co-led by Battery Ventures and Rho Ventures, and will be applied to rapid product development and a multi-city expansion within the United States.

CUE is headquartered in Chicago and plans to use this new capital to embark on a road show fueling strategic development in four new major U.S. cities, including: New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Houston.

“This funding is an important and critical milestone for our business, and will enable us to accelerate product engineering and customer acquisition during this next phase of rapid growth,” said Rich Earley, CUE CEO. “The market knowledge and relationships that our new investors bring to the table will help us rapidly penetrate the property management and owner community to become a leading technology provider in the market.”

With this round, Jason Matlof from Battery Ventures and Joshua Ruch from Rho Ventures will assume seats on CUE’s board of directors.

USA, Chicago, IL


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Energy efficiency business Amantys closes $7 million Series A round

August 6, 2011 — Fusion DigiNet

Amantys, a UK based energy efficiency power electronics company, has closed a $7 million Series A round. The new funding enables Amantys to continue with the commercialisation of its digital power switching platform.

The new funding round has been led by Moonray Investors, part of Fidelity International and ARM Holdings plc (ARM). Moonray Investors has additionally purchased the remaining external minority interests in Amantys.

UK, Cambridge

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Mobile marketing company Augme Technologies to acquire Hipcricket

August 6, 2011 — Fusion DigiNet

Mobile marketing company Augme Technologies is to acquire the assets and the business of Hipcricket, a fellow mobile marketing  firm headquartered near Seattle, Washington. The acquisition is expected to close at the end of August 2011. The purchase price of $44.5 million will be comprised of $6 million in cash and $38.5 million in Augme common stock. In addition, the transaction calls for a twelve-month earn-out payment valued at up to an additional $27.5 million, which may be paid in cash or stock at Augme’s discretion provided that the transaction remains a tax-free reorganization.

On closing of the acquisition, Augme expects to hire all of Hipcricket’s employees and the current Hipcricket team will continue to service Hipcricket’s business. The combined companies’ client roster is expected to include over 300 customers.

“The agreement to acquire the assets of Hipcricket follows our previously announced acquisition of JAGTAG, which was completed on July 22, 2011,” noted Paul Arena, Chief Executive Officer of Augme Technologies, Inc. “We expect the complementary resources of Augme, JAGTAG and Hipcricket, when combined, will allow Augme to provide the most powerful best-of-breed mobile marketing solutions to global brand name leaders, backed by strong intellectual property portfolios, including patented technology and software-as-a-service, (“SaaS”) technology platforms.”

USA, New York, NY & Seattle, WA

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Sony Computer Entertainment acquires Sucker Punch Productions

August 6, 2011 — Fusion DigiNet

Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE) has acquired Sucker Punch Productions, creators of the top-selling Sly Cooper and inFamous franchises. Sucker Punch Productions will join the global development operation of Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios (SCE WWS).  Day-to-day operations will continue to be run by the current management team and company founders in conjunction with SCE WWS Foster City Studio. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Based in Bellevue, Washington, Sucker Punch Productions is the developer of the Sly Cooper series for the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system and the inFamous franchise on the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system, with combined franchise sales surpassing seven million units worldwide. Best known for signature creative talents, including award winning animation and art direction, visual style, immersive storylines, strong characters and highly interactive worlds, Sucker Punch has created some of the most successful games in PlayStation history.

Day-to-day operations will continue to be run by the current management team and company founders in conjunction with SCE WWS Foster City Studio.  Financial terms of this arrangement are not disclosed.

“Sucker Punch Productions is one of the most highly acclaimed development studios in the industry and we have enjoyed a wonderful relationship with the company for over 12 years. We are delighted to officially welcome them to the SCE family,” saidShuhei Yoshida, president, SCE WWS.  “The addition of Sucker Punch to SCE WWS reiterates our dedication to developing world class gaming experiences that can only be found on the PlayStation platform. With one of the strongest exclusive software lineups in the PS3’s history, combined with the diverse, innovate content in the works for PlayStation Vita, consumers have a lot to be excited about this year.”

USA, Foster City, CA & Bellevue, WA

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LivingSocial to acquire Korea’s TicketMonster

August 6, 2011 — Fusion DigiNet

LivingSocial has signed a definitive agreement to acquire TicketMonster Inc., a social commerce website in South Korea.  Founded in 2010, TicketMonster offers daily and instant deals, travel packages, and events to more than 2 million members in Korea and Malaysia.

“TicketMonster is one of Korea’s most recognized and trusted brands in the nascent daily deal industry, and we are excited to bring them into the LivingSocial family,” said Tim O’Shaughnessy, CEO and co-founder of LivingSocial. “TicketMonster and LivingSocial share the same culture of innovation, customer focus and fun, and we believe that the benefits we bring to consumers can be extended to other markets in Asia and around the world.”

Following regulatory review and approval, the acquisition of TicketMonster will bring the total number of countries LivingSocial operates in to 23.  Other countries in Asia with LivingSocial operations include the Philippines, Thailand and Indonesia, through the Ensogo and DealKeren acquisitions announced earlier this summer.

“Like LivingSocial, TicketMonster has always focused on providing great values to our members while helping our merchant partners reach new, loyal customers,” said Daniel Shin, CEO of TicketMonster.  “Joining LivingSocial will give TicketMonster the resources, scale and reach to bring our business to the next level across the region while providing even better services for our customers.  We believe that this deal will advance the interests of our merchants, our members, and all Korean consumers.”

Terms of the deal were not released.  After closing, TicketMonster’s 600 employees will become part of the LivingSocial team.

USA, Washington & South Korea

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