Euro RSCG 4D Discovery acquires digital agency Congruent Media

August 23, 2010 — Fusion DigiNet

Euro RSCG 4D Discovery, the North American data analytics, CRM and behavioral marketing agency network of Euro RSCG Worldwide, has acquired Congruent Media, a full-service Internet marketing and interactive design agency, based in Baltimore, Maryland.  Effective immediately, the agency will become part of Euro RSCG 4D Discovery’s Baltimore office, expanding the entire network’s digital and behavioral marketing capabilities, client base and talent pool. This news comes on the heels of Euro RSCG 4D announcing the acquisition of Acmic Digital in India just over a week ago.

Congruent Media Founding Partners Dan Dawes and Jeffrey Rudolf will join Euro RSCG 4D Discovery as Senior Vice President of Digital and Senior Vice President of Digital Technology, respectively.

“We believe digital is far too important to be left in a silo. This acquisition is the latest in the continuation of our digital at the core model that we put in place back in 2005 where we integrate digital inside all of our agencies. In Baltimore, we’ll now be replicating this very successful model already in place in New York, Chicago and San Francisco” said David Jones, global CEO of Havas Worldwide and Euro RSCG Worldwide.

“Congruent media has a trusted reputation in the industry for building advanced interactive solutions for its clients, and this strategic move will continue to build momentum for the future-focused Euro RSCG 4D Discovery network,” said Ron Bess, President of Euro RSCG North America.  “Dan and Jeffrey have built a world-class interactive agency, and we are confident that this acquisition will enhance Discovery’s behavioral marketing strength and infuse our digital at the core model.”

Euro RSCG 4D Discovery assumes marketing and creative responsibilities for Congruent Media’s full client roster, including Metal Roofing Alliance, Speakman Company, Hurricane Grill & Wings, Pollard Banknote Limited, McElroy Metal Inc., Johns Hopkins University and Signs by Tomorrow. The Congruent Media team will join Euro RSCG 4D Discovery’s Baltimore office, creating 14 new positions at the agency.

USA, Chicago, IL

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Nokia to acquire Motally

August 21, 2010 — Fusion DigiNet

 

Nokia has announced that it has signed an agreement to acquire Motally Inc., a privately-held US-based company. Motally’s mobile analytics service offers in-application tracking and reporting, and is designed to enable developers and publishers to optimize the development of their mobile applications through increased understanding of how users engage. The service offering is planned to be adapted for Qt, Symbian, Meego and Java developers, and Nokia plans to continue serving Motally’s existing customer base.

“The acquisition underpins Nokia’s drive to deliver in-application and mobile web browsing analytics to Ovi’s growing, global eco-system of developers and publishers, enabling partners to better connect with their customers and optimize and monetize their offering”,  said Marco Argenti, Vice President, Media, Nokia.

Motally currently employs a team of eight people.

The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions and is expected to close during the third quarter of 2010.

Finland, Espoo

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Facebook acquires Hot Potato

August 21, 2010 — Fusion DigiNet

Hot Potato, an app that lets you build a social stream around events and other activities, are reporting on their blog that they have been acquired by Facebook.

“This wasn’t an easy decision, especially since we’ve built up a base of dedicated users. If Hot Potato was going to sell to anyone, Facebook was the natural choice. Facebook is still small, moves fast, provides a great supportive environment for people to be entrepreneurial, and most importantly, Facebook builds great products. We’re looking forward to joining their team. We’ll soon be wrapping up operations at Hot Potato. We will no longer be accepting new user registrations, and we will be offering existing users a way to download their information from the site. To do this, go to: http://hotpotato.com/dashboard/history. In about a month, Hot Potato will close up shop and delete all user data. No user data or account information will be kept by Facebook. We will be sure to keep you posted on this process over the next few weeks.”

USA, Brooklyn, NY

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PennWell acquires Fire Apparatus Magazine

August 21, 2010 — Fusion DigiNet

PennWell Corporation, a diversified global media and information company, has acquired Fire Apparatus & Emergency Equipment magazine and the website FireMagazine.com.  Financial terms of the sale were not disclosed.

Fire Apparatus & Emergency Equipment, founded in 1996 in Tunbridge, Vermont by C. Peter and Kathryn Jorgensen under the company name Fire Apparatus, LLC, is a leading source of information about fire apparatus-related products. Published monthly for a North American readership of 35,000, Fire Apparatus & Emergency Equipment caters to fire chiefs, purchasing and finance committees, trustees, commissioners and other fire professionals who buy trucks, tools, turnout gear and firefighting equipment. They read Fire Apparatus and the monthly Fire Apparatus eNewsletter for news and insight to make well-informed buying decisions.

PennWell President and Chief Executive Officer Robert F. Biolchini said, “PennWell is pleased to expand our fire portfolio with this outstanding publication and website, which provides us a vertical extension focused on equipment and apparatus.  Since 1996 Kathryn Jorgensen and her late husband Peter Jorgensen have built their company based on editorial excellence and a strong industry reputation.  Fire Apparatus offers a perfect fit with PennWell as we celebrate our own centennial anniversary this year.”

Fire Apparatus, LLC President Kathryn Jorgensen will assist with the transition and expressed her confidence in PennWell as the best home for the future growth of the publication and website. “My goal in selling Fire Apparatus was to find a publisher who would continue and strengthen the magazine that my husband founded.  I am very pleased that PennWell, which has an excellent reputation in the fire service and in providing information to multiple global markets, will do that,” she said.

PennWell will manage the business from its headquarters in Tulsa under Lyle Hoyt, senior vice president responsible for PennWell’s Dental and Fire Groups. Current Fire Apparatus publisher and sales manager Bob Kelly and editor-in-chief Lyn Bixby will continue in those roles under PennWell.

USA, Tulsa, UK

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Data center energy resource management solutions company raises $8 million

August 19, 2010 — Fusion DigiNet

Data center energy resource management solutions company Viridity Software has raised an additional $8 million in Series B funding from current investors Battery Ventures and North Bridge Venture Partners.  This follows-on a successful Series A funding round of $7 million.  The additional funding will be used to expand the development of the company’s EnergyCenter software platform, as well as greatly accelerate its go-to-market activities.

USA, Burlington, MA

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Chegg.com acquires CourseRank

August 19, 2010 — Fusion DigiNet

Online textbook rental company, Chegg.com, has acquired CourseRank, the Mountain View-based start-up that provides college students an easy and convenient way to create and share their course schedule, take classes with their friends, read and write reviews on classes and professors as well as find out how professors grade.

“We are excited about adding CourseRank to the portfolio of content and services we can offer students to make college easier and more affordable,” said Dan Rosensweig, President and CEO of Chegg.com. “We all share a commitment to saving students time, money and making them smarter.  It’s amazing how popular CourseRank has become on campus, having nearly 100,000 users and growing every day.”

Founded by three college students and already being used on 175 colleges and universities across the U.S., CourseRank helps students manage and plan their academic careers. CourseRank’s scheduling, planning and course review system guides students by arranging relevant course information in an easily accessible display where they can track their progress towards the goal of graduation, mapping courses taken, and grades received.  A feature for students to find textbooks for their courses using CourseRank is currently in beta for select schools.

“We’re excited to be part of the number one online textbook rental company in such a hot space,” said Filip Kaliszan, Co-Founder and CEO of CourseRank. “We share Chegg’s commitment to using technology to make life easier and cheaper for college kids, and we are excited about expanding our reach to more schools, adding many new features in the next few months.”

CourseRank, founded in 2007 by three Stanford University students, has seen tremendous growth in the past year.  To date, the company has achieved adoption by some of the country’s top schools including Stanford University, the University of California, Berkeley, and Cornell University.

USA, Santa Clara, CA

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Total Beauty Media acquires LimeLife

August 19, 2010 — Fusion DigiNet

Total Beauty Media , a USVP-funded company,has acquired LimeLife.com, the multi-platform female lifestyle and celebrity news site, which also features LimeLife’s MySnaps social shopping service.

Total Beauty Media operates a suite of digital media properties including TotalBeauty.com, BeautyRiot,com, KateLuxe.com, ModernMan.com, and the Total Beauty Media Network.  Total Beauty Media has grown rapidly since its founding in 2007.  Now, with the addition of LimeLife’s audience, Total Beauty Media ranks #6 among Beauty, Fashion, and Style Web properties according to Comscore’s June 2010 report.  And among female lifestyle mobile web sites, Total Beauty Media now ranks #1.

By offering its services across multiple environments including the web, mobile, and iPhone, LimeLife.com provides its consumers, wherever they are, with the latest in celebrity news, fashion tips, and lifestyle information.  In addition, LimeLife’s MySnaps social shopping service allows consumers to create, share, and shop from their own personal shopping wish lists via the web and mobile. 

“We are excited to expand Total Beauty’s offerings into the female lifestyle, mobile, and social shopping markets,” said Emrah Kovacoglu, founder and CEO of Total Beauty Media, Inc. “By combining LimeLife with our other digital media properties, we continue to create a powerful and scalable digital media company.  We will now be able to connect our sizable audience with the brand advertisers who want to reach these women wherever they are — at home, at work, or on-the-go.  LimeLife’s unique capabilities in reaching women on mobile are especially interesting to the future of marketing and commerce.  We intend to build upon this foundation to provide women and brands with unique mobile content and advertising opportunities.”

“We’re thrilled to become a part of the Total Beauty Media family with its ability to monetize at three times the industry average, reach millions of female readers, and produce engaging premium content,” said Kristin McDonnell, CEO and Co-Founder of LimeLife. “Total Beauty will help accelerate LimeLife’s audience growth and expand our strong advertiser base to include even more consumer brands.” 

USA, Santa Monica, CA

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Nielsen plans to raise $2.01 billion through its IPO, up from previously reported $1.75M

August 19, 2010 — Fusion DigiNet

Heavily indepted Nielsen plans to raise $2.01 billion through its IPO, according to its latest S-1 filing. This is up from the $1.75M Fusion DigiNet reported in June.

As a result of the 2006 purchase of our Nielsen 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), Nielsen has incurred a significant amount of indebtedness and have a net tangible book deficit ($8.4 billion and $8.8 billion, respectively, as of June 30, 2010).

They have also have generated net losses since that time ($489 million, $589 million and $354 million for the years ended December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007, respectively).

Nielsen report that certain of their financial performance metrics have improved significantly between the year ended December 31, 2006 and the year ended December 31, 2009:

  • Revenues increased to $4.8 billion, generating a compound annual growth rate of 6.2% on an as reported basis and 5.7% on a constant currency basis;
  • Adjusted EBITDA increased to $1.3 billion, generating a compound annual growth rate of 14.3% on an as reported basis and 13.9% on a constant currency basis; and
  • Adjusted EBITDA as a percentage of revenue increased to 27.3% from 21.9%.

Nielsen intend to some of the proceeds of the share issue to reduce their indebtedness.

Financial performance summary

  • Revenues 2009 – $ 4,808M, 2008 – $ 4,806M, 2007 – $ 4,458M
  • Loss from continuing operations before income taxes and equity in net (loss)/income of affiliates 2009 ($603M), 2008 ($271M), 2007 ($354M)

Nielsen is a global information and measurement company that provides clients with a comprehensive understanding of consumers and consumer behavior.

Full details are available here

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Heightened M&A activity in the Alternative Energy Global

August 19, 2010 — Fusion DigiNet

In 2009, the demand for worldwide energy saw its first decline since 1982, according to a new report from IMAP. However, the combined revenue of the three major sources of alternative energy was $144.5 billion, up 15.8 percent from 2008. Government support, including stimulus packages, helped to boost the global capacity for wind by 31 percent, solar by 47 percent and biofuels by 21 percent. Additionally, for the first time in 2009, energy smart technologies such as digital energy applications, power saving appliances and electric vehicles attracted more venture capital and private equity investment than any other renewable energy technology. Although the industry faced the 2009 financial crisis in North America and Europe, its long-term growth fundamentals remain intact.

From the second quarter of 2009 through the second quarter of 2010, the industry saw 391 transactions, valued at $20.4 billion in total transaction value, up 54.8 percent in deal value versus the previous period. Solar and wind accounted for nearly 58 percent of total dollar volume for the period. In terms of country, China saw the highest transaction value of $5.4 billion with a total of 23 transactions during the last 12 months. The U.S. came in second with a transaction value of $2.6 billion from 72 transactions, followed by Spain, the Philippines and India. Among regions, Asia led with a total of 63 transactions, followed by Europe with 183, North America with 110 and the Middle East with 4.

In the future, the growth of energy demand will be largely concentrated in developing economies due to the high demand in these regions. As emerging markets rapidly expand their power generation capacity, IMAP advisers predict they will focus on wind, solar, bio and hydropower.

For more information about the The 2010 Alternative Energy Global Report go to www.imap.com

Posted in B2B Services, Energy & Environmental Services, ~Asia, ~Europe, ~Latin America and Caribbean, ~Middle East & Africa, ~North America, ~Oceana. Leave a Comment »

Idle Media acquires HipHopEarly.com

August 19, 2010 — Fusion DigiNet

Idle Media has acquired www.HipHopEarly.com, an online music destination for Hip Hop single pre-releases. This acquisition follows the company’s recent agreement to acquire the assets of three other online properties: www.prisonblock.com, www.chixr.us, and www.tweetvibe.com.

“Adding HipHopEarly.com to our portfolio allows us to touch the music the fans of Dat Piff love in a much different way,” stated Mr. Marcus Frasier, Idle Media, Inc.’s President and CEO. “This acquisition is just another step in our strategy to continually expand our on-line presence in both the social gaming and hip hop niches. We’ve taken an established site with respectable user traffic, breathed new life into it and immediately integrated it into our business without incurring any additional expense. The revenue from these types of acquisitions basically flows straight through to the bottom line.”

Idle Media, Inc. is a publicly traded new media technology company that delivers cutting-edge content and online gaming through its wholly-owned operating companies, including Dat Piff, a provider of online mix tapes and user-generated content.

USA, Leesport, PA

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